On the May 2 ballot, Saginaw Township’s $242.9 million proposal for school building upkeep and upgrades took root when Superintendent Bruce Martin was hired in September 2018.
He took a 40-minute drive from Millington, where he had been school chief at the time, and carried out a personal tour of the buildings in his new home district.
Saginaw Township maintained an excellent academic reputation across the state, Martin noted, “and so I was surprised at the (subpar) condition of the facilities.”
With Board of Education approval, architects conducted a needs assessment that led to a series of focus groups with students, staff and citizens to put together the plan, which would require a 5.75-mill levy for up to 30 years.
An info brochure pitches the annual cost at $287.50 for a home with a $100,000 sales value and a $50,000 SEV, state equalized taxable value. However, the average sales price for a home in the township is closer to $180,000, and in that case the typical tax takeout would be $517.50 per annum. (To determine one’s own exact cost, divide taxable value by 1,000, then multiply by 5.75. Some lower-value owners may qualify for state Homestead rebates to offset a portion of any increase.)
The first in a series of public forums on the millage drew about two dozen residents Wednesday to White Pine Middle. Upcoming sessions, beginning at 6 p.m., are slated for April 11 at Westdale Elementary, April 13 at Arrowwood, April 19 at Weiss, April 26 at Heritage and April 27 at Mackinaw High School. Another will be at 6:30 on April 17 at Sherwood.
All schools are slated for improvements, but the highlight is Heritage, built as Eisenhower High 51 years ago when overcrowding spilled over at the township’s original high school, MacArthur, now home to White Pine.
The three circular pod structures, controversial from the start, would be demolished in favor of a new “academic and arts center,” two stories located much closer to North Center. The existing gymnasium (also built as a circle with seating in the round, sometimes causing confused visiting players to dribble out of bounds on the open sidelines) would be preserved, along with the swimming pool.
Martin asserted that the existing Heritage contains 118 entrance doors, which leads to major security concerns during an era of sharply increasing school shootings and threats. Critics in the audience suggested that doors could be blockaded and added security officers could be employed, and one speaker accused school leaders of “fear-mongering,” with planners responding that the main problem is general maintenance and aging, not simply too many doors.
The seven elected school board members unanimously support the plan, but a new County Commissioner from the township, Republican Richard Spitzer, is part of a protest group that pegs the estimated millage at 7.89 per year.
Martin answers that state law requires the 7.89 be listed on the ballot as a worst-case scenario in case of extreme inflation, but 5.75 is a more reasonable estimate approved by the state Department of Treasury. He says the first paragraph of “information” is the accurate explanation in layman’s terms. For a copy of the ballot, click here.
Saginaw city voters three years ago approved $100 million for a new high school and three other projects. Martin said the township’s total tab is higher because in addition to the Heritage rebuild, seven other buildings are in line for upgrades.
