Whitmore Lake schools to regroup after voters reject $12M, 10-year sinking fund proposal

WHITMORE LAKE, MI – It's back to the drawing board in weighing district needs and costs after a narrow majority of voters on Tuesday rejected Whitmore Public Schools' $12-million sinking fund request that would have helped finance major capital upgrades during the next decade .

Roughly 52% of voters, or 2.731 overall, checked the no box on the request, in both Washtenaw and Livingston counties in the Nov. 5 general election — just a few months after district residents voted down a $53.5-million bond proposal .

According to unofficial election results, there were 2071 votes against and 1,987 for in Washtenaw County and 660 votes against and 527 for in Livingston County.

Although disappointed, Whitmore Lake Superintendent Tom DeKeyser said in a social media post early Wednesday, Nov. 6, said that the district would "remain committed to ensuring a safe environment for every student" as they approach "some tough decisions ahead."

"We will continue to seek responsible ways to maintain and enhance our facilities," he said.

Unlike the bond proposal voted down in the Aug. 6 primary election, the proposed sinking fund on the November ballot would have introduced a gradual savings for 10 years, with an annual revenue to chip away at a lengthy project list over time rather than address improvements right away with a large loan.

The 1.5-mill tax would have generated $824,424 in 2025.

On the to-do list for the sinking fund was $5 million worth of needs like installing new heating, ventilation and cooling control systems districtwide and energy-efficient lighting, as well as $3 million for new parking lots, sidewalks and select curbing and $2 million for improved elementary school security and new buses.

On Wednesday afternoon, DeKeyser said too many voters were "not comfortable passing another tax."

Now, he said district officials will have to figure out what to do with the existing sinking fund and how to "use the revenue it generates for a few more years" on more urgent facility needs.

"The repairs we were seeking with the (new) sinking fund proposal go beyond what the current sinking fund is going to generate," DeKeyser said.

If the district would do everything it said it were going to do on that list, much of it would have to come out of the school district's general fund, he said.

"There's potential that there's some program or staff cuts, or we scale back what we do," DeKeyser said.

Any major decisions as a result of the proposal's failure will come from the Whitmore Lake School Board, he said, calling district staff and program needs, as well as having sustainable facilities "both really important."

Citing the 48% who still supported the sinking fund request, DeKeyser said he thought the district had "solidified some strong relationships" with a grassroots network of parents in the run-up to Tuesday's election.

"It was good to see how much energy they had and how intelligent they were," he said.

The Whitmore Lake School Board next meets Monday, Nov. 11.

Ann Arbor" daily newsletter.