Voters will have soon have a say in the future of finances at Marquette Area Public Schools, as MAPS is seeking on the May 3 ballot a renewal for its sinking fund.

We encourage area residents to vote in favor of renewing the sinking fund millage at its current rate. MAPS has demonstrated it makes good used of the fund to enrich students’ educational experiences, pay for infrastructure maintenance and upgrades, and more.

Examples include MAPS Makerspace, which allows students to learn and explore with various means of technology; new entrances to school buildings; and the renovated Marquette Senior High School parking lot as examples of projects made possible through the sinking fund.

“It’s really academics, the arts and athletics,” MAPS Superintendent Zack Sedgwick said. “Those are the three components in addition to construction and repair. So, obviously, with an infrastructure as large and complex as ours, you have a lot of ongoing maintenance that’s required — roofs, parking lots, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air condition), mechanical.”

Sedgwick said the school district could have tried for a new millage or an additional levy on the sinking fund on May 3.

“But we really made a commitment to just make it a pure renewal so that there wasn’t additional costs,” he said.

The proposal will allow the school district to continue to levy the building and site sinking fund millage that will expire with the 2023 tax levy. If approved and levied in 2024, the proposal, which will ask voters to renew the 10-year sinking fund at .934 mill per year through 2033, would continue to generate about $1.1 million annually for construction or repair of school buildings, according to ballot language.

Sedgwick said in a recent Journal article that since taxable value is about half a property’s market value, for a $100,000 home with a taxable value of $50,000, the tax would be $46.70 per year. The millage will be on a “pay-as-you-go” basis, meaning there will be no borrowing or interest payments, he said. Money may not be used for salaries, salaries and equipment, or for purchase of land or property.

Sedgwick pointed out that even though the sinking fund doesn’t directly fund programs geared toward student achievement, it frees up general fund dollars to fund those programs.

“Otherwise, you’re using your general fund dollars for all your infrastructure repairs,” he said.

The general fund pays for educational programming, teaching supplies, utilities, fuel, salaries and other items.

Sedgwick said he continues to highlight the fact that it is a renewal, not a new tax.

“It really is a ‘make-it-or-break it’ for us to continue providing things like after-school tutoring for free, summer school for free,” Sedgwick said.

We support this sinking fund millage renewal, as investments in education can have a positive ripple effect throughout the community.

There are many good reasons to support this renewal. For one, MAPS isn’t asking for an increase, despite the pressures of inflation. And, according to Michigan State University, Michigan is one of only 14 states that provide no state aid for capital infrastructure, making these sinking fund dollars particularly critical for upgrading and maintaining building at MAPS. Secondly, MAPS has demonstrated, in our view, good financial stewardship of the sinking fund dollars in the past. Thirdly, high quality schools with sufficient funding from taxpayers can improve children’s educational outcomes, encourage families to stay in the area, increase home values and enrich the community at large.

We urge our voters to support at this continued investment in education and our area’s future as a whole.