Midland Public Schools asks voters for a 1.5-mill sinking fund on Nov. 3, a smaller request after a $285 million bond failed

MIDLAND, Mich. — A year and a half after voters turned down a $285 million bond by better than 2 to 1, Midland Public Schools is back on the Nov. 3 ballot with a much smaller request: a 1.5-mill sinking fund for 10 years, 2026 through 2035.

The district estimates the new tax would bring in about $4,570,265 if it is approved and levied this year, according to the ballot language, and about $46 million over the 10 years, depending on property values.

What you would pay. The district’s own example: a $250,000 home with a taxable value of $125,000 would pay about $187.50 a year, or $15.63 a month. To figure your bill, multiply your home’s taxable value from your tax statement by 1.5 and divide by 1,000. The levy would first appear on the winter tax bill after the election. The district also still carries debt from the bond voters approved in February 2015, which runs through 2035.

What it would buy. The district says the money would go first to safety and basic repairs: buzzer entry systems at every school, updated security cameras, safer sites and playgrounds, roofs, heating, cooling and ventilation, electrical and plumbing work, replacement of the oldest of its 40 school buses, and technology such as servers, door-access controllers and P.A. systems. Projects for the first four years are planned; later years would be set after yearly reviews of a facility assessment.

Limits written in. The district notes that Michigan law bars sinking fund money from paying salaries or operating costs. The board removed the right to buy real estate from the ballot language, so the fund couldn’t be used for land purchases. A sinking fund doesn’t borrow, so there is no interest cost, and the district says projects will be competitively bid and the fund audited every year.

Why it’s smaller. On May 6, 2025, the bond failed 10,940 to 5,157, with about 68% voting no, according to Midland County’s election-night results. Afterward the district gathered feedback, and a 30-member community steering team recommended what the district calls “a modest sinking fund” for the most urgent needs. The district says its buildings average about 65 years old, and its facility assessment found roughly $500 million in work over time. The district acknowledges the sinking fund “did not address the full scope” of those needs, which leaves bigger questions, including the future of Northeast Middle School, for later.

Learn more. Superintendent Penny Miller-Nelson has “Out of Office Hours” at 7:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 23, and the district holds a community information session on the proposal at noon Wednesday, Oct. 28, according to the district’s sinking fund page, which also has the full ballot language and a project list.

How to vote. Michigan’s deadline to register online or by mail was Oct. 19; residents can still register in person at their local clerk’s office with proof of residency through 8 p.m. on Election Day. Early in-person voting runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 1. Absentee ballot applications are due by 5 p.m. Oct. 30 by mail or online, or by 4 p.m. Nov. 2 in person at the clerk’s office. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. County canvassers have until Nov. 17 to certify results, and the Board of State Canvassers until Nov. 23. Sample ballots and polling places are at the Michigan Voter Information Center.

Sources:
Midland Public Schools, “2026 Sinking Fund Proposal” (ballot language, revenue estimate, uses, cost example, 2015 bond, steering team, info sessions), https://www.midlandps.org/sinkingfund
The Gist, “Midland Public Schools: sinking fund millage” (ballot question as printed, from Michigan Department of State sample ballots), https://thegist.vote/question/2026-general-mi/midland-midland-public-schools-midland-public-schools
Midland County, May 6, 2025 Special Election results, Midland Public Schools Bond Proposal, https://app.enhancedvoting.com/results/public/midland-county-mi/elections/May_6_2025/ballot-items/01000000-5f9c-42ef-104e-08dd88e94054
MLive, “$285M Midland Public Schools bond fails by a landslide in May election” (headline: bond amount), May 2025, https://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw-bay-city/2025/05/285m-midland-public-schools-bond-fails-by-a-landslide-in-may-election.html
Michigan Voter Information Center, https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/
Photo: Mrmiscellanious, “Midland-High-School-Midland-Michigan-1.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Midland-High-School-Midland-Michigan-1.jpg

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