Royal Oak Schools’ $165 million bond passes with 68% of the vote: what each building gets and what it costs taxpayers

ROYAL OAK — Royal Oak Schools’ $165 million facilities bond passed in Tuesday’s election, 22,377 votes to 10,371, or 68.33% yes, according to results reported by C&G Newspapers.

By our count, 32,748 votes were cast on the question, and the yes side won by 12,006 votes — better than two to one. We previewed the proposal, along with the city’s two millage renewals, in our look at Royal Oak’s Nov. 3 ballot.

What it costs taxpayers

The district sold the measure as a no-tax-rate-increase bond. It keeps the district’s debt millage at 2.20 mills, its current level, and the district projects the rate will stay at or below 2.20 mills for 2027 and beyond. The ballot language put the first-year levy at an estimated 1.41 mills and the average annual levy needed to retire the bonds at 2.05 mills, with repayment of up to 15 years, according to C&G. The district says the bonds will be sold in three series to cut interest costs.

What that means for a homeowner: one mill is $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value. At 2.20 mills, a home with a $150,000 taxable value pays about $330 a year toward school debt — the same rate it pays now, not a new charge. State law bars bond money from paying salaries, routine repairs or other operating costs, and the spending is subject to audit.

Where the money is slated to go

The district’s bond FAQ lists proposed projects building by building. Royal Oak High School, built in 1957, is the largest at $58.4 million, including a new welcome center and offices, a STEAM and career exploration hub, a roof replacement, chiller and cooling tower replacement, new turf baseball and softball fields and a new drop-off loop from Lexington. Royal Oak Middle School, built in 1928, is listed at $38.2 million, including a new STEAM studio, pool upgrades and a roof replacement.

The rest: the Royal Oak Education Center (Churchill administration building) at $21.4 million, Addams Elementary at $17.5 million, Oak Ridge at $12.6 million, Keller at $9.7 million, Upton at $7.3 million, Oakland at $6.4 million, Northwood at $6.3 million and the MTC building at $1.09 million. Those 10 figures add up to about $178.9 million, more than the $165 million bond; the FAQ pages we reviewed do not explain the difference.

The district’s last bond, $59 million in 2017, paid for work completed from 2018 to 2022. District officials say the voter-approved sinking fund and operating budget cannot cover large-scale capital projects.

“Royal Oak has a reputation for supporting our schools,” Deborah Anderson, one of the winners in the school board race, told C&G.

Sources:
C&G Newspapers, “Voters approve bonds for Lamphere Schools, Royal Oak Schools,” November 2026 (vote totals and percentages, 2.20 mills, 1.41 first-year and 2.05 average mills, 15-year term, restrictions on use, Anderson quote), https://www.candgnews.com/articles/government-news/voters-approve-bonds-for-lamphere-schools-royal-oak-schools/
Royal Oak Schools, “Bond 2026” (no rate increase, three series, projected rate, 2017 bond history, sinking fund limits), https://www.royaloakschools.org/bond_2026
Royal Oak Schools, 2026 Bond FAQ, “Estimated Costs & Infrastructure Information” (building-by-building amounts and projects; our total), https://www.royaloakschools.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_455101/File/Estimated%20Costs%20%26%20Infrastructure%20Information.pdf
Photo: Lorie Shaull, “Vote Here sign in Minneapolis, Minnesota (50564083472).jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/), cropped and resized; derivative shared under the same license, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vote_Here_sign_in_Minneapolis,_Minnesota_(50564083472).jpg

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Tags: Royal Oak · Royal Oak Schools · School bond · Election 2026 · Property taxes · Oakland County