CLICK BELOW TO HEAR COMMENTS FROM MIKE TRAVIS, MUNISING SUPERINTENDENT
It’s back to the drawing board for the Munising Public Schools, after a sinking fund millage proposal to make improvements to district buildings suffered a loss in Tuesday’s election by just two votes, 486-484. The proposal was for a 1.5 mill increase over ten years.
Munising Schools Superintendent Mike Travis on Wednesday told RRN’s Casey Ford, himself a Munising Township resident, that he was disappointed with the outcome, especially the fact that the district came oh-so-close to an approval.
“A razor-thin margin of defeat,” Travis said. “It’s important for the district and for our students to advocate for the needs. We have some structural and some facility needs that only become more costly and difficult to fix the longer we kick the can down the road.”
Most of the margin in Tuesday’s loss came in Munising Township.
Travis says he understands that many community members feel financially-squeezed right now.
“The price of gas and the price of milk are up,” Travis said. “We recognize that here. We spend over $50,000 a year in diesel fuel (for bussing). We know the impact of fuel costs and milk costs and bread costs. We know that hits our community hard.”
Travis, though, says the community has been blunt with its desire to keep open the Mather Elementary School building, and he says that it is a 103-year-old facility that has many needs.
“The community will hopefully realize the importance of taking care of Mather the next time they go to the polls,” Travis said, although not indicating when the financial proposal will be brought, again, before district voters.
Travis added that the middle-high school building is 44 years old, and he adds that several buildings, including the Munising Public Library, are “affected by some drainage leaks issues that will only continue to get worse at time goes on.”
Travis also pointed out that Munising is one of the few Upper Peninsula school districts that does not have a “sinking fund” millage in place, a levy that can, by state law, be used only for stated building and technology expenditures.
“Our tax rates are also very low, compared to other districts around us,” Travis added. “We’re asking our community to dig deep and think about what they want for their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.”
With that said, and the Munising Schools being turned down, again, for a tax increase, what’s the next step?
“We have some important decisions to make,” Travis said. “I will be meeting with the (school) board next week. We’re going to consider what our next move is. But we know that we have to take some action. We have to secure the future for our kids and our district.”
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