There is no dispute that Hamtramck’s public school buildings need massive repairs.
The schools are old and haven’t had needed upgrades in years. On Wednesday, the School Board took a step to fix that. The board unanimously agreed to ask voters to approve a tax millage for the next 10 years that will produce about $7 million over that course of time.
That’s approximately $700,000 a year – at least.
On May 6, Hamtramck voters will be asked to support that tax. You’ll be hearing more about this in the coming months, but let us say upfront that it’s a tax that needs to be passed.
We cannot afford to allow our school buildings to crumble. For those with a house that has a taxable value of $20,000 it’s just a few more dollars a year. There’s a payoff to homeowners though. By the time the district is done making improvements this will mean all of our housing values will increase.
A modern school district equals a solid community.
It’s also a worthy investment because the public schools have proven they are doing the best job compared to the numerous charter schools in operation here.
There are two winners in this proposal: students and homeowners.