Saugatuck school board to ask voters for funding renewals, hears proposal for new law course
SAUGATUCK — Saugatuck Public Schools will be asking the community to renew a trio of funding sources during the November election.
The district’s school board approved ballot language for operating millage, recreation millage and sinking fund renewals Monday, July 19.
The operating millage is an 18-mill tax on non-homestead property, such as business and second homes. All public school districts are required to pass an operating millage to receive their full funding from the state.
Saugatuck will be asking for a five-year renewal. It will ask for a 22-mill approval, but the district, by law, can’t levy more than 18 mills. The additional mills are to protect against potential Headlee Amendment rollbacks in the later years of the five-year renewal.
“We’re not asking for anything that hasn’t been approved in the recent past,” Superintendent Tim Travis said. “It’s just to continue the good programs and keep the school’s doors open, doing good things.”
More: Bond work begins at Saugatuck Middle/High School
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Saugatuck is also asking for a three-year renewal of the 0.5 mill building and site sinking fund. The district uses this money to fund urgent repairs, such as boiler, HVAC and roof repair, and technology purchases.
The end of the renewal would coincide with the end of work from the 2020 bond proposal. At that time, the district will evaluate whether or not to pursue the fund further.
The community recreation proposal is a five-year renewal of the .25 mill tax that otherwise expires at the end of 2022.
Law courses proposed
A pair of new courses were proposed for Saugatuck High School students during Monday’s meeting. Principal Mark Neidlinger and newly hired Spanish teacher Noemi Sackett spoke to the board about adding Law I and Law II as elective options.
Sackett previously taught law classes at Holland High School. Those courses “introduce the fundamentals of law” and emphasize understanding how “today’s law impacts us all as consumers and citizens.” Topics include ethics, constitutional law, crimes, private wrongs, law for the student-family-consumer and bailments.
Sackett worked 20 years before getting into teaching. She told the board she likes to call on real-life applications when teaching law.
“I love to learn new things, but I like when people put it in the perspective of what I will be using daily,” she said. “What actually happens in the world? What part of law will they need to know when they get out of high school?”
The board will vote on the course offerings during its August meeting. If approved, Sackett will teach two sections of Law I in the upcoming school year.
Construction update
Travis provided the board an update on construction progress at Douglas Elementary and Saugatuck Middle/High School. He said “the biggest message is things are still on time.”
Most of the work at DES is expected to be finished by the start of the school year, with the exception of four classrooms that will be worked on throughout the first semester.
Several classrooms, offices, the learning commons and the parking lot are currently being worked on, but should be ready by the start of school on Aug. 29.
Work at the high school began in April with an addition of a new band suite and administrative offices. Those are still on track to be finished in January, Travis said. Construction on gymnasiums and bathrooms at the secondary building is expected to wrap up in August.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @SentinelMitch.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Saugatuck schools seeking three tax renewals in November election
