By: Maria Allard | Roseville-Eastpointe Eastsider | Published February 7, 2026
EASTPOINTE — At the Jan. 28 Eastpointe Community Schools Board of Education meeting — which had been rescheduled from Jan. 26 due to weather conditions — the school board voted 7-0 to place a non-homestead operating millage replacement on the May 5 ballot.
A “yes” vote means the voter supports the ballot initiative. Those who vote “no” oppose the non-homestead operating millage replacement.
According to school officials, non-homestead operating millages are required under Michigan law and allow school districts to receive their full per-pupil funding, also known as the foundation allowance.
The May 5 ballot proposal does not apply to primary residences and would not increase taxes on homeowners’ primary homes. It applies only to businesses, commercial and industrial properties, rental properties and second homes.
“I want to make sure residents know that it’s not levied on a homeowner’s primary residence,” district Superintendent Christina Gibson said. “The millage applies to businesses, second homes, vacant land and rental property. Our work on our non-homestead renewal will not affect you if you’re the primary homeowner.”
Prior to the board vote, Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Jon Dean gave a presentation about the non-homestead operating millage replacement proposal.
“This is not a bond. This is not a sinking fund. Bond funds, sinking funds can only be spent on specific things,” Dean said. “This is general millage funds that can be used for anything inside of the school. Most of it is used for salaries, for our employees. But it funds the day-to-day operations of our school district.”
That includes school supplies, student services, textbooks, salaries and paying utility bills. Dean said the millage generates about $5.7 million for the district per year. According to school officials, the district’s current non-homestead millage was approved by voters in 2019 but has declined over time due to the Headlee Amendment, which automatically reduces tax rates when property values rise faster than inflation so the total taxable value in the district brings in the same gross revenue as adjusted for inflation. In 2025, because of the Headlee Amendment, the district received approximately $704,000 less than voters originally authorized.
“Next year it will be more than $704,000 if we don’t do something,” Dean said.
The district is currently receiving $10,050 per student through the state’s foundation allowance. Dean said that when the foundation allowance is calculated by the state of Michigan, the state assumes under Proposal A that the district has levied the full 18 mills.
However, because of the Headlee Amendment, Eastpointe Community Schools has not been levying the full 18 mills for the past seven years. Per Dean’s presentation, the district is only levying 16.0205 mills for the 2025-2026 school year.
“For the 2026-2027 school year, our millage would likely dip below 16 mills without the voters taking action to return the levy to the full 18 mills,” Dean said.
If the voters approve the non-homestead operating millage replacement on May 5, the proposal would restore the district’s operating millage. The proposal also includes a 4-mill cushion, permitted under Michigan law, which does not increase the tax rate being levied. This will allow the district to continue to levy up to the full 18 mills authorized for school operations when future reductions occur. Dean said that by state law the district can’t levy more than 18 mills.
“It’s a bucket of 18 and a bucket of 4. If this passes, every year when that little bit rolls back off that 18 (mills) it can be replaced by that 4 (mills) a little bit. It’s like a scale that’s happening over time,” Dean said. “This hopefully will allow us to levy the full 18 mills for the next 20 years while that little bucket of 4 goes down a little bit every year.”
According to the presentation, returning the non-homestead operating millage to the legally required 18 mills would result in an increase in funding for the district of over $700,000 annually.
The district would lose over $704,000 next year and additional funding in the following years if the millage replacement fails at the polls. The lost revenue would not be replaced by the state of Michigan; therefore school officials might need to reduce programs, staffing and classroom resources if voters don’t pass the millage replacement.
For more information on the ballot proposal, go to the district’s website at eastpointeschools.org and select the “school millage replacement” line. Voters can also contact Gibson at officeofsuperintendent@eastpointeschools.org. In the coming months, district officials will share information through community meetings, mailings, social media, the district’s website and local news outlets.