What Detroiters should know about the proposed school operating millage on the Aug. 4 ballot
If you’re a Detroiter heading to the polls for the Aug. 4 primary, or someone voting early, you’re likely asking yourself one big question: Why are we voting on another school operating millage?
The answer is a bit complicated. Yes, in 2024, Detroiters easily approved an operating millage renewal — the technical term for a tax levy on some real estate — for Detroit Public Schools. That’s the entity that used to educate students in the city, but since 2016 has only existed to collect tax revenue and pay off old debt.
But a lot has changed in the last two years. The Detroit Public Schools Community District must now seek its own operating millage for two key reasons:
- The DPS millage will be done paying off old operating debt in September and must cease collecting operating tax revenue.
- The operating revenue the state has been providing to DPSCD since state lawmakers created the district in 2016 will be eliminated, per the budget lawmakers approved July 3.
https://michiganadvance.com/2026/07/14/what-detroiters-should-know-about-the-proposed-school-operating-millage-on-the-aug-4-ballot/