Portage Public Schools holds off on Building Site and Sinking Fund Renewal
The Portage Public Schools Board of Trustees has decided to delay asking voters to renew a building site and sinking fund millage until the August 2024 election. The PPS Building Site and Sinking Fund has been supported by Portage taxpayers for nearly 60 years with renewals typically on the May ballot. The last renewal was approved on May 20, 2019.
“As we were preparing for the election, we realized that ours would be the only issue on the May 2024 ballot and that the District would have to bear the cost of the entire election. The estimate was around $100,000," said Superintendent Mark Bielang. “It just didn’t make sense to spend that much money when we can put the question on the August ballot with other community issues, at no direct cost to the District.”
The Building Site and Sinking fund is a millage levied to support things like school safety, building repairs, busing and technology. It is a pay-as-you-go system that means the District does not have to borrow money or pay interest on these types of projects, nor does it have to take dollars from student learning by using the General Fund.
It is estimated that a .5 mil renewal of the fund will generate around $1.5 million dollars annually for projects through 2029, if approved by voters in August.