Ontonagon Area Schools is asking voters to renew a five-year bus maintenance millage on the November 3 ballot. The district plans to use the funds to replace three buses in its fleet.
The district’s four bus routes cover more than 75,000 miles every school year, according to Superintendent Lisa Johnson. Johnson said the district carefully weighs every millage request before placing it on the ballot.
“It’s super important to pay attention to the millages. Schools don’t ask for a lot of funds and the state chips in their portion, but there are things that we need above and beyond,” Johnson said. “We are in constant need of replacing our buses. They only last, especially with our winters here for so long and with the mileage component pieces. So we have a constant schedule for replacement of them. And it’s super important to be able to get our kids here to school.”
If approved, the district will collect the bus maintenance millage at a rate of 0.42 mills for another five years. Johnson said the district strategically schedules millage requests to limit sudden increases for taxpayers.
Voters should check the back of their ballots for local proposals. The November 3 election includes many federal, state and local items.
Find more information for the OAS Bus Maintenance millage renewal here.
