Voters in the nine districts that make up the Kalamazoo Regional Education Service Agency have approved a tax increase to pay for special education services.
The proposal was approved by a few hundred votes out of just over 41,000 cast on Tuesday. KRESA Superintendent David Campbell told WMUK's Gordon Evans that approval of the millage means that special education costs won't be as much of a burden to school districts' budgets. He says if the millage proposal had not passed, it would have left districts in a continuous cycle of declining revenue and increasing costs. Campbell says that means fewer dollars getting to the classroom.
The narrow margin of victory came at the same time as voters in Kalamazoo County and across Michigan rejected a proposal to fund road repairs in the state. Campbell says their polling had shown that the proposed sales tax showed it would have a negative impact on the KRESA millage proposal. But he says the surveys still showed support for the education increase.
The Kalamazoo Gazettereports that nearly half the "yes" votes came from the city of Kalamazoo and Oshtemo Township which fall within the Kalamazoo Public School District.
More election results can be found here.