Dearborn, Michigan: Voters Approve $1.51 Billion School Bond, the Largest in Michigan History

DEARBORN, Michigan (Orbit Post) Voters in Dearborn and part of Dearborn Heights approved a $1.51 billion Dearborn Public Schools bond on Tuesday, November 3, the largest school bond in Michigan history. The proposal passed with 68 percent of the vote in Dearborn and 69 percent in Dearborn Heights, according to results from the two cities, and the district said it passed in every precinct.

District leaders celebrated at a press conference on Thursday, November 5. "Tuesday was a historic day for Dearborn Public Schools," Superintendent Mike Esseily said. "We are not just building and improving schools. We are building opportunities for generations of children to come, and that was what this bond was about."

Dearborn is the third largest school district in Michigan. It serves 19,500 students in kindergarten through high school and more than 600 children in free state preschool programs, across 37 buildings.

What the money builds

The bond pays for six new neighborhood schools for students in preschool through eighth grade. Every other building in the district will be fully remodeled, with work that includes replacing aging boilers, adding or upgrading air conditioning and air filtration, installing new elevators, upgrading every classroom, creating STEAM labs and adding skilled trades exploration in middle schools.

The first steps start sooner. By next summer, work will start on restrooms that are more private and entryways that are more secure, and crews will address problems such as leaking roofs. The first wave of bond funding will not be available until the spring of 2027, and the district is now hiring architects for the three new schools in phase one: a combined school at the Smith Middle School site for Smith and Nowlin students, a new Lowrey building across the street from the current school that will also take Becker Elementary students, and a new Salina Intermediate attached to Salina Elementary.

The full program runs in four phases over about 20 years.

How the tax piece works

The bond adds 3.14 mills. For a Dearborn home with a taxable value of $100,000, that is $314 a year before offsets. District and city officials say Dearborn homeowners will see no increase in their total tax rate, because the district will waive its 2.18 mill operating millage on homeowners and the city millage for a combined sewer overflow bond is declining. Homeowners in the Dearborn Heights part of the district face a smaller increase of 0.96 mill, the Free Press reported.

Critics raised concerns about taxes and about planned demolition of historic buildings during the campaign. Mayor Abdullah Hammoud backed the size of the ask. "The foundation of any strong city is the school district," Hammoud said at the press conference.

The vote reverses a close result from seven years ago. In November 2019, voters rejected a $240 million bond by 242 votes. This time the district asked for more than six times that amount, and voters approved it by a wide margin.