Voters pass MARESA Millage Proposal and NICE Community School’s Millage Renewal

MARQUETTE COUNTY, Mich. (WLUC) - Marquette and Alger County voters have decided to approve MARESA’s Special Education Millage Proposal. The proposal passed with 55% approval from voters.

Superintendent for MARESA Greg Nyen said this millage will supplement special education where the government falls short.

“Currently, special education expenses exceed the revenue streams by the local, state and federal government,” Nyen said. “With yesterday’s passage of the millage, this will, essentially, allow our 13 school districts to fully fund special education programs.”

Nyen said, now that the election is over, money will begin to flow to the 13 school districts in Marquette and Alger County.

“Now that the voters have spoken,” Nyen said. “This agency will begin collecting that levy, starting with the summer tax collection, and distributing those funds to the 13 public school districts in Marquette and Alger County.”

NICE Community School’s Operating Millage Renewal passed with a 76% approval from voters. Superintendent for NICE Community School Bryan DeAugustine said the millage drives everything at NICE Community Schools.

“It’s the piece of our general fund that we collect locally,” DeAugustine said. “It normally provides about 25% of our operating budget for our per-pupil foundation allowance that comes in every year, it’s the piece the state expects us to pay for ourselves and then the states fills in the rest, it lets us run our school year after year.”

The operating millage will support Westwood High School and Aspen Ridge School for the next ten years.

“We really appreciate the democratic process and, luckily, our people believe in what we’re doing and our millage passed very handily,” DeAugustine said. “We’re happy about that and want to thank everyone.”

Click here to see May 2023 election results from across the Upper Peninsula.

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