By Shelby Stewart
Staff Writer
On March 10, voters in Brandon, Groveland and Springfield townships voted against a bond proposal for Brandon Schools.
“The district will be debriefing and discussing options over the next few weeks,” said district superintendent Dr. Matt Outlaw. “We have several projects that are time sensitive and others that may be able to wait. What is certain is that the district will need community support in order to address these building issues.”
Voters narrowly nixed a $19.5 million, .83 mills, school bond with 2,316 yes to 2,421 against the bond. Also on the ballot was a millage for the Detroit Institute of Arts which was voted through with 75.73 percent yes and 24.27 percent no county wide. Voter turnout for the county was at 36.67 percent.
The last Brandon bond proposal in 2016 was also voted down, though by a larger percentage with a 60.77 percent vote against it. The proposed 2016 bond was for $2.2 million, at a rate of two mills for two years.
The last time Brandon passed a bond was 2006, which was before the housing market crashed that caused per-pupil funding for school districts to plummet and residents to move out of state for work. At the time, the district was projected to continue growing, and the 2006 bond built Oakwood Elementary School to prepare for the projected growth.

“While serious questions regarding our facilities continue to loom, we will not let those issues impact the quality of education that we provide to the youth of this community,” said Outlaw.
The DIA millage will renew the .2 mills for the Detroit-based museum. The original millage, passed in 2012, is set to expire in 2022, which is when the renewal will begin. This will continue to allow residents of Oakland, Wayne and Macomb Counties to visit the museum for free and will also allow them to provide complimentary transportation for senior and student groups.