Kent ISD — Amid growing demands on public education, districts have used funds from a tax levy passed in 2017 to maintain programs, support staff and expand opportunities for students.
The 0.9-mill regional enhancement millage has provided funding to all 20 K-12 public schools in the Kent ISD area for the past eight years, with districts receiving about $330 per pupil in 2024-25. The millage will be up for a 10-year renewal on the Nov. 4 ballot.
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According to a Kent ISD web site, which tracks how districts have used the funding, enhancement millage dollars have gone toward a wide range of student-centered initiatives. These include reducing class sizes by hiring additional staff, expanding reading and math interventions, increasing Advanced Placement and dual enrollment opportunities, improving mental health services, and funding building upgrades.
For the 2024-25 school year, Grand Rapids Public Schools received about $4.5 million from the millage.
Rhonda Kribs, chief financial officer for Grand Rapids Public Schools, said the funding has been a “crucial part” of how the district has supported students and staff.
“Funding from the enhancement millage has been vital to sustaining key positions in several of our schools, including paraprofessionals, e-lab teachers, and supplemental Spanish and music strings programs at select elementary schools,” Kribs said.
Rockford Public Schools received about $2.5 million this past school year. Superintendent Steve Matthews emphasized the importance of that funding in maintaining adequate staffing levels.
“For us, if we had to have a cut of $2.5 million, that would significantly impact the amount of teachers we have, the amount of parapros we could hire, the amount of custodians that we could employ,” Matthews said. “So it really provides us with money to support the programs and the classrooms in the district. It’s a very important piece of the puzzle.”
In Kelloggsville Public Schools, which received around $725,000 for the 2024-25 school year, the funds have been directed toward high school AP classes, a school-to-work program, and facility updates, including HVAC and security improvements, said Superintendent Jim Alston.
Alston said the district plans to use future funds — should the renewal pass — to further expand STEM opportunities and career certification programs that support its school-to-work initiative.
“We are increasing the number of AP classes at the high school and bringing STEM activities to all grade levels, K-12,” he said. “We also plan to use a portion of the funds to pursue hiring an additional school resource officer, as our district lies between two city limits (Wyoming and Kentwood).”
Reporter Riley Kelley contributed to this story.
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