A three-item millage package for St. Ignace Area Schools will likely come before voters again in November, asking for 0.7 mill for 11 years for a wood heating plant, computer equipment, and school busses. The millage planning committee made the decision Tuesday, June 1, and will recommend the district make a second try when the school board meets Monday, June 14.

In April, voters rejected the millage, which would have raised $2,675,000 over the 11 years.

Led by Superintendent Mike Springsteen, the goal of the committee meeting was to review likely reasons why the millage was voted down, and develop a plan of action for asking voters to reconsider. Among the many issues discussed were whether it would be more beneficial to have the components of the proposal voted on separately, the best timing of the election to draw the most voters, and various improved means for promoting the issue to the public.

In view of the school's $800,000 budget shortfall for the 2010-2011 school year, Mr. Springsteen said that, in his opinion, all of the components of the proposal are needed for the district to stay solvent in the future.

As a consequence of the millage not passing, Mr. Springsteen said, the district will be spending no money on new technology this year and will be be compelled to repair two of its older buses from 1997 and 1998, which would have been replaced under the plan. In 2012, athletics at the school could be “pay to play” to keep the district's budget solvent, he said.

“Personally, I think we need it all,” he said of the three requests, “and this is a way, from a local standpoint, that the community can help keep up what we need.”

Several committee members opined that voters who were against the millage in April's election were opposed to the concept of the wood chip heating plant, and some suggested that the component should be dropped from the proposal.

Voters may have been unaware, they contended, that the plant is projected to save the district $80,000 per year by replacing the district's current natural gas system, and that the language about the plant on the ballot may have also been unclear.

An advocate of keeping all three items on the ballot, Pete Everson, superintendent of the EUP Intermediate School District, said that it might be advantageous for the school board to specify to the public the amount of money it will be saving from the wood chip plant, and what specific academic programs it would be channelled into. He also recommended the committee should propose the millage at the November election, when there is projected to be a better voter turnout because of government elections.

“If you take part of it off and only promote one part of it it means you're suggesting you didn't need the other part to begin with, and you leave the doubt out there as to whether this is really significant for the school. It should be put on the ballot, one, as a needed service, and two, as cash flow.”

LaSalle High School Principal Don Gustafson agreed that voters should know how savings from the wood chip heating plant will be allocated.

“I think when you say you're going to save $80,000 a year, if that listing is made for some specific item, then it's going to mean a lot more” to voters. “If we say a yes is a vote for education, we have to say what that means.”

Ideas for promoting the millage for November's election included having representatives from the committee attend township meetings to speak about the issue, targeting younger voters with an Internet campaign, sending out a weekly newsletter to voters a month before the election, and having members ask people to commit to voting yes.

Members of the committee include Paul Grondin, Donna Pope, Principal Don Gustafson, Scott Clement, school music director Jason Byma, Martha Sjogren, Connie Cullip, school business manager Kathy McLeod, Rick Litzner, Angela Brake, Casey Brake, Principal Gregg Fettig, Gary Nitz, Barb Zimmerman, Hilda Ryerse, Dawn Akers, Julie Hill, and ISD Superintendent Pete Everson. The committee scheduled a meeting to further discuss plans for promoting the school millage Tuesday, August 31, at 7 p.m. at the St. Ignace Middle School library.