Macomb for Kids Creates Successful “Legacy” for County Schools

UTICA, Mich., March 11, 2020 – Calling the victory at the polls yesterday the result of “unprecedented collaboration,” Macomb for Kids has turned a year of community engagement into a huge win for the children of Macomb County in winning passage of the 1.9 mill Macomb Educational Enhancement Millage.

“We have created a true legacy for the children of Macomb County,” said Utica Education Association President Liza Parkinson, who was joined by county school board members, superintendents and administration, union leadership and parents as part of the Macomb for Kids organization which voluntarily worked tirelessly to win passage of the 10-year enhancement funding for all Macomb County public school districts.

The Macomb Educational Enhancement Millage will give Macomb County schools an additional $418 per student and $55 million dollars that schools can use on the specific educational needs of their local communities. According to Macomb for Kids’s Beth Pyden, the chair of the board of education at Chippewa Valley Schools, the win was the result of a unified effort.

“This was an unprecedented collaboration in Macomb County of school superintendents, union leadership, teachers and parents,” said Pyden. “Our parents and school administrators became powerful advocates for this effort and it wouldn’t have passed without them.”

The ballot measure was approved overwhelmingly by Macomb County voters yesterday with yes votes gaining a 57.3% margin against 42.7% who voted against the millage, the result of a highly organized grassroots campaign which included a strategic social media presence which reached every corner of the county. The Macomb for Kids campaign turned a year of community engagement into a huge win for the children of Macomb County in winning passage of the Macomb Educational Enhancement Millage.

Elected boards of education across the county will now be able to budget for revenue which had been stripped of them by a decade of budget cuts in Lansing. Among the plans are using the funds for initiatives such as increasing safety measures, updating curriculum and introducing new programs, as well as developing additional after-school programs and vocational training among other opportunities to improve education in the county.

“We had a few naysayers early on, but this effort proved that when you work together, you can achieve anything,” said Parkinson.

The initiative to get the millage on the March 10 ballot began in earnest in the fall of 2019 when Macomb for Kids won the approval of Macomb County school boards representing more than 50% of county public school students.

Parents and other county residents can stay engaged with the Macomb for Kids effort by following their social media channels @macombforkids as well as visiting the macombforkids.com website.