Bloomfield Township voters are heading to the polls at the highest rate in Oakland County, with a school funding millage worth $781 per student on the line for Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills families.
Data compiled by analyst Kurt Metzger and published Sunday, August 2, by Oakland County Times shows 26.3% of Bloomfield Township's active registered voters had already cast ballots as of Sunday, August 2. That's the highest pre-Election Day turnout of any municipality in the county, well above the countywide average of 18.5%.
Across Oakland County, 173,463 ballots had been submitted through absentee and early voting including 155,068 absentee and 18,395 in-person early votes. Pontiac (10.2%), Hazel Park (10.7%), and Keego Harbor (10.9%) had the lowest participation rates.
Bloomfield Township's elevated turnout may reflect more than the school question. Township voters also face a road maintenance millage and a public safety millage on Tuesday's ballot.
What the school millage would do
The Oakland Schools Regional Enhancement Millage would levy 1.5 mills ($1.50 per $1,000 of taxable value) for six years, from 2026 through 2031. The ballot language estimates the tax would raise $125.8 million countywide in its first year.
Both Birmingham Public Schools and Bloomfield Hills Schools are named beneficiaries. Revenue would be distributed on an equal per-pupil basis to all 28 eligible districts, with each receiving roughly $781 per student annually, according to WXYZ. For a homeowner with a taxable value of $200,000, the cost would be about $300 per year, appearing on December 2026 winter tax bills if approved.
Oakland Schools Superintendent Kenneth Gutman said in a July 17 Oakland Press report that the intermediate district itself would not keep any of the revenue. "Each school district and eligible public school academy gets funding proportional to enrollment, not property wealth," Gutman said.
Oakland County is one of the few large Michigan counties without a dedicated countywide enhancement millage. Wayne County adopted one at 1.9 mills in 2016, and Macomb County followed at 1.9 mills in 2020.
Birmingham's budget squeeze
The vote arrives as Birmingham Public Schools navigates enrollment-driven budget pressure. The district laid off approximately 15 employees on May 22, including two Groves High School teachers, after enrollment fell by about 100 students and cost the district an estimated $1.4 million in state funding, The Groves Scriptor reported.
Superintendent Embekka Roberson said in June that the cuts stemmed in part from state funding that has not kept pace with inflation and that the district expects continued gradual enrollment declines.
The Bloomfield Hills Schools Board of Education voted February 23 to approve a resolution requesting the millage be placed on the ballot. The Oakland Schools Board voted 3-1 on March 24 to formally add it.
Tuesday's vote
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, August 4. Absentee ballots may be submitted until 8 p.m. The ballot also includes races for Oakland County Circuit Court and Probate Court judges.
