By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org
It was a good morning for every school district in Kent County that had a millage or bond issue in yesterday’s election — they all passed including Kelloggsville’s request for a 1.0 mill sinking fund and Godwin Heights $13.9 million bond request.
The May 5 election was the first time in the state’s history that was totally absentee ballot. All registered voters within school districts with a proposal were mailed absentee applications and local municipalities had voting stations — and in the case of the City of Wyoming, curbside voting — set up on the day of the election.
“We saw a higher turnout then we normally see for a special election,” said Wyoming City Clerk Kelli VandenBerg, who added that there was about a 14 percent turnout for the May 5 special election with the city usually having about a four to six percent turnout for similar elections.
VandenBerg said there could be a number of factors that contributed to the increase such as absentee applications were direct mailed and since people were home, they had more time to complete the ballot.
“We really weren’t sure what to expect,” VandenBerg said, adding that the entire process went very well. Most of the voting did happen through the mail, with about 40 voters come to city hall to vote, she said.
For the May 5 election, Kelloggsville sought a 1.0 mill sinking fund request over 10 years to help with technology and safety improvements and the repair and construction of school buildings. In the first year, the district would receive $371,073 with West Elementary slated to receive the first round of funding for new carpet, lockers, playground upgrades and repaving the parking lot. Over the next 10 years, about every building within the district would benefit from the sinking fund by receiving roof replacements, classroom updates and parking lot repaving.
Kelloggsville encompasses a portion of the City of Wyoming and the City of Kentwood. With about 15.54 percent of the 8,307 registered voters within the district voting, the measure passed 710 to 576.
“We want to say ‘Thank You’ to our community,” said Eric Alcorn, Kelloggsville’s auxiliary services director. “We truly appreciate the trust they have in us even in these trying times. This is really exciting for our kids, parents, staff, community, and everyone connected to Kelloggsville. The passing of the sinking fund will allow us to make the necessary improvements in our classrooms and facilities throughout the district. We look forward to seeing the results of the annual improvements for the years to come.”
Godwin Heights Public Schools sought a $13.9 million bond proposal for structural, technological, and transportation upgrades. The bond would not increase taxes but would extend the current millage rate and constitute the second phase of a vision that started with a bond proposal approved by voters in 2015, according to a School News Network article.
Godwin Heights is in the City of Wyoming. With about 13.69 percent of its 8,130 register voters voting, the bond proposal passed, 653 to 457.
The City of Wyoming also has a small portion of voters in the Byron Center Public Schools, which was seeking a bond proposal. With one of the highest turnouts, 37.82 percent of its 20,252 registered voters, the proposal passed 4,805 to 2,830. Interestingly, according to the Kent County election results, none of the 10 City of Wyoming registered voters voted in the May 5 special election.
As to whether the absentee balloting should be done for August and November, which has been mentioned by state leaders, VandenBerg said that the fall elections are a different scale. In the special election, the city was dealing with about 12,000 voters, she said, adding that in the August and November elections, the number of voters is more than 52,000.
“I think there are elements from this election that are worth looking at but as to whether the fall elections should be absentee will be guided by decisions from others,” VandenBerg said.
