WLPS is results-driven, committed to using tax-payer dollars as efficiently and effectively as possible to meet the needs of the school district and community as demonstrated by use of the 2018 Sinking Fund and 2019 Community Recreation millage.
On August 7, 2018, the Whitmore Lake community supported the renewal of the 2016 three-year 1.0 mill Sinking Fund and extended it for 10 more years. It was estimated to produce approximately $350,000 per year allowing the district to check many needs off the list while protecting the General Fund budget. The Sinking Fund has since eroded to 0.9458 mills.
The Sinking Fund has been essential to providing and maintaining district and classroom technology necessary to meet our student’s learning needs. It allowed our district to go 1-1 preparing us for COVID remote learning and funded a technology replacement plan to ensure we are proactively providing high-quality technology to aid in student learning and meeting our staff’s instructional needs year after year.
Highlights include:
Safety and Security is paramount and the Sinking Fund has been essential in making integral safety and security upgrades.
Highlights include:
We want the quality of our school facilities to match the quality of education we know we provide. We know it has a positive impact on learning, on teacher retention, and on property values. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, for every $1 spent on school funding, property values increase by nearly $20. We have put the Sinking Fund to good work getting the biggest impact for the dollars available.
Highlights include:
Future Projects
The district will continue to leverage Sinking Fund dollars to maintain district facilities as effectively as possible. Upcoming priorities include:
Whitmore Lake Community Recreation is committed to providing residents of all ages in Whitmore Lake, and the surrounding areas, with affordable opportunities to get active, learn new skills, make new friends, and have fun. They are also committed to operating at no loss, ensuring the department and its facilities are not a burden to the local school district. The Community Recreation millage was at a rate of 0.6200 mills when originally passed in 2003. It had eroded to 0.5883 mills in 2018/2019. The erosion of the millage rate and aging facilities made the “no loss” commitment extremely challenging. For reference, in 2019, more than $160,000, 80% of the original millage, was spent on utility and chemical costs for the pool. The Board of Education approved an increase to 1.0 mill for 10 years, and the voters supported it on August 6, 2019. It has currently eroded to 0.9601 mills in 2023. The increase brings in an average $174,000 additionally annually. We communicated to voters the additional funds would be used to:
While COVID, inflation and staffing changes changed our initial timeline, we have completed the following projects:
Completed Projects:
Ongoing Projects:
Future Projects
“As a person who has been going to the pool from the beginning, I’ve appreciated seeing the work done to fix and upkeep the facility. As an older person dealing with arthritis, the use of the pool has kept me able to move and do things easier. When my now adult grandchildren were learning to swim, the pool made it easier than the lake, but gave them an essential skill to be safer when they did swim in the lake. For the older folks, the pool is important for lap swimmers and water exercisers. It can also be a place to have family fun together. So all ages can be blessed by using the pool in many ways.”
– Nancy Reichenbach
“As an elderly exercise fitness enthusiast, I really enjoy the pool! The facility is well taken care of and the guards are quite helpful. Thanks for making this available to the community, it’s a tremendous resource! “
– Ed Wojtys
If you have any questions, suggestions, or general comments about the Sinking Fund or WLCR Millage, please use the form below to contact WLPS directly. Thank you!
8845 Main Street
Whitmore Lake, MI 48189
info@wlps.net
734-449-4464