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Organizer pitches Invest in Michigan Kids ballot measure at council meeting
Summary
A representative of 42 Forward outlined a proposed ballot initiative to tax high earners and direct an estimated $1.2 billion annually to K–12 education, and asked for volunteers and endorsements to gather signatures ahead of a Feb. 11, 2026 deadline.
Andrew Rainell, deputy director of community organizing at 42 Forward, told the Inkster City Council on Oct. 6 that the statewide Invest in Michigan Kids ballot initiative would add a 5% tax on individual income above $500,000 for single filers or $1,000,000 for joint filers. Rainell said revenue would be deposited in the state school aid fund and required to be used on local school district classrooms, career and technical education, reducing classroom size and recruiting and retaining teachers, subject to annual audits.
Rainell said the proposal is expected to affect the wealthiest roughly 2% of Michigan taxpayers (about 66,000 people) and estimated potential annual revenue at $1.2 billion. He described the campaign’s near‑term goal to collect more than 400,000 valid signatures by Feb. 11, 2026, and asked Inkster residents for volunteers to gather signatures and for official endorsements or warm handoffs to local leaders and institutions.
Rainell told the council the initiative “is not a tax on small business” and offered a simplified example that a 5% tax would apply only to income above the stated thresholds. He urged volunteers to sign petitions while campaign staff were present at the meeting.
The council did not take a formal vote on endorsements at the meeting; several council members and residents expressed informal support and noted prior opportunities where signatures were collected in the community.
