Lake County board discusses seeking 1‑mill ballot measure to raise teacher pay and fund safety

Lake County Schools trustees spent the workshop weighing whether to pursue a new ad valorem tax to increase district funding for school safety and to bolster educator compensation.

Local polling consultant Steven VanCorps of Clearview Research told trustees his live‑caller poll of 400 likely Lake County voters showed a 64% yes response to renewing the existing millage and higher support when a full‑mill measure is framed around recruiting and retaining teachers, enhancing school safety and establishing an independent citizens oversight committee. "64% said yes, they would vote for it, if the election were held today," VanCorps said during the presentation. He advised careful wording in the 75‑word ballot summary and recommended keeping high‑impact phrases—"teacher pay," "staying local," and a citizens oversight committee—because those elements poll as "elevators" that raise support.

The conversation included public commenters and trustees expressing both support and caution. Citizen Leland Theriault urged a modest local millage increase to improve salaries, saying, "I firmly believe that with a modest increase in the local millage, Lake County could meaningfully improve compensation for teachers." Several trustees voiced concern that moving from a renewal to a new referendum could put existing funding at risk if voters reject the measure: staff and trustees repeatedly referenced the district's roughly $37 million in millage revenue currently in place and warned of the consequences if a new referendum were to fail.

Trustees probed the poll's methodology and sample size. VanCorps defended the 400‑respondent sample as statistically appropriate for likely‑voter polling and explained tradeoffs between a ‘‘renewal’’ framing (lower political risk) and a ‘‘full mill’’ framing (higher revenue but higher exposure to opposition). Board members discussed whether to include an explicit reference to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act or to use broader "enhanced school safety" language to preserve word count.

On the practical side, staff said the consultant's proposal to assist with language and marketing will be placed on a future board agenda for formal consideration. VanCorps recommended forming a citizens oversight committee after the election to build trust; staff advised appointing that committee post‑election so that skeptical voters could be recruited to serve.

Next steps: staff will refine ballot language and return it on a future board agenda for approval, and the district intends to re‑poll closer to campaign season. No formal vote was taken at the workshop.