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Residents question millage math as Midland Public Schools begins strategic-planning RFP process
Summary
The Midland Public Schools board updated the community on a strategic-planning RFP tied to a facility bond and set an Aug. 4 bid deadline; multiple residents challenged the district's millage projections and FOIA fees, asking for clearer public disclosure of agenda materials and tax calculations.
The Midland Public Schools board on July 21 outlined a request-for-proposal process to hire an external consultant for a comprehensive strategic-planning process tied to a potential facility bond, with bids due Aug. 4 and a selection planned for the Aug. 18 meeting.
Superintendent Penny Miller Nelson said the board wants community input on student-achievement priorities before shaping facilities plans and noted the RFP will be evaluated by administration and returned to the board with a recommendation. "We'll look to Penny and her team to evaluate those bids and make a recommendation to the board of education for our August 18 meeting," the board chair said.
Several public speakers used the meeting to press the district on transparency and the relationship between the bond campaign figures and the district's current millage collections. Reneta Vanities told the board she believed materials presented during the bond campaign showed a projected drop to 2.3 mills in 2025, but that the board had authorized collections at 2.95 mills. "When we asked last month why it was approved at the 2.95 rate rather than 2.3, we were told that 2.3 was only contingent on the bond passing," Vanities said, asking why the district might collect more than its current bond debt would appear to require.
Joe Bonides echoed concerns about campaign messaging and transparency, saying the public had been shown facts that favored the bond position and asking the district for formal reporting on how bond funds would be spent. "Transparency has dissolved into that which you want to show us," Bonides said, and he asked for follow-up reporting on use of funds.
Other residents questioned the district's FOIA practices. Don Henkel urged the board to make agenda packets and attachments freely available online rather than charging fees for what he called essentially electronic documents. Joey Stohrer said his FOIA request produced a $316 charge — including a $35/hour locating fee and a $56/hour redaction charge — and asked the district to waive fees for routine board materials or publish them ahead of meetings as some "exemplary" districts do.
Board members and staff responded by clarifying next steps: the board confirmed the RFP timeline and said the district would revisit millage calculations with its financial officer in the fall to align collection timing and ensure accuracy. The board also pointed to a public notice the Midland Daily News published on June 9, 2025, documenting the budget hearing and said staff would follow up with members of the public about locating published materials.
The district did not change tax policy or the authorized collections at the meeting. The RFP deadline is Aug. 4 and the board plans a final selection at its Aug. 18 meeting; public requests about FOIA fees and bond math were recorded and will be pursued as follow-ups.
