Dearborn Public Schools — School Improvement Bond Proposition (Wayne County)

What it does

Shall the Dearborn Public Schools, County of Wayne, State of Michigan, borrow the sum of not to exceed One Billion Five Hundred Ten Million Dollars ($1,510,000,000) and issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds, in multiple series, to pay the cost of the following projects in order to implement the School District’s 2026 Facilities Master Plan which includes the construction of new preK-8 school buildings, major renovations at all school buildings including the three high schools, expanding space for career education programs, safety and security measures, improving infrastructure for STEAM programs, and traffic improvements: • Erecting and completing new school buildings and other facilities; • Remodeling, constructing additions to, equipping, re-equipping, furnishing, re-furnishing school buildings, athletic fields, playgrounds and other facilities; • Acquiring and installing instructional technology infrastructure and equipment in school buildings and other facilities; and • Preparing, developing and improving sites at school buildings, athletic fields, playgrounds and other facilities and the purchase of school buses? The maximum number of years any series of bonds may be outstanding, exclusive of refunding, is not more than thirty (30) years; the estimated millage that will be levied to pay the proposed bonds in the first year is 3.14 mills (which is equal to $3.14 per $1,000 of taxable value); and the estimated simple average annual millage that will be required to retire each series of bonds is 5.67 mills annually ($5.67 per $1,000 of taxable value). (Pursuant to State law, expenditure of bond proceeds must be audited, and the proceeds cannot be used for teacher, administrator or employee salaries, repair or maintenance costs or other operating expenses.)

A YES vote means

Dearborn Public Schools could borrow up to $1,510,000,000 in bonds of up to 30 years for its 2026 Facilities Master Plan, including new preK-8 buildings and major renovations at all schools, with an estimated 3.14 mills the first year and an average of 5.67 mills.

A NO vote means

Dearborn Public Schools would not borrow this $1,510,000,000.

Needed to pass

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Left–right lean

Not a left–right issue: a procedural or local question that liberals and conservatives don't typically split on (AI read of the official ballot summary).

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Background

The Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education approved the ballot language for this $1.51 billion bond at its June 22, 2026 regular meeting, according to the district.

According to the district, the bond would fund work in four waves over 20 years: six new preschool-through-eighth-grade schools, major remodeling of every other school, and air conditioning in every building when complete; the district hired firms to assess educational and building needs and gathered community input through meetings, focus groups and a survey.

The ballot asks for a 3.14 mill increase; the district says it would be offset for Dearborn homeowners by a 0.96 mill reduction in the City of Dearborn's debt millage for a combined sewer project and by the district no longer collecting its 2.18 mill operating millage, for no net change. The district says its last successful bond was in 2013.

Put on the ballot by Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education, June 22, 2026 (ballot language approved; vote count not stated).

From official source.

Next elections here

• 2028 presidential election · Who has filed so far, from FEC filings

Also on Wayne County ballots

• Redford Union School District — Operating Millage Proposal
• Riverview Community School District — Bond Proposal
• Romulus Community Schools — Operating Millage Renewal Proposal
• Taylor School District — Operating Millage Replacement Proposal
• School District of the City of Wyandotte — Operating Millage Proposal

All Wayne County races and measures →

Quick answers

What does a YES vote on Dearborn Public Schools mean?

Dearborn Public Schools could borrow up to $1,510,000,000 in bonds of up to 30 years for its 2026 Facilities Master Plan, including new preK-8 buildings and major renovations at all schools, with an estimated 3.14 mills the first year and an average of 5.67 mills.

What does a NO vote on Dearborn Public Schools mean?

Dearborn Public Schools would not borrow this $1,510,000,000.

How many votes does Dearborn Public Schools need to pass?

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Should I vote yes or no on Dearborn Public Schools?

SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.

When is the vote?

The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.