• Voters approved 22 school bonds and rejected 14 school bonds
  • Passage rate is similar to two most recent elections
  • School districts can borrow money for building projects but must ask voters for approval

Michigan voters approved 61.1% of the school bond requests on the ballot in Tuesday’s election, according to Bridge’s analysis of Gongwer News Service data. 

There were 36 school bonds on local ballots across the state. Twenty-two were approved and 14 failed. One district, Hopkins Public Schools, had a tie resulting in the bond failing, according to unofficial counts. 

The passage rate for school bond requests was similar to results in the November 2025 and August 2025 elections but notably higher than the 49% that were approved in May 2025. 

“In spite of all the challenges and the political rhetoric at the federal level, people still care about their communities and want their kids to have great educational chances,” Ingham Intermediate School District Superintendent Jason Mellema told Bridge Wednesday.

$1 billion in bonds approved

School districts can use bonds, grants and sinking funds to pay for school infrastructure. A 2025 study of Michigan school buildings found that they needed $23 billion of repairs and upgrades over the next decade.

Related:

Voters Tuesday approved more than $1 billion in school bonds and rejected about $742 million in borrowing. 

Sinking funds, which are pay-as-you savings accounts, had mixed success. Voters approved all five sinking fund renewals, approved four sinking fund increases and rejected three increase requests, according to Gongwer. 

The vast majority of school operating millages passed. 

Michigan lawmakers and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are negotiating an education budget for the next fiscal year. It will determine how much districts receive per pupil and what grants districts can apply for.

Voters said yes to:

  • $175 million project for Roseville Community Schools. The project includes combining two middle schools, closing three elementary schools and building a new elementary school and “creating a centralized Early Childhood Center” at a different school, according to a district FAQ document.
  • $99.96 million for Ingham Intermediate School District. The district provides special education for 12 local school districts and would use funds to replace a building and renovate a different one, according to the district website. One building was built in 1966 before landmark federal disability laws were in effect, said Mellema, the superintendent. The renovations will make doors, bathrooms and other aspects of school more accessible. 

Voters said no to: 

  • A nearly $156.3 million request from Brighton Area Schools, which would have been used to add classrooms in elementary buildings, replace the roof at the intermediate school and replace the sound system in the high school gym. 
  • A handful of districts that had requested bonds in November and failed: Birch Run Area Schools, Corunna Public Schools, Comstock Public Schools, Richmond Community Schools, Saginaw Township Community Schools and Vandercook Lake Schools. 

Look up your local district:

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