Overview
On August 4, 2026, Oakland County voters will decide on a ballot proposal to levy an enhancement millage on all real property in Oakland County, including Troy homeowners. Here are some quick facts if it passes:
- 1.5 mills will be levied over 6 years
- It will generate an average of about $781 per student per year for every public school student in Oakland County
- It will cost the average homeowner in Troy about $300 per year assuming a $400,000 home ($200,000 taxable value)
- Troy School District (TSD) will decide how to use the additional general fund dollars to benefit TSD students
- The millage will begin in December 2026
A Brief Financial Impact Analysis
The revenue generated by the millage will be allocated to individual districts on a per pupil basis. In 2025-26, Oakland Schools has 175,316.22 FTE while TSD has 12,068.58. Therefore, TSD’s share will be 6.9%. There is $83,544,986,429 of taxable value in Oakland Schools, so the 1.5 millage will generate $125,317,480 in Year 1 and an average of about $130,000,000 per year over the 6 year duration. Therefore, TSD’s share will be approximately $8,626,721 in Year 1 and an average of about $9 million over the 6 year period.
In March 2026, the TSD Board discussed a second amendment to the 2025-26 budget that adjusted the deficit for the current fiscal year to $5.7 million and lowered the fund balance from 16.3% at the end of June 2025 to a projected 13.6% by the end of June 2026. The district cannot afford another year of budget deficits, as the state recommend fund balance is 15%.
If this millage does not pass, the cuts to programming and staff will be significant. The administration is going to propose $12 million in cuts for 2026-27, an additional $7 million in cuts for 2027-28, and $8 million in cuts for 2028-29. Heading into 2026-27, staffing levels will be reduced as that is the only way to balance the budget. Among other things, that means larger class sizes and fewer electives, which are two of the main drivers of the overall quality of TSD.
This upcoming year will be the most challenging year financially for the district since the Great Recession. Passing the enhancement millage will mitigate many of the cuts, particularly in future years.