Tax Increase For 1-Room Schoolhouse Doesn't Go Over Well

ONEIDA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - A proposal seeking higher taxes to support a one-room schoolhouse near Lansing didn't go over well with the few voters who cast ballots on the issue.

Unofficial results from Eaton County say 18 votes were cast against the tax and eight votes were counted as supporting the measure.

The two-year tax increase of 4.5 mills was sought during Tuesday's election in Oneida Township District No. 3 to support Strange School, which offers an education from kindergarten through fifth grade. The Lansing State Journal has reported that enrollment is capped at 20.

Under the proposal, taxes on a home with a $50,000 taxable value would have gone up $225 a year. The total budget for the district is $172,400.

The school has been around since 1879.