Saline Area Schools Supports Putting CTE Millage to a Vote

Seeing the importance of these educational programs for all students in Washtenaw County, Saline Area Schools Board of Education has put its support behind placing a question to authorize a millage for Career and Technical Education (CTE) to a county-wide vote.

The Saline school board voted unanimously at their May 27 meeting to “support the resolution authorizing the WISD (Washtenaw Intermediate School District) to place the question of authorizing the millage for Career and Technical Education purposes on the November 4, 2025 ballot.”

Saline Superintendent Steve Laatsch talked a bit about the millage and what it could do if approved. He said it would help expand the CTE programming across the county, especially in places where more programming like this is lacking. He said there’s a lot of passion around CTE and how it can help students learn skills while also helping the county become more competitive for jobs in these areas.

Washtenaw County does not have a millage like this. CTE programming in the county is funded through general fund budgets of local districts, like Dexter, Saline, Milan and Chelsea, as well as through some state/federal funds and grants.

A big part of CTE programming in the county happens in Saline at the South and West Washtenaw Consortium, where students can learn in such programs as Agriculture, Agricultural Operations, and Related Services; Natural Resources and Conversation; Construction Trades; Drafting/ Design Technology; Graphics Communications and Radio & TV Broadcasting Technology. Just to name a few areas.

CTE is meant to help prepare students for further education or a career.

Here is more description from the WISD webpage: “While many CTE programs prepare students to enter a skilled trade directly after high school, 68 percent of CTE students in Washtenaw enroll in college within one year of graduation. These students often have a jump-start on their associate’s or bachelor’s degree as a result of transferable CTE credits. Many believe that CTE helps students stand out in the college application process. Students who wish to enter the workforce directly after graduation are also well-prepared. Our twenty-first century labor market demands auto repair technicians, manufacturers, and construction workers to master increasingly complex technical skills, and the programming in Washtenaw County reflects that rigor. Students can earn industry credentials in automotive service, cosmetology, nurse assistant, and more.”

According to the Saline school board’s resolution the Washtenaw Intermediate School District intends to place a question to voters to levy not to exceed 1 mill for 10 years for its CTE program. One mill is equal to $1 of tax for every $1,000 of your property’s taxable value.

This month other school boards are expected to look whether or not to voice their support or not for placing this millage question to voters in the fall.

Photo: Construction/Building Trades students South and West Washtenaw Consortium at work in Dexter. Photo by Lonnie Huhman