New Almont Supt. settles in; millage renewal lurks

Voters to decide fate of non-homestead millage

ALMONT — It didn’t take long for newly selected Almont Superintendent Kyle Wood to jump in to the thick of things.

He knew the district was facing major issues, even prior to his interviews with the school board, after doing his homework.

“I am thrilled to be here and there is a lot going on,” Wood told the Tri-City Times last week in an interview.

“We have an extremely important millage renewal coming up in a few weeks and we are still working on assembling our administrative team. We’ve got to replace two principals and an administrative assistant for my office, so yeah, I guess you could say I’ve hit the ground running.”

Wood, who was selected over one other candidate in a final round of interviews, comes to Almont after serving as Assistant Supt. for the Croswell-Lexington school district.

His first official day was July 1, although he says he actually began as soon as he got the call that he had been selected as Almont’s next superintendent.

“I met for a few days with Kim (VonHiltmayer) before she was done and that was a good help,” Wood said. “I’ve met some of the staff and that is an on-going thing every day. I’ve not met everyone yet, but through meetings and getting around to the buildings and classrooms, and having some meetings, I will have that taken care of. I am excited for this upcoming school year and looking forward to another successful year for Almont students and staff.”

During his two interviews with the school board, Wood said in the first 90 days, “I will be doing a lot of listening and learning.”

He added, “Almont has a very good thing going. They are very sound academically, extremely successful in the classrooms and it’s a matter of me observing and talking to staff to see how we keep the momentum moving forward.

Wood says he does not intend to make any major changes.

Another major focus over the next few weeks will be getting information out to taxpayers of the Almont school district regarding the upcoming non-homestead millage renewal.

“That’s $1.7 million we are talking about,” Wood said. “It is critical this passes or the district will have to look at some serious cuts in programs. No one wants to see that happen.”

A non-homestead operating renewal millage is a tax approved by voters that allows the school district to continue collecting operating funds on non-homestead properties, such as businesses, rental properties, second homes and commercial property.

Millage funds are used to support essential operational expenses throughout the district including: classroom instruction and academic programming, student support services, school safety and security, transportation and technology, extracurricular and athletic opportunities along with building operations and maintenance.

School Board President Janaea Smith commented, “It is important to understand that this is not a new tax.  The district is asking voters to continue the current funding authorization that supports school operations. The election takes place on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, with early voting taking place from Saturday, July 25, 2026, through Sunday, August 2, 2026.”

She added, “Voting is an important opportunity for community members to stay informed and participate in decisions that impact local schools, students, staff, and the future of the community.”

Board Treasurer James Wade echoed the facts, stating, “ The non-homestead millage will generate about 1.7 million annually that will be used for programs supporting students and school operations. If it does not pass, the district will have to identify how to bridge that funding loss.”

Wade continued, “Those potential difficult decisions could result  in reduced programming and services, reduced support, reduced staffing, all of which would impact student learning and opportunities. This funding is critical to maintaining our high quality educational services and district operations.”

Board secretary Trustee Russ Buero, said “The non-homestead millage is an important part of why Almont Community Schools has had so much success.  This general funding is keeping class sizes appropriate, facilities safe and secure, buses fueled and ready to go, all while helping deliver academic scores students, parents and community members can continue to be proud of.”

Absentee ballots and early voting is now available. You can contact the school district at 810-673-9101 or go to their website at www.almontschools.org for further information.