Funding approved

A request to restore special-education funding to St. Joseph County’s nine school districts was approved Tuesday.

The request to reinstate nearly three-tenths of a mill to a full 2.75 mills passed, 1,261 to 1,158.

With the Headlee Rollback in effect, school districts were not receiving the full number of mills established in the 1960s for special-education support.

The full 2.75 mills means an additional $633,000 in special-education funding will be made available to the county’s school districts based on student population. At the high end, that means more than $150,000 a year for special-education funding for Sturgis Public Schools. At the low end, Burr Oak Community Schools stands to gain at least $30,000 more annually to support its special-education programming.

The restoration remains in place for 30 years and will cost the owner of a house with a market value of $100,000 about $12 more a year.

The request failed last August.