On December 6, 2022 the Grand Haven Area Public School District held a Holiday Spectacular Concert featuring student performances in choir, band, and orchestra. The event program that was handed out to the audience contained information on the upcoming $155 million dollar bond proposal that will be on our ballots in the May 2023 election.
According to the National Law Review
“School district board members, administrators and employees are required to abide by the Michigan Campaign Finance Act. The Act prohibits the contribution of public funds or resources to a campaign for a candidate or ballot proposal while permitting the dissemination of objective factual information and permitting employees to volunteer services or express their views on their own time. Board members and policy-making administrators (at least the superintendent) may engage in advocacy at any time as long as no district resources are used to disseminate those views.”
Michigan Campaign Finance Act, MCL Act 388 of 1976
The last statement of the brochure says, “It is our sincerest hope that you can see the value that the 2023 bond proposal can bring to GHAPS.” To me, this sounds like the district is advocating for a yes vote on this proposal. According to the law, a school cannot campaign for or against a bond. Individuals can advocate for the bond, but the school district as a whole cannot. The brochure was not from an individual but from the body as a whole. It said "we hope" which sounds like it is advocating for a yes vote. In addition, GHAPS used school resources and personnel to create the program, which is allowed to provide information on the bond proposal, but not allowed for advocating for a particular outcome. In other words, it is my understanding that the district can publish anything they want regarding the bond, but they cannot include statements encouraging or nudging voters to vote for or against. In this case, it seems implied this is the district's opinion, because the statement was published in a school program and handed out at a school event.