An estimated $10.7 million a year for Rochester Community Schools is now on track to fall short, with the Oakland County Regional Enhancement Millage trailing by about 6,600 votes as of Wednesday morning.
The measure held a narrow lead when polls closed Tuesday night, but "no" votes had pulled ahead by early Wednesday, 51% to 49%, with about 330,500 ballots counted, roughly 91% of precincts, according to the Detroit News and WXYZ. The result has not been certified.
Certification is expected within approximately two weeks of the election, around Aug. 18.
What it means for Rochester families
If the millage ultimately survives, RCS would receive approximately $781 per student per year, totaling about $10.7 million annually based on the district's projected enrollment. As we reported ahead of the vote, the money could fund teacher retention, school security upgrades, mental health counseling and expanded programming, though each district decides independently how to spend its share.
The 1.5-mill levy would cost a Rochester-area homeowner $150 per year on a home with $100,000 in taxable value, or $450 per year on a $300,000 taxable value. If approved, the first tax collection would come in December 2026, with the levy running through 2031.
The local debate
The vote split Rochester's own school board. Carol Beth Litkouhi, an RCS trustee, published an op-ed in The Detroit News on Aug. 2 urging voters to reject the millage. It was her second such op-ed on the issue: the school board censured her in November 2025 over an earlier piece, and she has since sued the district, alleging free-speech retaliation. Meanwhile, RCS Superintendent Nicholas Russo hosted a community informational meeting on July 21 at the district's administration building on Dequindre Road to explain the proposal.
Countywide, the debate pitted districts struggling to retain teachers against homeowners worried about affordability. Novi Community School District Superintendent Ben Mainka wrote in a June 23 email to parents that the enhancement millage is "the only mechanism available for districts to increase per-student operating revenue."
Critics argued the per-pupil distribution formula creates "donor districts" where communities generate more tax revenue than their schools receive back. Southfield Mayor Kenson Siver told C&G Newspapers in July that his city's tax base would grow while enrollment declines, meaning more dollars would leave Southfield over time.
Oakland County is the only major metro county in southeast Michigan without an enhancement millage. Wayne County levies nearly 2 mills, generating about $108 million annually, and Macomb County levies 1.8 mills for $55 million a year.
What comes next
The Oakland County Clerk must certify the final count before the result becomes official. The measure has already flipped once since polls closed, from a narrow "yes" lead Tuesday night to a narrow "no" lead by Wednesday morning, and with a margin this slim, it could shift again as remaining ballots are tallied. Rochester families waiting on the district's fiscal picture for the 2026-27 school year won't have a definitive answer until certification is complete.
