Dearest reader,
If your school district has a BOND proposal on the November ballot, there is one document I think every taxpayer should know about:
Michigan Department of Treasury Form 3881 Application for Preliminary Qualification of Bonds.
This is paperwork a school district files with the Michigan Department of Treasury when seeking preliminary state qualification for a proposed bond issue.
And it can tell you quite a bit.
Depending on the filing, the 3881 can include information about the proposed bond amount, existing debt, estimated borrowing costs, debt millage, taxable value assumptions, enrollment projections, proposed projects and costs, and the district's overall debt picture.
In other words, it can help you look beyond the ballot language and see some of the numbers behind the proposal.
If your district has a BOND on the November ballot, I recommend FOIAing the 3881 now.
Michigan Department of Treasury FOIA:
[Treas-FOIA@michigan.gov](mailto:Treas-FOIA@michigan.gov)
And keep the request simple:
"Please provide any Form 3881, Application for Preliminary Qualification of Bonds, filed by [DISTRICT NAME] during calendar year 2026."
That's it.
I intentionally recommend asking for ANY Form 3881 filed during 2026 rather than limiting your request specifically to the November proposal.
There may be more than one filing.
One important distinction:
This is for BONDS.
If your district is simply asking voters to renew its 18-mill non-homestead operating millage, that is NOT what I am talking about. You do not need to go hunting for a Form 3881 for an 18-mill non-homestead renewal.
There are quite a few school bond proposals heading to Michigan voters this November.
You do not have to be a school finance expert to start looking at the receipts.
Sometimes you just need to know which receipt to ask for.
With receipts and respect,
Lady Budgetdown