Rebuffed by voters last fall, officials in Battle Creek Public Schools have hit the pavement this spring trying to convince residents of the need for a tax to fund facilities upkeep. In November, 52 percent of voters nixed a six-year renewal of BCPS' 2-mill sinking fund property tax, which funds upkeep and renovation throughout the district's aging properties.
The state's top school executive on Thursday praised Battle Creek Public Schools for a "spirit (and) enthusiasm" he said can't be measured by standardized tests, but defended the state's ranking system that puts BCPS schools near the bottom of the list for performance on those tests.
