Glen Lake Superintendent Jason Misner and Finance Director Ben Papes provided updates on federal impact aid and critical HVAC renovations during Monday’s board meeting, addressing key financial issues that affect the district’s operations and long-term planning.
Glen Lake School District continues to navigate federal impact aid challenges, while also expanding its HVAC renovation project. With a crucial bond vote scheduled for November, the district seeks to secure funding for critical infrastructure improvements.
Glen Lake remains actively engaged with FLISA (Federal Lands Impacted Schools Association) and NAFIS (National Association of Federally Impacted Schools) to lobby for maintaining this crucial funding, which supports Leelanau County’s largest school.
In September, Misner and trustee Brook Hazael-Massieux attended a NAFIS conference to discuss ongoing efforts to secure federal funding. Glen Lake, along with Leland, Northport, and Suttons Bay schools, receives federal funding, although Glen Lake and Leland are funded through the 7002 and 7004 budget.
The federal impact aid program, which supports schools impacted by federal land, is approved annually through Congress and the Health and Human Services Education Subcommittee Bill, but its funding is never guaranteed. Glen Lake was added to this program in 2009. Currently, the school receives $401,399 annually, signifi cantly less than the full payment of $924,669 it is entitled to.
Since 1969, funding has not kept up with inflation.
The 7002 program, which funds Glen Lake and Leland schools, is currently disbursing $78 million, far short of the $1.2 billion that would have been allocated if adjusted for inflation. Student count day, a critical factor for determining federal aid, plays a pivotal role in the amount of funding schools receive.
Leland receives $707,415, and Glen Lake receives $3.3 million in federal funds, primarily due to the tax revenue lost from land designated as part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
The federal aid formula, established in 2013, calculates funding by multiplying the total value of taxable property by the number of eligible federal acres and the value of the federal property. In 2009, an assessor valued the land occupied by the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore at $15 billion.
Since Glen Lake joined the program, it has received $49 million in impact aid, with 50% allocated to capital projects and the other 50% used for general district operations. The district aims to maintain a 50% fund balance.
Misner emphasized the need for FLISA to be more aggressive in advocating for increased funding, noting that NAFIS needs to strengthen its presence in Washington, D.C. “We must have a strong presence; folks in the room sometimes make the rules and want to be leaders. At least one person should attend every meeting to advocate for maintaining funding,” Misner said.
Traverse City is considering hosting a FLISA conference in the summer of 2026, which is typically held in Washington, D.C. or California.
Misner reassured the board that federal support for the Department of Education remains secure with bipartisan backing, despite uncertainties after upcoming elections.
