Michigan finally has a school aid budget, more than three months after school districts started their fiscal years. Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed that $24.1 billion budget on Tuesday.
The budget was a record-breaker in multiple ways:
- Per-pupil funding: This year’s budget gives districts $10,050 per student — a slight increase over the previous year, which was itself a record high.
- A 25% increase in funding for English language learners, at-risk students, and career and technical education.
- A nearly 10% increase in funding for special education services.
- Full funding for free school breakfast and lunch programs for all students for another year.
State Senator Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton), chair of the PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee, said districts will also get extra money for teachers. “One thing that I'm also very proud of is that we are going to be giving out a bonus to our education staff across the state with a one-time $203 million line,” said Camilleri, adding that it will be up to districts and teacher’s unions how that money gets distributed.
While Camilleri was pleased with many items in the budget, he said he remains firmly opposed to others — such as full per-pupil funding for online charter schools. Representative Tim Kelly (R-Saginaw Township), chair of the House K-12 appropriations committee, was cheered by that. Kelly said he also celebrates that all Michigan schools, including private schools, will get the same designated funds as public schools, including for in-school meals.
“If we're going to take care of all kids, that includes non-public kids as well,” Kelly said. “So I'm glad to see the food and health and safety money goes to them as well.”
Some education groups are still raising alarms about other parts of the budget, though. In addition to it coming so late, they’re worried that the state is taking $1.35 billion out of the school aid fund for road repairs and other purposes — something they said puts future education funding in jeopardy.
“There’s a lot of concern going forward as to what this is going to mean for future budgets for schools, simply because of how destabilized they've made the school aid fund as a result of this,” said Robert McCann, executive director of the K-12 Alliance of Michigan.
McCann said the budget also puts a host of new requirements on schools, which wouldn’t have been such a big deal — if state lawmakers had given districts time to adjust by getting the budget done on time.
“When you put it all together — that this budget was given to us more than three months late, and with some of the real risks that they are taking here with destabilizing the school aid fund going forward — it’s hard to cheer those small victories we did get in the budget when the concerns are much greater,” McCann said.
Kelly lamented that the budget took so long, but said there was ultimately “no harm done.” Camilleri, however, said he understands the concerns. “I'm upset too,” he said, putting the blame largely on the House Republican majority for the delay. “We should not have had a budget cycle that dragged out as long as it did.”
