COVID-19 has shined a spotlight on need for fair, equitable school funding for all Michigan students
LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Board of Education met today and heard a presentation on the critical need for the state to adopt a new funding formula for Michigan schools based on the comprehensive School Finance Research Collaborative study.
“COVID-19 has put a spotlight on the critical need for Michigan to adopt a funding model for our schools that focuses on the individual needs of our students and will help their recovery from this ongoing and unprecedented disruption in their lives,” said Robert McCann, SFRC project director. “We appreciate Superintendent Rice and the entire Board of Education for facilitating today’s discussion that again made it clear we can no longer accept the status quo when it comes to our state’s broken and outdated school funding formula. Our students will need every support available moving forward and adopting the SFRC’s equity based formula will ensure schools across our state can do exactly that.”
In 2018, the Collaborative completed Michigan’s first comprehensive school adequacy study that determined the true cost of educating a student, with additional funding considerations for special education students, students living in poverty, English Language Learners and Career and Technical Education programs.
The School Finance Research Collaborative is a diverse group of business leaders and education experts, from Metro Detroit to the U.P., who agree it’s time to change the way Michigan’s schools are funded.
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