Education Policy Guide

School Funding: Inflation-Adjusted Foundation Allowance and Categoricals

Background

Michigan’s public schools have seen much-needed increases in funding for the last four years. While funding has increased, it has not kept pace with inflation and has not made up for the significant cuts schools have seen over the last 25 years. The foundation allowance in the 2000-2001 school year was $6,000. The foundation allowance for the 2024-2025 school year is $9,608, remaining flat from the 2023-2024 school year. If the foundation allowance had been adjusted for inflation over the last 24 years, the foundation allowance would be $10,927 per pupil. Couple this with declining enrollment, and many districts are still struggling to meet the increased needs of the students they serve.

Much work has been done to improve equity within our funding system. Continued work is needed to close the equity gap, focusing on providing necessary and sufficient resources for socio-economically disadvantaged students, English-language learning students, and students with disabilities (special education).

Belief Statements

To remedy this, the Superintendents...

• Call on our Governor and our Legislators to fully fund an inflation-adjusted Student Foundation Grant and categoricals, emphasizing at-risk, socio-economically disadvantaged, English-language learners and special education students. 
• Funding existing categoricals should continue with any new money being rolled into the foundation allowance.

Supported By: All MASA Region 6 Superintendents

Education Contacts

Scott Koenigsknecht
Clinton County RESA
[email protected]
989-224-6831

Jason Mellema
Ingham ISD
[email protected]
989-621-7612

Ben Shuldiner
Lansing School District
[email protected]
914-471-3888

Matt Shastal
Laingsburg Community Schools
[email protected]
989-651-2705

Community College and Higher Education

Background

Since 2009, Michigan’s School Aid Fund has shifted expenses to cover community colleges and higher education costs. In the 2023-2024 school year alone, the school aid fund had $1,026,785,800 to cover these costs. The general fund had previously borne these costs. Cumulatively and conservatively speaking, since 2009, over $9.5 billion has come out of the school aid fund to cover costs associated with community colleges and higher education. Stopping this practice and redirecting those funds to K-12 schools, as initially intended, this year alone would increase the per-pupil foundation allowance by $718. 

The School Aid Fund (SAF) was first established in 1955 as an amendment to the 1908 Michigan Constitution, retained in the 1963 constitution, and transformed through Proposal A of 1994. From the time it was first established until Budget Year 2010, the School Aid Fund had been used exclusively to fund Michigan’s K-12 schools.

On the other hand, funding for postsecondary education came from the General Fund. For 2010, Governor Jennifer Granholm and the Michigan Legislature used a supplemental bill to allocate $208.4 million in SAF dollars to community colleges to balance a state budget. The one-time appropriation included language stating that “funds appropriated to community colleges from School Aid Fund [will] be considered a loan” that “will be repaid from General Fund to School Aid Fund over the period of FY 2011-12 to FY 2015-16.”

Belief Statements

To remedy this, the Superintendents...

• Call for an immediate halt of shifting community college and higher education expenses to the School Aid Fund and a return of these programs' funding back to the General Fund, from which they were initially funded. 
• If Community Colleges and Higher Education continue to be funded out of the School Aid Fund, the Region 6 Superintendents suggest policy changes that would include: 
  • eliminating the cost of dual enrollment and early college credits across the state, and 
  • allowing credits to transfer to any community college and/or university regardless of where they are earned.

Supported By: All MASA Region 6 Superintendents

Education Contacts:

Chris Hodges
Bath Community Schools
[email protected]
989-965-0303

Patrick Malley
Haslett Public Schools
[email protected]
989-948-0334

David Schulte
Shiawassee RESD
[email protected]
989-743-3471

State Assessments and Formative Assessments

Background

Since moving away from the MEAP in 2014, Michigan’s summative assessment test for measuring achievement has continually changed. After revising the MEAP into a different form in 2014-2015, the M-STEP was introduced in 2015 and 2016 and has changed in various ways. Changing test results in establishing new baselines makes prior years’ data difficult to use. Apples-to-apples comparisons cannot be done, and the collected data cannot be used to improve curriculum or instruction. More specifically, the data is not distributed until early the following school year, and itemized questions/responses are not revealed to help support the instructional needs of students or help teachers adjust their classroom instruction. 

The formative assessment process allows for immediate feedback by teachers to guide them in order to inform their instruction within the classroom to meet all learners' needs and determine what needs to happen next. In contrast, summative assessments measure what has been learned previously. Formative assessment is the planned, ongoing process of collecting evidence about student learning during instruction so that adjustments can be made to increase student proficiency. This process provides opportunities for teachers to adjust their facilitation of learning and support as necessary rather than ranking or grading their students.

Research conducted by The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics showed formative assessment produced greater increases in student achievement and was more affordable than other efforts to boost achievement, including reducing class sizes and increasing teachers' content knowledge. Additionally, research from “Inside the Black Box” by Dylan Wiliam and Paul Black found that the formative assessment process was found to effectively double the speed of learning. 

Belief Statement

To remedy this, the Superintendents...

• Support developing and implementing a clear, long-term, consistent, balanced assessment system that informs instruction, improves curriculum, and ultimately improves student achievement. 
• We advocate for the complete abolition of high-stakes, state-level summative testing, with the possible exception of fixed-form assessments at the end of 3rd, 8th, and 11th grade (SAT).  
• We support using benchmark assessments, to the extent allowable under ESSA, to provide real-time feedback for teachers to adjust their instruction.  
• We support more local control over implementing a balanced assessment system, minimally having districts work together for commonality at the ISD level. 
• We support a testing framework that provides immediate, consistent, reliable feedback for 10 years, minimum. 
• If legislated, we endorse requiring a super majority to change state testing requirements at any time, thus ensuring a long-term formative assessment policy.

Supported By: All MASA Region 6 Superintendents

Education Contacts:

Anthony Berthiaume
St. Johns Public Schools
[email protected]
517-285-7823

Adam Spina
Williamston Community Schools
[email protected]
517-993-7274

Bill Barnes
Grand Ledge Public Schools
[email protected]
517-230-5298

Lori Haven
Perry Public Schools
[email protected]
989-625-0104

Early Childhood

Background

The Perry Preschool study conducted in Michigan over 60 years demonstrated the importance of early education. Results of the Perry Preschool Study included: higher school achievement; increased high school graduation rate among girls; higher employment rate; higher earnings; and significantly lower crime rate. Fortunately, Michigan’s early childhood programs have seen significant investments in recent years. Since 2018, there has been an increase of approximately 24 million dollars in Section 54d, which funds Michigan’s Early On program serving children ages 0-3 and their families. The Federal Head Start programs within Michigan have also seen an increase in their per pupil allotment from the Federal government. Since 2021, there has been a 109% increase in funding for the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) for early childhood education. There has been a 40% increase in the number of children served in GSRP programs since 2020-2021, with ISDs requesting funding to serve more than 52,000 students this year. Upon recommendation to and approval of the state legislature and governor, GSRP programs now have the flexibility to have 5 instructional days a week and 36 instructional weeks a year to meet parent demand. All of these investments have resulted in Michigan being tied for #1 in the country in GSRP quality for the 5th year in a row and has increased its rank to #6 in funding, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER).

Belief Statements

To remedy this, the Superintendents support the Governor’s Universal Preschool for All initiative, as well as advocate for the following early childhood actions:

• Partner with MiLEAP and state associations to address alignment among the geographic boundaries impacting service areas for Head Start, GSRP and Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE).
• Partner with MiLEAP to extend Strong Beginnings to the most at-risk three-year-old children in every ISD.
• Develop a crosswalk between Program Quality Assessment (PQA), Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), and the Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Prekindergarten (ECSQ-PK) to support and advocate for increased flexibility to GSRP program quality tools.
• Advocate for increased, flexible funding to provide services to families and children birth through age three.
• Promote high-quality, relevant professional development and support resources for the early childhood community.
• Support the implementation of timely and efficient birth through third-grade student data collection systems through collaboration with stakeholder groups.
• Work collaboratively with stakeholder groups to support early literacy and early math efforts as well as efforts to support the whole child.
• Promote and support inclusive preschool environments.

Supported By: All MASA Region 6 Superintendents

Education Contacts:

Anthony Berthiaume
St. Johns Public Schools
[email protected]
517-285-7823

Kelly Blake
Waverly Community Schools
[email protected]
517-526-0834

Tara Agnew
Shiawassee RESD
[email protected]
989-743-3471

Career and Technical Education

Background

We educate our students to help them become college-and-career-ready. We support total funding of comprehensive programs that provide career planning and development, career training, and basic work-related skills throughout their K-12 career at all levels, beginning in kindergarten. Additionally, we support flexibility relative to the Michigan Merit Curriculum, so students learn in a culture that encourages career exploration and development and do not have to seek out a personal curriculum to achieve post-secondary goals.

CTE programs are often operated through a career and technical education center and offer multiple programs accessed by local districts, which pay into the millage. Students from anywhere in the service area can attend a program; this economies-of-scale system makes CTE opportunities more affordable for all. Local school districts also offer CTE programs in their high schools. In addition, Ingham ISD, Lansing School District, Clinton, and Eaton RESAs have a tri-county agreement that provides access to programs through a set tuition arrangement, providing even more student opportunities.

Belief Statements

To remedy this, the Superintendents...

• Value the focus on career and technical education and endorse funding increases for categorical (Section 61) and Federal CTE Perkins, particularly as funding levels have yet to keep pace with the expanding statewide district participation. This disparity has inadvertently led to decreased funding for programs across Region VI. 
• We advocate for continued support and promotion at the state level regarding the importance of K-12 CTE programs and services, including work-based learning opportunities.  
• We ask for funding for intermediate and local school districts to implement the Michigan Career Development Model, which was developed by the Office of Career and Technical Education at MDE.

Supported By: All MASA Region 6 Superintendents

Education Contacts:

Sean Williams
Eaton RESA
[email protected]
517-795-0978

Dave Hornak
Holt Public Schools
[email protected]
517-525-3371

Wayne Petroelje
Ovid-Elsie Area Schools
[email protected]
517-202-4237

Charmian Fletcher
Shiawassee RESD
[email protected]
989-743-3471

Special Education

Background

In Michigan, approximately 13% of our students are students with disabilities. The actual percentage of students varies from district to district. Each of these students has unique needs that districts work to address every day. While special education has increased significantly in the last 6 years, there is still a $350,000,000 shortfall statewide. Different students have different needs and there are varying costs associated with those differing needs. Weighting per pupil allocations is a way to address these varying needs.

Important work on the special educator shortage issue is currently being done by a statewide task force called OPTIMISE. The special educator shortage is a tremendous challenge as districts struggle to find teachers, paraprofessionals, itinerant staff, bus drivers and other special education related personnel. Continuing to fund OPTIMISE and adopting their policy recommendations will have positive effects in addressing this shortage. Finally, there is a need for a central repository of best practices for teaching students with disabilities. This repository 

would house evidence and research-based resources and strategies that teachers, paraprofessionals and itinerant staff could quickly access when working with children. The impact would be seen in positive educational outcomes for our students with special needs.

Belief Statements

To remedy this, the Superintendents:

• Wish to see special education mandates fully funded while increasing flexibility and cost efficiency in delivering special education services. This includes:
  • Creating a full continuum of services focusing on the safety and well-being of all students and staff in our school buildings, including using all state agencies.
  • The removal of restrictions in the area of staff qualifications that limit the provision of more flexible and integrative services.
  • Flexibility around graduation requirements, academic performance standards and assessments so that IEP and 504 teams can determine the unique learning needs of students with disabilities.
  • Fully funding special education expenses (approximately $350,000,000)
  • Continue to fund work on the special educator shortage
  • Create and curate a statewide repository of special education-related best practices.
  • Special education teachers be given more flexibility in their schedules and with their current certification requirements. With this provision, school districts could be more creative in assigning special education classroom teachers to serve their students best.

Supported By: All MASA Region 6 Superintendents

Education Contacts:

Kevin Robydek
DeWitt Public Schools
[email protected]
616-350-0004

Brian Friddle
Stockbridge Community Schools
[email protected]
517-715-9001

Trent Toney
Shiawassee RESD
[email protected]
989-743-3471

Michigan School Employee Retirement System-Pension Costs-Normal Salary Index

Background

Legacy costs associated with retirement benefits continue to increase. There are now more Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System (MPSERS) retirees than there are active MPSERS employees paying into the system. In the defined benefit plan, there are 155,000 employees currently working, while 225,000 are retirees drawing benefits from the plan. Eighteen thousand employees are deemed inactive. The average MPSER’s pension as of 2022 was $24,189. The defined benefit pension plan is approximately 64% funded. The plan is projected to be fully funded in 2038. The other post-employment benefit (OPEB) side of the retirement plan (the health side) is 140% funded. Superintendents appreciate the Governor’s commitment to MPSERS and financing the increases through relief from the state in Sec. 147a, 147c, and 147e of the State Aid Act. 

Consistent application of the Retirement Information Manual needs to be a focus of the Office of Retirement Services.

Belief Statements

To remedy this, the Superintendents...

• Encourage continued relief and support to recognize that not all public school entities participate in MPSERS. 
• Ask that all schools receiving public dollars (including charter schools) should be required to pay into MPSERS.  
• Ask that any savings in the school aid fund due to the full funding of the OPEB side of the pension system be required to go K-12 schools, not community colleges and higher education.

Supported By: All MASA Region 6 Superintendents

Education Contacts:

Kevin Robydek
DeWitt Public Schools
[email protected]
616-350-0004

Gary Kinzer
Mason Public Schools
[email protected]
517-927-6312

Matt Shastal
Laingsburg Community Schools
[email protected]
989-651-2705

Mathematics Instructional Supports

Background

On March 1, 2015, Governor Snyder created the Third-Grade Reading Workgroup to analyze Michigan’s reading proficiency at the third-grade level and to suggest policies to improve this necessary element of future academic and career success. Over the years, the Literacy Essentials were developed and implemented. Literacy Essentials are free documents designed to improve childhood literacy development for Michigan educators. The Literacy Essentials provide research-proven, effective approaches to markedly improve literacy skills among Michigan’s youngest students.

The Superintendents welcome the focus on literacy as it relates to reading proficiency, and they continue to lean into the work with their staff. We have identified, though, that the same need exists around mathematics literacy. In 2018-2019, 47% (47,210) of third graders were advanced or proficient in mathematics. A total of 53% (53,809) of third graders were partially or not proficient during the same testing cycle. In 2022-2023, 43% (42,519) of third graders were advanced or proficient, and 57% (56,625) were partially or not proficient. The students who were advanced or proficient as third graders in 2018-2019 (47,210) performed worse as seventh graders in 2022-2023, with only 30,531 being advanced or proficient.

Belief Statements

To remedy this, the Superintendents...

• Believe there is a tremendous need to focus on mathematics literacy and literacy related to reading. Test scores show consistent declines over the last five years at all grade levels.  
• We urge the legislature to allocate funding to build a stronger system around mathematics instruction.  
• This system should include funds for hiring mathematics coaches at local school districts and ISDs. Pockets of work already going on in the area could be areas of new investment, including the Early Math Essential work being done by the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators.

Supported By: All MASA Region 6 Superintendents

Education Contacts: 

Patrick O’Rourke
Fowler Public Schools
[email protected]
989-640-4128

Dori Leyko
East Lansing Public Schools
[email protected]
517-749-5776

Lori Haven
Perry Public Schools
[email protected]
989-625-0104

Mental Health, Trauma, & School Safety

Background

The mental health and safety of our students and staff are paramount. Over the past four years, over half a billion dollars have flowed to school districts through grants like Section 31n, Section 31o, Section 31p, Section 31aa, and Section 97b. The results have been noteworthy, as more than 1,000 helping professionals have been hired in Michigan School Districts during this time. This includes 332 school counselors, 49 school nurses, 583 social workers, 26 school psychologists, and 33 board-certified behavior analysts. These investments are welcomed, appreciated, and needed as we educate children and ensure their safety. Finding qualified staff has been challenging. Still, we are working to find ways to accomplish district by district. The flexibility in the order has been important for implementation as each school district is different in terms of need. With the pressures of social media and increased cell phone use, students are experiencing mental health challenges at greater rates than ever before. Finally, increased and serious behaviors of students at all grade levels have escalated exponentially, which is another cause for teacher turnover/burnout.

Belief Statements

To remedy this, the Superintendents...

• Encourage legislators to continue prioritizing these funds. Consistency in funding is imperative as we build programs and provide services district by district.  
• Call on the legislature to work in a bipartisan manner to pass legislation designed to protect students and staff as recommended by the task force developed after the Oxford School tragedy.

Supported By: All MASA Region 6 Superintendents

Education Contacts:

Jennifer Goodman
Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools
[email protected]
517-889-2577

John Hood
Okemos Public Schools
[email protected]
517-798-5007

Katherine Bertolini
Maple Valley Public Schools
[email protected]
701-429-7108

Mandy Stewart
Charlotte Public Schools
[email protected]
586-822-9831

John Fattal
Corunna Public Schools
[email protected]
989-743-6338

Recruitment, Preparation, and Retention of School Staff

Background

One of the most significant challenges facing Michigan’s school districts today is finding quality staff members. There is a shortage of school staff in all areas, including teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, business office staff, etc. Research done by Rivkin, Hanushek, and Kain (1998) identifies teacher quality as the most important school-related factor influencing student achievement. They conclude from their analysis of 400,000 students in 3,000 schools that, while school quality is an important determinant of student achievement, the most important predictor is teacher quality.

Over the past four years, over half a billion dollars have flowed to school districts through grant programs like Section 27a, Section 27b, Section 27c, Section 27d, Section 27e, Section g, Section 27h, Section 27i, Section 27j, Section 27k, and Section 27l. These investments are welcomed, appreciated, and needed as we work to attract and retain high-quality staff. 

Belief Statements

To remedy this, the Superintendents...

• Encourage legislators to continue to prioritize these funds.  
• Ask that funding remain consistent. This funding is imperative as we build “grow your own” programs and work to retain staff.  
• Urge legislators to continue to build the profession in terms of salaries and benefits. 
• Ask legislators to avoid any policy decisions that devalue or degrade the work being done by school staff and educators at any level.  
• Encourage legislators from both parties at all levels to view public education as an investment and a way to develop talent, enhance economic growth, and provide a high quality of living in the state.  
• Ask for continued support for innovative programs such as Talent Together that provide flexible pathways that allow candidates to earn an income while pursuing teacher certification. Currently over 1,300 candidates are being supported and trained by Talent Together, in partnership with 16 universities and over 400 school districts (locals and ISDs).

Supported By: All MASA Region 6 Superintendents

Education Contacts:

Jennifer Goodman
Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools
[email protected]
517-889-2577

Jennifer Wonnell
Dansville Schools
[email protected]
517-879-9713

Andrew Smith
Webberville Community Schools
[email protected]
517-897-2437

Rob Pouch
Morrice Area Schools
[email protected]
989-625-3142

MDE Grant Process, Requirements, & Repository

Background

Over the past four years, a large influx of Federal funds and increased state revenues have resulted in significant investments in educational programming. These investments are welcomed and appreciated as we work to improve outcomes for children. Many of these increases have come from grants administered by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE). The current internal MDE processes around developing grant criteria, making edits, and getting layers of approval multiple times have resulted in grants getting approved and processed late. Though the budget was signed in early July, millions of grant dollars dedicated to children are still at the department in the spring. An example is the 35j literacy funds that were still at the MDE as of January 17, 2024. State Budget Director, Jennifer Flood, sent a letter to our state superintendent urging him to expedite getting the funds to local districts.

Belief Statements

To remedy this, the Superintendents...

• Ask legislators to include a required date for MDE to disburse funds when passing legislation.  
• Ask that all grant funds are disbursed no later than 150 days after the signing of the budget. If the department cannot do so, the department shall, in writing, inform the House, the Senate, the State Budget Office, and the Governor why the dollars were not disbursed.  
• Ask that if the process takes longer than the proposed 150 days, districts will have the flexibility to spend the funds appropriately. Once received, districts should also have up to 180 days to spend the dollars.  
• Would like to utilize ISDs as part of the grant process to the greatest extent of the law when possible.  
• Ask the legislature to require the MDE to develop a grant repository that contains all of the information for each state grant in a searchable manner. This would provide a common platform where districts can get important information on the state grants in a timely manner.

Supported By: All MASA Region 6 Superintendents

Education Contacts:

Scott Koenigsknecht
Clinton County RESA
[email protected]
989-224-6831

Jason Mellema
Ingham ISD
[email protected]
989-621-7612

Sean WilliamsEaton RESA
[email protected]
517-795-0978

Rob Pouch
Morrice Area Schools
[email protected]
989-625-3142

School Facilities Funding

Background

In the spring of 2023, Michigan school districts were asked to participate in a facilities study led by Oakland ISD. The study was included in section 11 of the 2022-2023 school aid budget, and 20 million dollars were allocated for its completion. The coalition will work with intermediate school districts, regional education service agencies statewide, and Michigan-based construction, engineering, and accounting firms to conduct the study. An engineering team will lead the audit and visit every school building in Michigan to identify aging or unsafe infrastructure, needed safety or security upgrades, and unused space that could be repurposed. The review will explain to lawmakers, school administrators, and parents the long-term costs associated with building upkeep and necessary health and safety upgrades. Michigan is one of the few states that does not allocate state funds to cover the costs of building K-12 facilities. This is not true for institutes of higher education, as they receive large sums of state funds to build buildings on their campuses.

School districts now must pass a bond in their local communities to make large capital improvements. The process is inequitable, particularly for urban and rural districts. Research done by the Citizen’s Research Council (CRC) has shown that the per-student capital needs in Michigan’s poorest districts ($8,172) were more than two times greater than the needs in the wealthiest districts ($3,677). While all schools have unmet needs, wealthy districts have a much easier time generating funds. The CRC found that the per-pupil tax base of the wealthiest districts was more than four times greater ($308,000) than the tax base of the poorest districts ($69,200), many of which already tax their residents at very high rates.

Belief Statements

To remedy this, the Superintendents...

• Support the state's provision of a funding system for K-12 school capital projects in conjunction with current local bond processes.  
• This could be accomplished by adding to the per-pupil foundation through an equity-based formula or through a well-designed grant process where districts can receive funds on a scheduled basis (i.e., every 10 or 15 years).  
• This would be a revolving capital projects fund, so districts could plan accordingly to pair it with local ballot questions.

Supported By: All MASA Region 6 Superintendents

Education Contacts:

Patrick O’Rourke
Fowler Public Schools
[email protected]
989-640-4128

Scott Powers
Leslie Public Schools
[email protected]
517-206-1394

Ben Shuldiner
Lansing School District
[email protected]
914-471-3888

John Fattal
Corunna Public Schools
[email protected]
989-743-6338