Michigan school superintendents are praising new additions to state funding in proposed budgets making their way through the state Legislature, while cautioning that the months-long delay in passing a state budget last year can’t happen again.
A group of about a dozen superintendents of school districts and regional service centers from across Michigan held a virtual discussion Thursday about the state of school funding. They praised proposed additions, particularly a Democratic Senate plan for weighted funding that would provide more dollars for districts with students from families where English is not spoken at home.
Jason Mellema, the Ingham Intermediate School District superintendent, said weighted funding for English language learners is something school leaders have been asking the Legislature to approve for years.
“While there have been small movements in that direction, we’ve not seen sustainable growth,” Mellema said.
Senate Democrats proposed Tuesday a long-term funding formula for Michigan’s schools that includes a weighted formula, so schools with students with more challenges would receive more money to help address those challenges and close gaps. The Senate has not voted on the measure.
The House spending plan increases per-pupil funding from $10,050 to $10,300, similar to the increases proposed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Senate Democrats, but extends that same funding level to cyber students. Whitmer had suggested a lower allowance for cyber learners.
The education spending plan, while ditching the weighted formula for at-risk students, provides additional funding for at-risk students, special education programs and children from families where English is not spoken at home, as tutoring and literacy supports.
Ken Gutman, the Oakland Schools superintendent, said the Senate’s bill was better for schools because of its inclusion of weighted dollars.
“All of us have been advocating for that for years, and the governor had it to her credit in the executive recommendation,” Gutman said. “The Senate has it in their version of the budget, and it’s just not there in the House budget. To us, that’s disappointing.”
The K-12 Alliance of Michigan organized Thursday’s conversation.
The superintendents expressed gratitude for the proposed increases, but noted that spending has not kept up with inflation.
Angie McArthur, superintendent of the Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District, said the last two years, districts have seen increases in energy costs, health insurance premiums, transportation and supplies. While the funding allocations on paper have increased, “the real purchasing power or what schools can actually provide with that money goes down,” she said.
“That’s not a record investment,” McArthur said. “It’s a functional cut for our schools and the services we can provide our students.”
Superintendents also lamented years of spending on higher education that took away from K-12.
“And at the same time, trying to say that schools are not doing enough ― it’s disingenuous to the public,” said Dedrick Martin, superintendent of Kalamazoo RESA. “It is less than transparent, and we’re just here to say enough is enough.”
The district leaders also rehashed the frustrations from last year’s budget process, when legislative stalemates resulted in no budget being passed until October, leaving districts to start the year not knowing how much funding they would have. Some districts, which have to pass budgets by July 1, had to make cuts to programs and staff because they had to anticipate the most conservative possible budget for the year.
The memory of last year lingers, they said.
“We shouldn’t have to experience that again,” said Wayne RESA Superintendent Daveda Colbert. “And we’re hopeful that this year will be different.”
jpignolet@detroitnews.com
Staff Writer Beth LeBlanc contributed.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan superintendents back weighted aid for non-English speakers
Reporting by Jennifer Pignolet, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
