Michigan school districts are facing uncertainty as the new fiscal year begins without a finalized state budget. School administrators can't make crucial planning decisions while lawmakers continue to negotiate funding plans.
- Michigan's school fiscal year begins July 1, but districts still don't know their funding amounts.
- The state Senate and House have proposed vastly different school funding plans.
- School administrators say the delay impacts staffing decisions and calendar planning.
Superintendents across the state are in limbo as they prepare to begin spending money Tuesday without knowing exactly how much they'll have.
WATCH: Michigan schools face budget uncertainty as new fiscal year begins
"The school fiscal year starts tomorrow," said Matt Schueller, director of government relations for the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators, who was at the Capitol Monday seeking answers about funding for local school districts.
"We really need to have all of that set in order to operate efficiently when schools open," Schueller said.
The uncertainty stems from competing budget proposals in the state legislature, with the Senate and House offering significantly different approaches to school funding.
"One had increases in the normal places you'd like to see—the House budget kind of went in a different direction, they rolled up a lot of line items into a much bigger number," Schueller said.
This disagreement has led to Tuesday's critical negotiations, when lawmakers will attempt to agree on a unified budget for all schools.
"And trying to get a school budget by that date, I think puts us in the best position to actually get that done by July 1 and if we don't do that, I have concerns that the school budget will not get done until much later," Speaker of the House Matt Hall said Thursday.
Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks and other legislative leaders have been negotiating through the weekend to reach an agreement.
In a statement, Brinks said: "Budget negotiations continued throughout the weekend. Timing is extremely important but I want to be extremely clear that we're not going to settle for a bad deal because someone didn't do their part on a group project."
When asked about his goal for Tuesday, Schueller responded: "Again tomorrow is July 1, it's supposed to be done and presented—we know that's not going to happen but if we can get an agreement that would give us certainty and start planning things to make sure all things are set to go in August."
Tuesday's agenda will focus exclusively on K-12 spending plans, with the rest of the state budget to be addressed at a later date. I will be following up on the K-12 budget negotiations at the Capitol.
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