TheSchool Finance Research Collaborative is looking forward to working with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the new Legislature on a new, fairer school funding approach that addresses the unique, individual learning needs of all Michigan public school students, the school funding group announced today.
“The School Finance Research Collaborative congratulates Gov. Whitmer and the new Legislature as they begin settling into their offices and tackling the many challenges facing the state of Michigan,” said Dr. Wanda Cook-Robinson, School Finance Research Collaborative Interim Project Director and Oakland Schools superintendent. “We are looking forward to sitting down with the governor and state lawmakers to discuss a new school funding approach that provides every student with the same opportunity to receive a high-quality education and compete for good-paying jobs.”
In 2018, the School Finance Research Collaborative completed Michigan’s first comprehensive school adequacy study that determined the true cost of educating all students to make the way we fund schools more fair. The 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.
The final Collaborative report provides a base cost for student achievement in Michigan, with additional funding considerations for special education, English Language Learners, Career and Technical Education programs, students living in poverty, preschool, geographic isolation, district size, cost of living differences and student transportation.
“Now is the time for action to fix Michigan’s broken school funding system to meet the needs of all students, no matter their circumstances, and the Collaborative study provides the roadmap for our newly elected leaders to do just that,” said Steve Wasko, co-chair of the Collaborative Public Engagement Committee. “Working together, we will chart a fresh path toward a new, fairer school funding system that provides all students with the support services necessary to prepare them for college and jobs.”
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Learn more about the School Finance Research Collaborative at www.fundmischools.org, and on Facebook and Twitter.
