A divided Michigan Senate has voted to let publicly funded charter schools get a piece of property taxes collected under county-wide millages.
Voters in six intermediate school districts in Michigan have approved the "enhancement" millages: Wayne, Kent, Kalamazoo, Midland, Monroe and Muskegon. The revenue goes to traditional school districts in the counties on a per-pupil basis.
The Republican-led Senate approved a bill 23-14 Wednesday to also let charter schools receive the funding in the future if the millages are renewed or if new ones are approved. That would mean less money for traditional schools.
Republicans largely backed the legislation, while Democrats opposed it.
The bill moves next to the GOP-controlled House for consideration.
