LANSING, Mich. — A lawmaker is warning of a potential 25% cut in state funding for K-12 schools due to economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
Republican Sen. Wayne Schmidt, who chairs the Senate’s education budget subcommittee, said Tuesday that 25% is “certainly the high end,” but schools should brace for the worst.
Schools have been physically closed since mid-March, and staff and students have since adapted to remote learning. Some districts like Grand Rapids Public Schools have previously said that distance learning could rack up additional costs as districts work to provide equitable opportunities for each student.
"Just the implementation alone of our tech plan and learning management system, you're talking nearly $2 million that was not budgeted for," GRPS spokesperson John Helmholdt said in late March ahead of the formal school closure.
However under the CARES Act, Michigan schools received about $390 million which is to be used to help offset costs acquired due to the coronavirus pandemic.
There's uncertainty over whether federal rescue aid can be used to help balance the budget and if Congress will include more funding in a future package.
About 40% of $14 billion in state revenues for the school aid fund comes from sales taxes.
Public and private schools remain closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year unless the restrictions are lifted before then. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has not provided direction yet on what the fall semester for K-12 schools will look like.
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