Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was in Grand Rapids Tuesday, signing a bill to finalize the School Aid Budget for Fiscal Year 2022. It's the first of the state's budgets for the next fiscal year Whitmer has signed.
The landmark change in this budget: Equal funding under the state's foundation allowance, a goal the governor says has been a priority since the passing of Proposal A in 1994.
Foundation Allowance gives funding to schools per student. In years past, that funding was delivered on a scale that often benefitted more affluent districts. For example, for the 2019-2020 school year, Kentwood and Kelloggsville schools received the bottom end of the scale, getting $8,111 per student. Just up the road, the Forest Hills school district got $8,529 per student.
This bill will eliminate that gap, granting every district across the state the same $8,700 per student.
"All students deserve well-funded schools, not based on their zip code," said Caitlin Volovlek, a teacher at Kentwood.
"Break it down to confidence right," Volovlek continued. "Knowing that their value is measured in a similar way to students all across Michigan no matter where they live, it's just really important to their growth."
In addition to the elimination of the funding gap, it adds funds to increase support for mental health, special education and early education access.
"Equal funding does not mean we've achieved equity," Gov. Whitmer said. "We have more work to do in that space, we recognize that funding should increase with student need."
The bill also approves an additional $240 million for hiring more support staff like nurses, school psychologists, counselors and social workers.
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