New Funding Bill for State Schools

Governor Rick Snyder signed the $15.8 billion funding bill for the state’s K-12 schools, community colleges and universities on Tuesday. The spending package adds a minimum $50 boost to every K-12 district’s foundation allowance, and includes extra money for lower-funded schools. The budget also includes a provision which requires the Michigan Department of Education to retain the MEAP exam instead of implementing the Smarter Balanced tests the state was preparing to use. The budget also includes a nearly 6 percent bump in funding for state universities which will be required to limit tuition increases to 3.2 percent or less in order to receive their funding increase. That same cap applies to community college tuition rates as part of the $364 million the state is investing in community colleges for the next year, a 3 percent increase. The budget also includes an extra $65 million for the Great Start Readiness Program, an investment Snyder says will make Michigan a “no-wait” state for preschool for low-income families.