A new report says it costs at least $9,600 to properly educate a student in Michigan’s public schools. The goal of the study is to force a conversation on overhauling school funding.
The exact number is $9,590. The state’s current minimum is almost $2,000 less than that. The report also puts numbers to the costs of transportation, special education, and educating students in small, rural districts.
The goal is to create an individualized per-student school funding formula, says Bob Moore of the School Finance Research Collaborative.
“We need a system that responds to the needs of each child.”
The report was commissioned by business and education groups. Now, it’s up to the Legislatureto decide whether to tackle the first big school funding overhaul in almost 25 years.
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— Rick Pluta is the Managing Editor and Reporter for the Michigan Public Radio network. Contact WEMU News at734.487.3363 or email us at studio@wemu.org
