The Michigan Board of Education discussed significant gaps in funding needs for school infrastructure improvements during its meeting Tuesday.
The discussion was a follow-up on a report from the School Finance Research Foundation last month.
The report estimated it would cost $22.8 billion to bring the state's public school buildings in line with common health and safety standards.
State Superintendent Michael Rice said that could be an undercount when considering what it would cost to put air conditioning in schools on top of upgrading existing HVAC systems.
“What's clear is that Michigan is late to the table among states in the country in understanding that they need, as a matter of adequacy and equity, to help address buildings,” Rice said.
Rice called for a statewide ballot question to address education funding while other members of the board questioned whether schools could pay for upgrades by eliminating wasteful spending.
The discussion coincided with the board also passing a resolution urging federal policymakers to allow Michigan schools to hold onto funding granted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite some arguing the money would go toward necessary building improvements, board member Tom McMillin opposed the resolution and suggested districts could have budgeted or planned better.
“If it was that important, I think that they would have made sure that it got done well prior to this year or next year,” McMillin said.
During that discussion, McMillin clashed with board president Pamela Pugh, who also encouraged schools to not comply with the Trump administration’s guidance on inclusion initiatives during the meeting.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education threatened to withhold federal funding for schools that use inclusion programming to "advantage one’s race over another.”
Diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, programs have often been used to serve historically disadvantaged groups like racial and ethnic minorities, women, and those with disabilities.
Pugh said schools shouldn’t go along with the Trump administration.
“Do not sign on, especially not in response to the recent letter from the U.S. Department of Education demanding that schools certify their alignment with policies that would inflict harm, violate civil rights laws,” Pugh said.
She asked Rice to make that stance official, which he did not before moving on to the next agenda item.
The board also heard concerns over how proposed federal policies could impact school lunches.
The Trump administration has floated raising the threshold for districts to participate in a free school meal program.
The proposal would mean a higher proportion of families in a district would have to be getting federal anti-poverty assistance, like food stamps, before the district can be in the meal program.
Richard Browder is director of student nutrition with Brighton Public Schools. He said the policy could threaten Michigan’s universal school lunch programming.
“Districts like ours who don't meet the new threshold but still serve a significant amount of students in need could lose access to funding that makes those meals possible. And without the Michigan School Meals program as a safety net, many students in Brighton would go back to falling through the cracks,” Browder said.
Some members of the Michigan Board of Education suggested the state could step in to help make up for any lost federal funding.
“If this is as important as it's being made out to be … I think there's many other sources that could easily help with this matter," McMillin said. "We can look elsewhere if it's that critical.”
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