Clarifying claims on MI education spending

Education officials in Michigan are crunching the numbers this month, following the statewide student “Count Day” back on October 1. The bi-annual count determines the state’s per pupil funding allocation. Obviously, it’s in every school district’s best interest to turn out as many students as possible on that single day. But teachers and administrators across the state continue to struggle to fund mandatory programs. Not surprisingly, there’s a lot of rhetoric on the campaign trail about school funding. But what story does the data show?Current State talks with Craig Thiel, a senior research associate with the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, a nonpartisan organization that studies public policy issues. He joins us as part of Current State’s monthly check-in with the CRC.