The State Board of Education has kicked off a series of discussions meant to critique the way the state pays for public schools.
The Michigan Public Radio Network’s Jake Neher has more.
The Board of Education is pushing to make public school funding a central issue in this year’s election. The talks will continue at its monthly meetings until November.
John Austin is the board’s president. He says, at that point, it’ll make recommendations for how to better support local districts.
“Hopefully as a roadmap for whoever the next governor and the next Legislature – on some broadly shared directions of how we improve education,” he says.
Governor Rick Snyder and Republican state lawmakers say they’ve increased funding for public schools in recent years. But much of that new money has had to go to teacher retirement. Democrats and many school groups say money going to classrooms has actually dropped significantly.