House budget empowers schools to make decisions based on what kids need

State Rep. Ann Bollin, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, today said she’s encouraged that the state’s largest teachers’ union is publicly recognizing the importance of local control in education.

A Michigan Education Association (MEA) spokesperson recently told The Detroit News that the union values local control and “providing Michigan’s widely varying school districts individual flexibility to meet their students’ needs.”

Bollin said that’s exactly the principle behind the transformational K-12 budget proposal the House approved earlier this year.

“Our K-12 budget was built around the idea that the people closest to students — parents, local school boards, and educators — know best how to help them succeed,” said Bollin, R-Brighton Township. “I’m glad to see the MEA echoing that message. When we put trust in our local schools instead of Lansing bureaucrats, we give every district the flexibility to address their unique challenges and invest in what matters most for their kids.”

The House’s $21.9 billion K-12 budget plan raises the foundation allowance to $12,000 per student, up $2,392 from the current year. It also moves away from Lansing’s one-size-fits-all mandates by giving local districts more freedom over how to use their resources.

Instead of dictating spending through dozens of narrow state grant programs, the plan empowers schools to decide whether funding is best used for reading programs, mental health services, school safety improvements, transportation, after-school tutoring, or other local priorities.

Bollin said the plan also restores critical school safety and mental health funding cut by Democrats last year and sets aside more than $300 million for competitive grants to shrink class sizes, boost early reading success, and improve school infrastructure.

“This is about meeting schools where they are,” Bollin said. “A rural district in the Upper Peninsula has different needs than an urban district in Detroit or a suburban district in Livingston County. Local control means they can each make the right calls for their students. That’s exactly the approach our budget takes. I’m pleased to see we have agreement on that from across the education spectrum.”

The House-approved K-12 budget is currently under consideration as lawmakers work toward a final agreement with the Senate and governor.