State Rep. Matt Hall today voted to give final legislative approval to a record K-12 school aid budget as students across Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties make up for learning lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Legislature’s school aid plan provides $17 billion and ensures equitable per-student foundation funding across Michigan. This total is up nearly 8 percent overall from the current year, which allows for the closing of the per-student foundation funding gap.

All districts would get $8,700 per student in the foundation allowance, which for most districts equates to a 7-percent increase. All districts would get at least 2 percent more.

“It was important to work quickly and effectively to give students and families the resources that are needed to help grow our future generations in the classroom,” said Hall, of Marshall. “Many children have been learning remotely and outside the classroom due to COVID-19 and executive orders in response over the past year. This funding works to remedy this concern.x”

Features of the plan include:

• Federal COVID relief funding with equalization payments to ensure every school gets at least $1,093 in additional funding per student.
• The Great Start Readiness Program receiving an additional investment of $168 million to significantly increase the amount of funding per child while also allowing thousands more kids to participate in the program.
• Additional resources for special education, career and tech equipment, and other initiatives to help give every student a better chance to thrive.

The plan addresses K-12 funding. The budget for community colleges and universities will be addressed in a future measure. The budget plan advancing to the governor is contained within House Bill 4411.