Report: Funding, opportunity gaps hurting educational progress in Michigan

An education advocacy and research group is calling for more funding for districts with high student poverty
Incoming Senate Majority Leader Darrin Camilleri says this type of funding is a priority
EdTrust-Midwest says money alone will not improve schools

Michigan urgently needs to accelerate its progress in education, but it also must level the playing field so that students of all backgrounds can benefit, an advocacy and research group warned Tuesday.

In its latest “State of Michigan Education Report.” EdTrust-Midwest is pushing for the state to direct more money to districts with the highest concentration of students living in poverty. It also called for continued investments in teacher training and literary curricula for students and bolstering the teacher and counselor workforce.

“Over the past several years, state leaders have increased investments in public education, strengthened literacy policy, expanded college affordability, and invested in student supports,” the report says. “Yet student outcomes remain uneven, post-pandemic academic recovery is slow, and longstanding disparities in educational opportunity still persist.”

The group unveiled its recommendations at an event in Detroit Tuesday morning. The report, titled ”Going for Gold: Setting the Standard for Michigan Achievement,” comes at a pivotal time for the state as a new administration prepares to take office and Michigan students continue to struggle academically.

Only 38.9% of third graders are proficient in reading on state tests, more than a fourth of students are chronically absent and only about 55% of high school graduates attend college within six months of graduating, according to preliminary data.

Related:

Brian L. Love, state director of EdTrust-Midwest, told Bridge he is concerned about several education metrics.

A man stands at a podium addressing a small group of seated people — Brian L. Love, state director of EdTrust-Midwest, speaks to an audience in Detroit about Michigan education. Love told Bridge Michigan groups and leaders should work together to improve public schools. (Photo courtesy of Eric Hobson via EdTrust-Midwest)

“We can focus on a few things here and a few things there, and actually that’s probably been our state’s history, right? So the way we fix this now and soon is to tackle it all at the same time but we have to do it all together.”

The group is calling for a stronger emphasis on helping high schoolers understand they can take advanced courses and college classes in high school.

Building a stronger talent pipeline is “essential to Michigan’s economic competitiveness,” the report says. “The state’s postsecondary goals cannot be achieved only through making college more affordable if too many students never have an equitable opportunity to prepare for and successfully make the transition to college in the first place.”

Funding needs

EdTrust-Midwest is also calling for more transparency in how money dedicated for education is spent.

“Michigan’s next challenge is not simply to have an equitable funding formula on paper — it is to fully fund it, ensure dollars reach the students for whom they are intended, and make that investment visible to the public,” the report says.

EdTrust-Midwest has advocated for the state to increase funding for districts with high concentrations of student poverty. These weighted funds for at-risk students are also known as the “opportunity index.”

The state began including opportunity index funds in the school budget in 2023, during the last Democratic trifecta, when the party controlled the governor’s office and both legislative chambers. Among those championing the move was State Sen. Darrin Camilleri, now the incoming Senate majority leader.

At Tuesday’s event in Detroit, where he received a “Champions of Hope” award from EdTrust-Midwest, Camilleri acknowledged a “big need” to provide more opportunity index funding.

EdTrust-Midwest says the state is underfunding the opportunity index. It estimates full funding would take another $1.3 billion.

“It’s been my north star: is how we can continue to fund this program to the best of our ability,” Camilleri said. “I think that we will find new resources to do that. Whether that happens in one budget cycle or four, remains to be seen. But I think it’s really important that we do invest more money in the opportunity index and get to as close to fully funded as humanly possible.”

He estimates that savings from the state retirement system down the road could unlock about $3 billion more for schools. Still he said other education priorities including expanding child care and pre-K, providing higher teacher pay and improved special education take money.

“We have some big challenges and so, there will, I’m sure, need to be a conversation about how we can actually pay for those things.”

Governor-elect Jocelyn Benson has said she wants to improve public schools. She will need to work with a Democratic-dominated Michigan House and Senate.

Meanwhile, some student trends are improving. The state reached a new high record with 84% of students graduating within four years. In addition, new grants are available to expand access to career and technical education courses and the state will start reimbursing high-poverty districts to provide dual enrollment courses to students.

“We are really trying to get across the point that public schools are a powerful public good,” said Jennifer Mrozowski, senior director, strategic communications and external relations at EdTrust-Midwest. “We know that leading states have shown that there are wonderful things that can be done when you have all forces working together.”

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