Michigan schools returning without state budget, warning free meals may not last

As Michigan schools prepare to welcome back students, districts are left without a state budget in sight
Okemos schools ended its universal free meal program. Officials in other districts warning free meals may not last
In Lansing, fingerpointing abounds as Senate Democrats and House Republicans fight to blame the other for stalled negotiations

As Michigan students begin to return to school next week, education officials are increasingly concerned about a stalemate in Lansing, where legislators and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have yet to finalize a K-12 budget that will determine how much funding districts receive in the year ahead.

“It’s unacceptable, and unfortunately our kids are going to potentially suffer as a result of it,” said Ferndale Public Schools Superintendent Camille Hibbler, who told Bridge Michigan her district will not offer after-school tutoring this school year because of the ongoing budget uncertainty.

Ferndale had already eliminated two central office positions at the end of last school year, she added, calling the lack of guaranteed funding by the state and subsequent impact on schools “morally wrong.”

Michigan legislators in 2019 wrote an annual July 1 budget deadline into state law, a move intended to benefit schools that finalize their own spending plans by summer. This year, however, House Republicans and Senate Democrats in the state’s newly divided government blew past that deadline and have been unable to reach an agreement on how best to fund K-12 schools.

Instead, they’ve spent much of the summer pointing fingers and holding news conferences to blame each other, leaving districts like Hibbler’s — and others throughout the state — in the lurch.

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At Okemos Public Schools, officials recently announced the district would not offer free school meals to all students this year, ending a universal program in a move the superintendent blamed on a lack of guaranteed funding from the state.

State Superintendent Michael Rice this week urged school leaders in other parts of the state to avoid making “precipitous” decisions that affect students despite the budget stalemate in Lansing. He also sent a memo to school districts last week urging them to continue free meal programs.

Without a state budget in place by Oct. 1, the state government could potentially shut down, a scenario lawmakers this week suggested was increasingly likely given partisan divides in the Legislature and related negotiations over road funding and tax cuts.

Senate Democrats in May approved an $84.5 billion budget proposal that is now out of balance because of lowered revenue estimates. House Republicans have not proposed a full budget but in June approved a school spending plan that would dramatically overhaul existing funding models and injected culture war issues into the debate.

In the months since, there’s been little public progress on negotiations.

Budget battle continues

House Republicans and Whitmer each want roughly $3 billion in additional money devoted to road repairs and construction each year, a push that has complicated budget negotiations.

“There’s no way we can add a big expense to our budget as a state without concentrating the impact of that on the core responsibilities that we have as a government, especially to our children and to vulnerable populations,” Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, said this week.

Instead, Brinks touted Senate proposals to continue to fund school safety, literacy support and continue popular programs like free breakfast and lunch, which the House Republican plan would not specifically fund.

With the different budget proposals varying widely, school district leaders say they’re finding it hard to plan for the school year. Should they sign contracts with mental health programs or school safety programs? How much staffing do they need to support school meal programs?

Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, and House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, stand next to each other. — Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, and House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, are quick to say the other is to blame for still not having a state budget. The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1. (Simon Schuster/Bridge Michigan)

The “finger pointing” in Lansing needs to end, and the idea that the school aid fund could be a source for roads funding is “absurd,” said Robert McCann, executive director of The K-12 Alliance of Michigan who worked as an aide to Whitmer when she served in the Legislature.

“We need a budget,” he said.

But state officials face several hurdles as they develop a new budget, including a projected $1.1 billion hole that will be created by the “big, beautiful bill” President Donald Trump signed into law last month.

At Westwood Community Schools in Dearborn Heights, the district already faced delays in receiving software and curriculum resources because of a federal funding holdup. McCann, whose K-12 Alliance includes 123 school districts, said schools will also be affected by changes to Medicaid.

House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, has praised the federal tax and spending legislation and encouraged the Senate to consider a new approach to education funding.

The proposal approved by the House in May “empowers local school districts” to invest money as they see fit, rather than require specific spending done on specific programming.

The $21.9 billion schools spending plan would boost per-pupil funding allowances significantly, but public education groups have criticized it for eliminating funding for various programs and penalizing districts for teaching “a curriculum that includes race or gender stereotyping.”

Regarding the rest of the budget, Hall said House Republicans are no longer pushing to include an income tax cut they approved in March. Instead, he said, they will work to “amplify” Trump-backed federal tax cuts on income from Social Security, overtime and tips at the state level.

School meals program becomes test

The lack of funding certainty from the state has forced districts “to make difficult decisions,” said Okemos Public Schools spokesperson Shannon Beczkiewicz.

The district recently announced it would no longer provide free meals for all students, but “no Okemos student will go hungry,” Beczkiewicz said, because families can still apply for income-based meal programs or get a meal regardless of their ability to pay.

“We hope the state chooses to continue this program and we can offer our students school meals at no cost,” she told Bridge in a statement.

Democrats, who have championed the universal meal program and last year budgeted another $40 million for it, have argued the Okemos change is a sign that the current budget stalemate will directly harm students.

Backed by Whitmer, Michigan’s free school meals for all program covers the costs of meals for students who do not otherwise qualify for free meals through federal programs. Funding currently goes through September.

With state funding in the air, several school districts are warning parents that school meals may not be free for all in the future.

At both Williamston Community Schools and Northville Public Schools, superintendents told Bridge they plan to offer free meals through September but it’s to be determined if they’ll continue to do so beyond then.

Districts are urging parents to fill out benefits and nutrition forms so that students can still qualify for free or reduced-price meals based on family income.

“Lunch is FREE until September 30, 2025,” Sparta Area Schools said in a Facebook post last week. “We are still waiting on confirmation regarding the continuation of Free Michigan Meals for the remainder of the school year.

Officials have shared similar warnings in other parts of the state, including Chippewa Hills High School, Arrowwood Elementary, Midland Public Schools and Huron Valley Schools.

McCann, with the K-12 Alliance, said he is unaware of any other district cutting its free school meals program to start the year, like Okemos, but he noted there have been a lot of discussions about the future of the program.

Williamston Superintendent Adam Spina said he remembers that a late budget deal in 2019 meant larger kindergarten class sizes. This year, the district can draw from its reserves to have appropriate staffing levels.

Still, Spina called the lack of a summer deal “disappointing.”

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