Report: Michigan Schools Spent Almost Half of COVID Funds on Employees

Teachers and Students

A new report found Michigan school districts spent their COVID-19 funds similarly to their general budget, with nearly half spent on employee compensation and benefits.

A Mackinac Center for Public Policy report shows how school districts have spent $2.5 billion of the $6 billion in federal pandemic aid between the 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years.

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Michigan Schools to Get 45 Electric Vehicle School Buses

School Bus

School districts in Detroit, Lansing and Pontiac will each receive $5.9 million in federal funding to buy 15 clean-powered school buses apiece.

The funding flows from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Clean School Bus Program grants.

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Report: Michigan Needs $4.5 Billion Annually for Education

A new report from the Education Law Center and the Michigan Education Association says Michigan needs $4.5 billion annually so students can achieve state academic standards.

School funding adequacy refers to the funding necessary to provide students with reasonable opportunities to achieve state standards.

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Data: 303 Michigan Schools Haven’t Touched ESSER III COVID Funds

More than 300 Michigan school districts haven’t touched their final tranche of federal COVID money, according to lagging spending data from the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University.

The data, updated on Oct. 28, 2022, tracks Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief III spending. It shows that billions of dollars haven’t been spent from more than $5 billion of federal monies given for pandemic learning-loss recovery.

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Michigan Schools’ COVID Recovery Includes Support Dogs and Massage Chairs

Michigan schools are spending $6 billion of federal COVID relief to recover from pandemic learning loss with solutions ranging from summer school to support dogs to even a new amphitheater.

Spending records obtained by more than 90 records requests show schools deploying a range of recovery mechanisms, including smaller class sizes, more tutoring, facility improvements and new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.

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