Michigan School Finance at the Crossroads

David Arsen, Tanner Delpier, and Jesse Nagel

Michigan School Finance at the Crossroads: A Quarter Century of State Control

Overview:

Twenty-five years ago, the passage of Proposal A shifted control of funding for Michigan’s public schools from local districts to the state. This report provides an accessible primer on how Michigan schools are funded. It then analyzes trends in funding over the last quarter century, compares Michigan’s policies to those of other states, identifies a series of key school finance problems, and advances a comprehensive set of policy recommendations.