The state's decision not to increase per-student funding this year was a surprise.
So was the 90+% cut in mental health and school safety funding.
Sadly, Michigan's overall education budget is 3.5% smaller than the previous year's $24.3 billion.
And remember, the federal COVID dollars are also expiring this year.
More bad news? We're losing kids - TCAPS is down 75 kids this year (projected) from last year - and 1112 kids since 2017/18. We've had at least six consecutive years (since 2019/20) of declining enrollment.
Some school groups have warned the state's budget could lead to future teacher layoffs (Ann Arbor Public Schools recently laid off 141 staffers to help close a projected $20.4M deficit).
Some good news? The retirement healthcare savings this year will help. And the historic $1B at-risk dollars is a big deal for our kids who are furthest from opportunity.
TCAPS is fortunate, thanks to strong leadership, to have a solid fund balance. We did tap into our savings (~$3M) this year, and our approved 2024/25 budget still came up ~$500K short.
Mission-based budgeting is a solution - allocating dollars based on TCAPS' strategic goals and aligning funds with our core educational objectives, mission, vision, and values.