LANSING, Mich. – Peter Spadafore, executive director of the Michigan Alliance for Student Opportunity (The Alliance), issued the following statement after the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on PreK-12 advanced its FY 2027 education budget today:
“Today’s action by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on PreK-12 is a good step forward for Michigan’s students. The Senate budget reflects a serious, thoughtful commitment to equitable education funding, and that deserves recognition.
“Most notably, the Senate budget includes a 25% increase in the weighted foundation allowance. That is a meaningful, evidence-based investment that will direct real resources to the students who need them most, including students in poverty, students with disabilities, English language learners, and others whose education requires greater support. This is how a state builds an equitable and successful system.
“The House budget stands in stark opposition to one of the broadest coalitions Michigan education has seen in years. Management, labor, classroom educators, and the business community have spoken with one voice in support of weighted student funding, yet the House chose to strip those weights entirely, disregarding a mounting body of evidence on student success. For a proposal with this level of unified, cross-sector support to be dismissed without explanation is not just a missed opportunity – it is a failure to deliver for Michigan’s most vulnerable learners.
“With both chambers now having proposed their budgets, there is no reason this work cannot be completed ahead of the July 1 deadline. Educators, school leaders, families, and communities need certainty. Dragging this out would be a choice — and the wrong one.
“We urge the House to take a hard look at the Senate’s approach. Students across Michigan are counting on lawmakers to get this right. Weighted funding is not a partisan position; it is smart, responsible policy with support from virtually every corner of the education and business community. The Senate heard that. The House should, too.”
