School Finance Research Collaborative
School Finance Research Collaborative
The School Finance Research Collaborative brought together top industry experts to reexamine our approach to how we fund Michigan’s schools to fully prepare all students for jobs and success.
Here’s what they found:
VIDEO: The Cost of Educating a Student
Background
On June 30, 2016, the Kellogg Foundation awarded a $100,000 grant to the Oakland Schools Education Foundation to support the School Finance Research Project. The grant also supported the formation of a Collaborative for the purpose of ensuring that the needs of at-risk and vulnerable students are prioritized and elevated equitably in new revenue/funding formulas for public education. The Collaborative seeks to achieve this by providing analysis of the 2016 State-commissioned adequacy study for K-12 education in Michigan, and by determining which steps should be taken to provide the most valid and reliable information on the cost for all students to reach state standards for student achievement.
Progress
All grant objectives were met completely including the formation of a 19-member statewide Collaborative, and the preparation and issuance of an RFP for a new adequacy study. The study, “Determining the Cost for Funding Educational Achievement for all Michigan Students (PK-12)” uses multiple methodologies, analysis of the state funded adequacy study of 2016 (gap analysis) and implementation of a comprehensive communication plan to educate stakeholders across the state. Phase one of the Project was completed in March, and phase two, a new adequacy study using multiple methodologies began immediately. The study results will be reported out statewide in January of 2018.
Non-Partisan, Statewide Collaborative
The initial Kellogg Foundation grant required that a broad based, non-partisan, statewide Collaborative be formed to aid in the communication process. The Collaborative has been formed and currently consists of 19 members representing the private sector, K-12 educators and higher education, and also includes former legislators from across the state. A 15-member Project Steering and Technical Committee, and a nine-member Advisory Committee have also been formed to support and guide Project activities.
More Information
For more information, please visit the School Finance Research Collaborative's website.