Last week, a $20 million taxpayer-funded study by the Schools Finance Research Foundation claimed Michigan schools need $22.8 billion in repairs and identified 26 school buildings that need to be completely replaced, citing needs to upgrade HVAC systems (stop me if you heard that one before), electrical issues, roofing, and repairs to athletic facilities.
Why, when enrollment at our public schools is consistently declining, would we invest in more school facilities? And what happened to the nearly $6 billion that schools got in Covid relief funding?
According to emails obtained from the Michigan Department of Education via Freedom of Information Act request, schools were encouraged to use funding for existing needs.
In an email forwarded to Superintendent Michael Rice in August 2020, MEA lobbyists stated, “Please reinforce that any number they provide should reflect the COVID cost in addition to the revenue shortfall.”
School Districts were encouraged from the beginning to use the funds for “revenue shortfall,” but some of the ways Michigan public schools spent their Covid relief funds include:
- River Rouge School District using $10,000 for a “nutrition room” to make smoothies and $120,000 for a food truck for their culinary program.
- L’Anse Area Schools spent nearly $93,000 on installing new outdoor tennis courts, which were to be used for pickleball and other racket-related sports.
- Alcona Community Schools spent $200,000 to replace playground equipment.
The Michigan Department of Education created a Covid spending dashboard that incudes a breakdown of how each district spent its relief funding.
Statewide, most of the money went to teacher salary and benefits, followed by “purchased services,” which includes the extensive virtual education and technology features installed during the pandemic.
Less than 8% of relief funding went to facilities upgrades in Michigan.
Teacher salaries and bonuses made up the largest expenditure in Covid relief funds.
In February 2022, the Center Square reported that Flint Community Schools gave $22,500 in Covid bonuses before shifting “indefinitely” to remote learning. In November 2021, Ann Arbor Public School teachers received $4.9 million in “retention” bonuses, citing the return to in-person classrooms.
Public school enrollment has declined every year since the pandemic and is down 5.4% statewide since the 2019 school year.
Wouldn’t it make sense to focus on consolidating classrooms and selling buildings rather than pouring more money into them?
Anna Hoffman is a hockey mom of three living in Ann Arbor. Follow her on X @shoesonplease.
