South Michigan News

State Representative Nancy Jenkins-Arno has expressed her support for the Michigan House's plans to allocate funds for K-12 and higher education. The proposal aims to enhance educational opportunities across the state with a focus on student success, academic improvement, and financial transparency.

The K-12 budget of $21.9 billion provides $12,000 per pupil for public school students. It includes $314.5 million in grants to reduce class sizes, improve reading outcomes, consolidate facilities, and enhance infrastructure. Schools are required to submit annual reports detailing their use of per-pupil funds. The plan also incentivizes districts to employ at least one school resource officer to strengthen safety measures.

Additional provisions in the budget prevent the use of curriculums promoting race or gender stereotyping and ban funding for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Measures are included to ensure fairness in girls' athletics by restricting biological males from competing in female sports divisions.

“I’m proud to support our school aid budget plan because it makes a direct investment in the future of Michigan students,” said Rep. Jenkins-Arno. “This plan removes the one-size-fits-all funding formula for schools and provides a flexible per-pupil allotment that allows districts to craft budgets to best fit their needs.”

For higher education, a $2.4 billion budget is proposed to support public universities based on enrollment numbers, providing $5,500 per full-time, in-state undergraduate student. A Campus Investment Fund will be established for infrastructure needs with awards linked to enrollment figures.

The higher education proposal also eliminates state funding for DEI programs and caps administrative spending at 10%. It withholds funds from institutions that segregate graduation ceremonies by race or sex and enforces rules requiring legal status verification for students. Additionally, it restricts biological males from participating in women's collegiate sports.

“We want Michigan’s high school graduates to have access to top-tier universities right here at home without financial barriers standing in their way,” Jenkins-Arno stated.