Yesterday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed a budget line item that would have reduced the funding gap that treats students in public charter schools differently than their counterparts in other Michigan schools.
“The 150,000 students and 10,000 teachers in Michigan’s public charter schools should not be penalized,” said Dr. Rob Kimball, chairperson of the Michigan Council of Charter School Authorizers. “This unfair treatment needlessly penalizes the most innovative teachers and highest achieving public schools in the state, many serving our state’s students who have the most to gain from these funds. It’s long past time the state’s budget addressed the needs of students across Michigan, no matter the school.”
“A Michigan student is a Michigan student—no matter where they live or what school they choose to attend. The existence of any funding disparity at all reflects the kind of unequal treatment our laws should seek to prevent.”
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Members of the Michigan Authorizers seek to advance public school choice and accountability by supporting high-quality oversight and serving as a unified voice for authorizers across Michigan.