Michigan districts brace for cuts, as number of needy students falls

Michigan districts brace for cuts, as number of needy students falls

The number of students considered ‘economically disadvantaged’ students in Michigan fell 7.5% this year. That means millions less for schools, even if the finances of the students’ families haven’t necessarily changed.

Major Drop in Economically Disadvantaged Student Counts Present Several Schools with “At-Risk” Funding Cliff Next Year - Citizens Research Council of Michigan

In a Nutshell Collectively, Michigan school districts experienced a massive 7.5 percent decline in the number of economically disadvantaged students counted across all public K-12 schools this year; a decline that is attributed to two factors, 1) changes to pandemic-era federal Medicaid eligibility rules in 2024, and Michigan’s adoption of a universal free school meals policy in 2023. Because schools receive state at-risk funding based on the n…