Adequacy studies determine the true cost of providing a quality education to all students, regardless of their income, location or other circumstances.

These studies often include geographic cost differences, labor cost differences and analysis of geographic isolation, among other factors.

The School Finance Research Collaborative study was done based on Michigan’s State Standards for student achievement for all students in both charter and traditional public schools.

The original membership of the SFRC was a diverse, broad-based and bipartisan group of business leaders and education experts from all corners of Michigan that formed in 2016.

The group came from a variety of backgrounds, but all of its members agreed that it was time to change the way Michigan’s schools are funded.

Funding for the original 2018 report came from the W.K. Kellogg, Charles Stewart Mott and Skillman foundations, as well as other nonprofits and associations. Additional funding came from 32 ISDs across Michigan.

No. Michigan’s current school funding system is broken, and this work provides the building blocks for a new school finance formula that serves the widely varying needs of all students. It’s not just about how much money is being invested in schools, but, how the state spends it.

This original, 2018 study was conducted by Augenblick, Palaich and Associates and Picus Odden & Associates, the nation’s top two school finance research firms. The 2021 update and the 2022 transportation study were also done by APA.

The research team has over 100 years of combined experience. APA has conducted this type of research in all 50 states.

Michigan lacked a comprehensive school funding study and policymakers needed a clear roadmap to make decisions about school funding in Michigan.

In 2016, Michigan ranked 24th in per-pupil K–12 spending, and ranked 8th-highest in per-pupil spending as recently as 2000.

Since 2000, Michigan’s inflation-adjusted per-pupil spending has fallen by $663 per pupil, while the U.S. average has increased by over $1,400 per student.

This report represents the most comprehensive school adequacy study in Michigan in at least 50 years.

The report creates a new roadmap for best practices, student achievement and preparing all students for the future.

Michigan now joins more than 30 states that have conducted comprehensive adequacy studies over the past 15 years as the first step toward improving student achievement for all students.

All 56 Michigan Intermediate School Districts have passed resolutions of support, contributed financially to the project or both.

There is growing support across Michigan for a new school funding approach that improves student achievement and helps prepare all students for college and careers.

This includes widespread support in the business community, which views a high-quality pre-K-12 education as critical to Michigan’s ongoing economic comeback.

Following the release of the 2022 Transportation Study, the SFRC completed the main components of a comprehensive study of school costs & spending. Additional studies and updates are currently in the planning stages.