School funding in Michigan is inadequate and inequitable. Michigan does not provide a sufficient base per-pupil amount, nor does the state properly address the cost of educating students with additional needs, especially students with disabilities, English learners, and low-income students. It would cost $4.5 billion to bring districts to funding…

In the United States, the right to education resides in the states. Every state constitution affirmatively requires state legislatures to maintain and support a system of elementary and secondary schools open to all resident children. Although the language of these constitutional provisions varies, in all cases they mandate states, through their…

New research finds that increased spending on public education improves student achievement, thereby debunking the notion that "money doesn't matter" and making the case for greater investment in preschool-12 public education. How money is spent matters, but funding must also be adequate, equitable, and stable from year to year so that…

New Jersey's School Funding Reform Act (SFRA) is a "weighted" funding formula, designed to deliver adequate funding based on the unique student needs in every school district across the state. The SFRA included key elements to address long-standing racial and socio-economic disparities in New Jersey's public school system, most notably…

A recent analysis by the Wisconsin Policy Forum highlighted the State Legislature's failure to adequately fund the cost of programs and services for students with disabilities. Wisconsin currently reimburses school districts for less than a third of special education costs. Because special education programs and services are mandated by the…

Over the past four years, Florida has seen tremendous growth in the amount of public funds being spent on private education. This report finds that in 2022-23, an estimated $1.3 billion in funding will be redirected from public school districts to private education, representing 10% of state K-12 education funds allocated through the Florida…

The Illinois Evidence-Based Funding for Student Success Act (EBF), a comprehensive overhaul of the state's school funding formula, was signed into law in August 2017. The Act requires an overall increase of more than $7 billion in state education aid and sets 2027 as the deadline to reach full funding of the EBF formula. The Act also sets $350…

"Transition" is a broad term, referring to the period of time during which a student with disabilities prepares to complete high school and to the process of preparation, including long-range planning, activities, and services aimed at helping the student move successfully from school into the adult world. The legal requirement that…

Compensatory education, also known as compensatory services, is a judicially created remedy which entitles a student to receive additional special education and related services, accommodations, and modifications when their rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) have been violated. This report contains answers to…

"Making the Grade 2021" analyzes the condition of public school funding in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Using the most recently available data from the 2018-19 school year, the report ranks and grades each state on three measures to answer the key question: How fair is school funding in your state? The three fairness…

"Making the Grade" provides an annual overview of the condition of school finance in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The data in this edition gives a picture of states' investment in their public school systems in the 2019-20 school year, the historic moment when public education, and society at large, experienced the massive…

The Foundation Aid Formula is designed to deliver more funding to New York districts with higher enrollments of low-income students who require additional resources to support their education. These higher need districts struggle to raise sufficient local dollars and rely more heavily on state aid to support their schools. As a result, the…

Students have the right to be screened and identified for English Learner (EL) status during remote learning. Even if schools are operating by remote instruction, students, between the ages of 3 and 20, have the right to be screened and to be identified as an EL within 30 days of enrollment. This short fact sheet describes some of the basic rights…

In March 2021, the Legislature enacted HB 4048, which amended the State School Aid Act to appropriate supplemental funding for public education, including approximately $1.5 billion in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER II) funds awarded to the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) by Congress under the Federal Coronavirus…

S3434 was signed by Governor Murphy on June 16, 2021. It allows students who turned 21 during the 2020-2021 to continue to receive special education, related services, and transition services through at least the 2021-2022 school year. These services must be provided to those students during the 2021-2022 school year when the Individualized…