Advancing Healthy and Healing Community Schools in Michigan: Costing out to Improve Opportunity

• In Event: Educational Resource Allocation for Recovery, Renewal, and Restoration

Abstract

America’s EC-12 educational finance system remains both unequal and inequitable (Baker et. al., 2024). As scholars seek to understand and develop strategies for this unjust system, they focus on identifying paths toward “adequate” school funding-- or sufficient funding for K-12 public schools to provide all students with opportunities to reach proficiency on standardized tests (Baker et. al., 2016). This technical goal of adequacy is misaligned with the political rhetoric used to describe the purpose of public schools. Mainstream discourse posits that schools are expected to equalize inequality by ensuring that all children graduate with opportunities to flourish in college or careers (Welner, 2021). The gap between what schools are expected to do by the public and funded to do in practice creates a scenario where schools fall short of society’s unrealistic expectations.
Our project seeks to radically re-envision and estimate the cost of what is needed to truly transform public education systems into systems that prepare students to overcome challenges they face inside and outside of schools and thrive economically and socially in college, career, and life. The national study takes a state-by-state approach to costing out an actual dollar range. While previous presentations have explored our community engaged methodology for creating the list of resources (Wiley et. al., 2024) and framing of our overall project (Saldaña et. al., 2024), this paper aims to share the full process in Michigan specifically.
Our research is guided by a central question:
• What would it take and how much would it cost to create a public school system in Michigan in which: students from all backgrounds and circumstances have educational opportunities that prepare them to thrive economically and socially in college, career, and life; and the system has the resources and programs to help students overcome the challenges they face inside and outside of schools?
To answer this question, we examined school funding and spending across Michigan; conducted a literature review, interviews with school finance experts, 6 regional meetings, and a modified statewide Professional Judgement Panel (PJP). Qualitative data analysis led us to generate and justify each recommendation developed. Preliminary findings show that panelists recommend a significant increase in salaries for educators, support for teacher and student mental health, and programs for community engagement.
This research-based approach to costing out a radical restructuring of how we think about school finance for EC-12 education provides policy recommendations, address challenges in schools and society. By changing the school finance discourse, we aim to shrink the opportunity gap and support communities in achieving the Healthy and Healing Community Schools Standard in Michigan.

Authors

• Monica Obregon, University of Colorado - Boulder

• Kevin G. Welner, University of Colorado - Boulder

• Michelle Renée Valladares, University of Colorado - Boulder

• Jonathon E. Sawyer, University of Colorado - Boulder

• Regina R. Umpstead, University of Louisville

• Zainab Azim, Harvard University

• Kathryn E. Wiley, Howard University

• Adam J. York, University of Colorado - Boulder