Education Budget Approved By House Committee

A Michigan House committee has approved a nearly $16 billion education budget – sending the bill to the full House for a vote.

The bill – approved on a 17-12 vote – would spend more per student than the governor wanted but does so in a roundabout way. Instead of allocating money to specific programs, it lumps those dollars into one pool that goes to districts who can then decide how they want to spend it. 

The House Appropriations Committee also stripped out $5 million out for private schools, which would have funded the reporting of things like fire drills and attendance reports.

A Michigan Senate committee approved its own education budget earlier this week.