By Joe DiBenedetto, Managing Director
School leaders across the country are working diligently in preparation for the upcoming school year, despite the continued uncertainty surrounding COVID-19. As you can imagine, developing plans becomes even more challenging when you have no idea if or when you’ll be able to safely re-open school buildings or what funding you can expect from the state and federal governments.
Like all states, Michigan is facing a sharp decrease in tax revenues as a result of the extended shutdown. Projections from the state’s recent Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference (CREC) estimate a $1.25 billion hit to the existing year’s School Aid Fund, money that’s largely already been spent as the academic year soon comes to an end, and $1.1 billion in next year’s budget. It remains to be seen what per pupil funding will look like as a result. Any cuts to school funding will impact services provided to students – be it in the classroom, the lunchroom or on the field.
On this episode of the Purposeful Pitch, we talk to Dr. Dan Applegate, superintendent of Niles Community Schools. It’s an in-depth discussion on the challenges school districts and communities face in preparation for the 2020-21 school year and beyond. We talk about the different scenarios school leaders must consider, how families and teachers have been handling the shift to distance learning, and how this situation could lead to the evolution of the country’s education system.
To continue the conversation or learn more about Lambert’s Education & Social Impact practice, contact Joe DiBenedetto.