Press Releases

Today, Congressmen Bill Huizenga (MI-02), John Moolenaar (MI-04), Peter Meijer (MI-03), and Fred Upton (MI-06) sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi and Republican Leader McCarthy asking for lawmakers to not only review but revise the formula in how federal funding is allocated per pupil for school districts. Approximately $128 billion in education funding is included in President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package.

The Republican legislators clearly state in their letter that school districts in underserved communities should continue to be prioritized, but there is a need for more flexibility in the allocation formula so all schools can provide the best education possible for our children in an even safer learning environment.

A signed copy of the Republican letter is available here.

Dear Speaker Pelosi and Republican Leader McCarthy:

It is well documented that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant negative impact on schools across the United States over the past year. Every student, teacher, and classroom has been forced to work through the effects of the pandemic, which has caused a devastating interruption to our children’s learning. Nevertheless, schools, teachers, and students have adapted and worked together to provide educational services amidst these uncertain and difficult times.

Under your leadership, Congress has responded and worked together in a bipartisan manner to provide aid to schools to safely operate and educate through the course of the pandemic. The current Covid relief package being negotiated in Congress would provide significant financial resources to continue to help meet the needs of all students.

However, we write today to highlight a potentially very serious shortcoming in the current proposal for the distribution of education relief funding. Recently, public education leaders in our state have brought attention to the fact that the proposed formula would result in massive disparities between districts across Michigan. This disparity would leave many districts without the necessary relief to provide a safer learning environment for students.

For example, estimates have shown that under the current formula, the new relief package would have some districts in Michigan receiving $20,000 per pupil while others would receive less than $500 per pupil. It is critically important that all underserved and low-income communities across the country have access to resources to address pandemic-related costs.

While districts with the highest number of disadvantaged students must be prioritized, Congress should also seek to develop a formula that offers increased balance in the federal resources provided for all school districts.

As Congress continues to shape the next Covid relief package, we urge you to adjust the distribution formula to ensure that all students and districts that receive federal resources from this relief package can provide the best education possible for our children. Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Following the release of the letter, Congressman Huizenga made the following statement.

“Public school leaders reached out to my office concerned about the formula currently being used to allocate federal funding for students across Michigan,” said Congressman Bill Huizenga. “After examining the wide disparity in per pupil funding under the status quo it’s clear to me that the current formula needs to be adjusted to include more flexibility in the way that taxpayer funds are distributed to school districts.”

West Michigan education leaders rallied in support of the Huizenga-led letter to House leadership

• “West Michigan superintendents support efforts to provide more flexibility at the state level to distribute federal resources,” said Brian Davis, Superintendent of Holland Public Schools. “Doing so will help ensure every district has sufficient resources to meet the needs of staff and students.”

• “We appreciate the leadership of Congressman Huizenga and his colleagues in Michigan to bring attention to this important issue,” said Tom TenBrink, Superintendent of Jenison Public Schools.

• “Over the past year, Congress has worked together in a bi-partisan manner to provide aid to schools across America. Their aim was to make certain all schools had the resources to safely operate during the pandemic. Unfortunately, the resources provided thus far are not sufficient for districts like Hudsonville Public Schools. We are hopeful that future federal allocations provide for greater balance to make sure all kids have a safe learning environment.” - Doug Vanderjagt, Superintendent of Hudsonville Public Schools 

Educational organizations that also support changing the current formula for federal funding include:

• Michigan Education Association,
• Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators,
• Michigan Association of School Boards,
• Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals,
• Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association,
• Michigan School Business Officials, and
• Michigan Association of Administrators of Special Education