Again, Michigan is the Loser: The Impact of Federal Funding Or: Spend Fed Money, Lower the Educational Outcomes

“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” Thomas Jefferson

Education has played a significant role in America’s prosperity and development, and it is education that leads individuals to become good citizens, live productive lives, and become agents of national economic growth and well-being. However, the education system in the US faces several complex challenges that result in students who are unable to compete. Most people in Michigan believe education is the subject of local or State administration. Yet, the Federal government dramatically influences the education system in Michigan (and of the entire United States).

The Federal government has become increasingly centralized and coercive in expanding its influence over states using federal grants, funding streams, and mandates. Washington has specific political interests in State education, and only allocates funds to school districts that follow specific Federal guidelines.

Federal government grants include Title I Grants to Low-Income Families, Local Educational Agencies, Special Education Grants to States, State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Programs, Federal Impact Aid Programs, State and Local Education Agencies Programs, Investing in Innovation Programs, and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program. Washington spends billions of dollars yearly through these program funds (each of these programs influences local education in Michigan).

Even though the Federal government has spent approximately $80 billion from 2010-2022 under Title I grants, the programs have failed due in part to functional defects. The following statistics show the funding from the Federal government in Michigan.
 
Similarly, Federal Impact Aid Program is the Federal government’s initiative to support school districts with a high concentration of federally connected students. Special Education Grants to States is the program to direct state policies regarding the education of children with special needs from ages 3 to 21. The following table elaborates on federal spending in these programs.
 
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Race to the Top Grants, Investing in Innovation Program, State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Program, and several other lists attract billions of dollars of federal money into the State education system. But the people of Michigan have a cost to pay for these funding streams because with Federal money comes Federal policies serving Federal interests.

Federal Funding in education impacts us in several ways. The Federal government often imposes requirements and standards on Michigan to make funding available, limiting the state’s autonomy and flexibility to design and implement its education policies. Federal funding is unpredictable, which makes it difficult for states to devise their education budget and programs. Almost assuredly, Federal funding does not reflect local needs and priorities and always focuses on general national issues rather than Michigan’s specific problems.

The Federal government also influences the curriculum by using grants as a weapon to make states comply with Federal guidelines. That is why students in Michigan have been taught ideas like, their race was their destiny, that their sexual identity is a personal choice, that the police were out to get them, that socialism is compassionate, communism is not so bad, and capitalism is cruel. Critical Race Theory (“CRT”) has been taught in Michigan’s schools to indoctrinate students with ideas to question the very foundation of this great country. Ideas that preach that our founding fathers were oppressors, and that this country was created for slavery have been injected into young minds.

That is why education under Federal watch has deteriorated over time, and students are unable to read English and solve fundamental mathematic problems. According to The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) rankings in 2022, Michigan’s fourth-grade reading scored at 43rd in the nation, and eighth graders at 31st, a significant drop from the state’s 32nd and 28th ranking respectively in 2019. In Michigan, there is a four-point decline in fourth-grade math and an eight-point decline in eighth-grade math scores, according to National Report Card Statistics 2022.



We have witnessed the education system failing in front of us during the Covid-19 pandemic. The closure of schools and the flawed online learning system have demonstrated a poor education system both in content and outcome. According to a survey, 55% did not have the resources to engage in an online learning system, and 65% of teachers said students were less likely to participate during distance learning because they did not have what they needed. According to the State of Michigan Education Report, 91% of parents of color and 85% of white parents believed their children were falling behind academically during the pandemic.

Despite all the funding, the federal government has been failing to help children in our society to get quality or even primary education. However, according to the Michigan Department of Education, the percentage of Michigan public school students eligible for free and reduced-price lunches (an indicator of poverty) increased from 45.2 percent in 2010 to 53.3 percent in 2020. Additionally, the Michigan Department of Education reports that the percentage of Michigan public school students who are chronically absent (defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days) increased from 13.4 percent in 2010 to 19.4 percent in 2020. These trends suggest that the number of low-income students not receiving an education in Michigan has grown. According to a report in 2018, there were 36,000 children in Michigan’s elementary, middle, and high schools who face homelessness, and most of them cannot finish high school.

 

Congress has a central role in determining the nature and scope of Federal funding. We do not need the federal government in any role in our educational system in Michigan. The US government grants are not helpful. Michigan education is a local issue. Michigan needs to improve its education systems and outcomes. Our educational outcome ratings are embarrassing.

Please join us in calling for a Convention of States under Article V of the Constitution to change the balance of power between Washington and the people of Michigan.