News Release: Nonpublic Schools See Cuts to Safety Funding Under New State Education Budget

(Lansing, Mich.)—Michigan Catholic Conference is sharing its concerns about reduced and lack of state funding to nonpublic schools and students across the state in the areas of school safety and lunch programs as Governor Whitmer today signed into law the 2024-2025 state education budget.

“We believe state lawmakers could have provided more support to ensure all Michigan students are safe and secure at school and have access to healthy meals, regardless of the schools they attend,” said Tom Hickson, MCC Vice President for Public Policy and Advocacy.

Lawmakers in recent years have identified school security upgrades and ensuring all students have access to free meals at school as public priorities. The new education budget signed into law today, however, falls short of making adequate investment into these areas for all students.

The education budget significantly scaled back school safety funding, as lawmakers slashed funding by 91 percent for both public and nonpublic schools. Nonpublic schools and public schools had previously been allocated $18 million and $300 million, respectively, for school safety grants. But in the upcoming budget, those amounts have been reduced to $1.5 million and $25 million, respectively.

“As advocates for nonpublic schools, MCC is grateful for the more than 7,000 messages parents, teachers, and administrators sent to lawmakers that helped to preserve some of the safety funding, particularly after early drafts of the budget had proposed eliminating all of those funds for nonpublic schools,” said Paul Stankewitz, MCC Policy Advocate. “Though the school safety appropriation was unfortunately reduced, we appreciate that the ratio of funding between nonpublic and public schools was maintained.”

MCC was troubled at the outcome of two additional areas in the education budget:

• A program to feed all students in schools that serve breakfast and lunch, regardless of family income, was not extended to nonpublic schools that would otherwise qualify. This marks the second consecutive year that nonpublic schools have been left out of the ‘universal’ meal program, a decision that overlooks 4,200 students statewide, including those in higher poverty areas like Flint and Saginaw.
• No support was provided for college students who consider nonpublic schools as a career path under two programs intended to increase the number of teachers across Michigan. Individuals who fulfill their student teacher assignment in a nonpublic school would not qualify for state-paid stipends, and college graduates who proceed to teach in nonpublic schools would not qualify for scholarships, even though teacher shortages impact all schools in Michigan.

“MCC looks forward to continued conversations with lawmakers to extend these services to all Michigan students, just as they’ve done in this year’s budget by providing opportunities for dual enrollment and participation in STEM-based robotics competitions to all students, both public and nonpublic,” concluded Stankewitz.

House Bill 5507, which captures the state’s $23 billion education spending plan for the 2024–25 fiscal year, will take effect October 1.

Michigan Catholic Conference is the official public policy voice of the Catholic Church in this state.

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