#factsmatter, The Citizens Research Council Of Michigan Podcast

There are many tough decisions on the horizon for Michigan school districts. Schools are facing massive sums of federal pandemic relief funds ending at the same time that many they are facing declining enrollment, partially also due to the pandemic. Approximately 50% of K-12 budgets are allocated on staff salaries, with another 20% to 30% allocated for benefits. Added together, salaries and benefits – people -- account for about $4 out of every $5 dollars in school budgets, spread across a variety of programs. Not surprisingly, many, many districts used the additional resources to grow their staffing, leading to what will now be exceedingly tough decisions on staffing levels. Bridge Michigan education speaks with Council Research Director Craig Thiel about his recent papers on this imminent, critical issue and what we can expect from school district budgets for the coming year. They discuss how districts programmed federal (and state) pandemic resources over the last three years as they crafted their budg