MI K–12 Receiving An Average $4,600 Per Student For Covid Relief

Last week on my radio show I spoke about a new report published by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland Michigan. The report reviewed three major federal “Covid-19” stimulus bills and the total financial impact of those three relief packages on Michigan’s K – 12 schools.

What they found will astound you. The amount of money going to these schools that we were told by the politicians who voted to pass the bills are supposed to go to ONLY Covid related issues was massive. The average amount of Covid-19 dollars per student in Michigan is $4,600.

According to the report, the three federal bills/relief Michigan’s K-12 public schools are receiving total an additional $5.75 billion in extra taxpayer funds. We also found out that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention determined that schools would only need on average $442 per student to help financially support mitigation strategies for the COVID-19 virus.

The big question and when I say big I really mean big is the difference between the $442 per student needed and what many of these school districts have gotten and/or will be getting.

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy wrote the following in an article announcing their new study:

“Taking into account all sources of extra COVID relief funds, the three districts that received the most extra dollars were Flint, with an additional $51,193 per pupil, Benton Harbor with $29,502 per pupil and Detroit with $26,695 per pupil. The bottom four districts are all below $500 per pupil. Federal relief funds were largely distributed based on the socioeconomic status of students, resulting in districts serving low-income students receiving by far the most amount of funding. Other formula factors created further disparities among some schools with similar demographics.”

Ask yourself if these funds were only supposed to pay for Covid-19 mitigation then why would one school need $51,000 per student and another need less than $500 per student?

For example, why would Benton Harbor need $29,502 per student, and right across the river St. Joseph needs only $894? Are the wages and materials that more expensive in Benton Harbor? Someone should tell them to buy the materials and hire workers less than a mile away across the river.

What will Benton Harbor do with the additional $28,608 per student?

I asked a member of Michigan’s House Appropriations Committee State Representative Andrew Fink about that on my show last Friday. Click on the following link to hear what he had to say about what these funds could be spent on:

Renk’s Interview with State Representative Andrew Fink

To find out how much “Covid-19 Relief” taxpayer dollars your school district will be receiving including per student click on the following link:

Mackinac Center for Public Policy COVID Relief 75-25 Full Data BD

Many school districts are asking for either new millages to improve their schools (i.e. Battle Creek) or extensions of current millages, which will allow them to keep the same tax rate but increase the amount of taxes they can collect for decades (i.e. Lakeview School District.

I would suggest you apply the following logic to your school district in the case where they are asking you for more of your tax dollars.

I will use Battle Creek School District as an example since they are in one of my station's listening areas and are due to receive a total of $49,066,355.78 or $13,204.08 per student.

Battle Creek School District is asking for a $44.8 million bond measure which will be on the ballot Tuesday, May 4.

If the CDC states that the average amount of tax dollars needed to support the Covid-19 mitigation strategies is $442 per student what would Battle Creek Public Schools do with what is remaining from the approximately $13,204 per student they have and will receive? That is $12,762 per student more than is recommended by the CDC is needed.

Since the $442 recommended by the CDC is an average let us double that amount to $884 per student for the 3,716 students, they say go to Battle Creek Public Schools.

If we multiply 3,716 students (49,066,355.78 divided by $13,204.08) times $884 dollars we get a total of $3,284,944 dollars needed to pay for the mitigation of the Covid-19 virus.

Now we take the approximately $49,066,356 they will be receiving and subtract that $3,284,944 needed for Covid mitigation we end up with an additional $45,781,412 not needed.

Perhaps they can apply those funds to the $44.8 million in a bond issue they are asking for and not raise taxes on their residents.

Unless they are not able to use those funds for upgrading their schools why would my theory not work? If they are not able to use those funds to upgrade their schools will they be giving the extra $45,781,412 back to the federal government?

Now apply my formula to your school district and find out if they are receiving what appears to be extraordinary funding.

The Live with Renk show airs Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon, to let me know your thoughts call (269) 441-9595