Schools across the country are struggling to meet student needs.   But overall, Michigan schools could be the worst off of all, according to analysts reached by Gongwer News Service.

Michigan's ongoing economic problems have dragged schools in the state down, and the reliance on the state as a funding source has given them little opportunity to catch back up, school officials said.

"I don't know that in the aggregate there's any place worse off than Michigan," said Bruce Hunter with the American Association of School Administrators.   "In some ways it's a function of the way Michigan finances schools; in some ways it's the fact that Michigan has a pretty tough economy right now."

Dave Martel with the Michigan School Business Officials said Michigan's ranking near the bottom on school funding stability would not be a surprise.  

"Michigan back in 2001 hit the recession like everyone else but we never recovered," he said. "The property tax and the state sales tax have not really kept up with inflation for schools. We've been in reduction mode for last seven years.

Information provided by the National Conference of State Legislatures showed more than a dozen states had cut education funding for either the 2008-09 or 2009-10 fiscal year, or both. Several of those, however, made up those cuts with federal stimulus funds.

Hunter contends that Michigan would be among the bottom three with California and Oregon in terms to the financial struggle schools are facing right now. And the common thread is all three states rely on state revenues to fund schools.

And he said Michigan has more of a struggle because of the duration of the economic decline.  

"California numbers are bigger, but I think Michigan has more trouble," he said.

Mr. Martel argued there is growing support in Michigan for allowing local districts to raise revenue.  

"District by district you'd see a lot of districts willing to pay a little bit more in order to maintain funding for the classrooms," he said

Source: Gongwer Michigan Report, 7.30.09