Mr. Michael D. Van Beek

While Michigan's school funding "crisis" rages on, the Alabama Board of Education just came up with a plan to balance the state's education budget in one day.

Funding cuts for Michigan's wealthier school districts isn't as bad as some make it sound.

Since Proposal A of 1994, inflation-adjusted total revenue for public schools grew by 33 percent. What have we got for this investment? The chart below provides some answers.

With much talk about school budgets and per-pupil costs of public education in Michigan, there's bound to be plenty of questions and assumptions made about our school funding system. Here's a breakdown of two common myths about one of the most misunderstood concepts — the foundation allowance.

Assuming an average class size of 25 students, the $292 per-pupil cut currently debated in the Legislature means that each classroom in the state will have to make do with $7,300 less funding. It’s easy to picture classrooms without enough textbooks, pencils or chalk. The reality, though, is that comparatively schools spend very little on classroom supplies such as these.

A new report by the National Center for Education Statistics contains some bad news for Michigan schools. When compared to proficiency standards on national tests, Michigan's self-proclaimed "proficient" students score near the bottom in the country.