Appropriations Summary |
Actual [1] |
Recommended |
Savings |
Interdepartmental Grants/Transfer |
$1,000,000 |
$1,000,000 |
$0 |
Federal Funds |
$165,731,500 |
$176,430,300 |
$(10,698,800) |
General Fund/General Purpose |
$27,886,600 |
$16,736,600 |
$11,150,000 |
Special Revenue Funds |
$19,774,900 |
$28,777,200 |
$(9,002,300) |
Gross Appropriation |
$214,393,000 |
$222,944,100 |
$(-8,551,100)[2] |
The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is the administrative arm of the Michigan State Board of Education. The board appoints the state’s superintendent and implements federal and state mandates in education. The most effective way to improve Michigan’s K-12 system would be to allow full educational choice so that parents could choose the best and safest public, private or home schools. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy has devised several school choice policy proposals in Michigan, including universal tuition tax credits. In the short term, the MDE should move to eliminate the following programs that are unnecessary to the basic education of Michigan’s children.