Detroit Free Press Columnist Rochelle Riley laments “Oh, if only the children of Detroit were pieces of art” in a column in which she claims no leaders want to talk about education in Detroit. The column implies that as the city goes through bankruptcy, the school system is not getting the proper amount of attention.
For the Record says: The state of Michigan is devoting about $440 more per-pupil in state funds to Detroit Public Schools in 2013-14 compared to five years ago. In 2013-14, the state poured $378.5 million into DPS, or about $7,802 per student. In 2008-09, that figure was $7,445 per student. DPS enrollment has plummeted from 95,494 students in 2009 to 48,511 students in 2014.
Overall, Detroit Public Schools received $13,825 per student in 2012-13 which includes local, state and federal funding, the most recent year released by the Michigan Department of Education. Meanwhile, Wyandotte Public Schools, just 17 miles away, received $8,242 per student, or $5,583 less per student than Detroit Public Schools.
If DPS is being neglected, it’s not via the checkbook.
Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.
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