Michigan Creates Funding Dilemma for Pre-K

Michigan's long-delayed fiscal year 2010 budget cut funding for the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP). Although the portion that's formula-funded remained the same as FY 2009 at $88.1 million, the portion that is competitively funded was reduced from $15 million to $7.5 million. That's a big hit, especially considering those funds had gone to Head Start and other providers serving children most at risk of school failure.

Then the legislature created more uncertainty by enabling districts to opt out of providing formula-funded GSRP altogether and apply the pre-K funds to shortfalls in K-12 education. That will be a temptation for many districts since they received a $292 per-pupil reduction in K-12 funding. The decision by Michigan's leaders to include this provision was intended to provide districts flexibility in difficult circumstances. However, in early education circles it looks more like a "stealth incentive" to chip away at preschool education.

Lindy Buch, director of Michigan's Office of Early Childhood Education and Family Services, says that getting a handle on the number of districts intending to apply for flexibility is proving difficult because of the time needed and cost of re-programming the state's electronic grants system to include this information.