LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan’s public schools have spent at record levels with the help of federal pandemic money, according to a recent state report.

Spending per pupil increased from $10,901 in 2018-19 to $15,601 in 2023-24. When adjusted for inflation, that’s a 17% increase. That’s according to the Bulletin 101, a report released by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE).

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Federal money to the public schools increased from $478 per pupil in 2018-19 to $1,387 per pupil in 2023-24.

K-12 public schools received $2.2 billion in federal funding in 2023-24, of which $1.3 billion was Title I grant money and money for special education. That federal money helped fund 12,834 staff positions in K-12 schools across the state.

The state’s largest school district is one example of how much more schools were able to spend during the pandemic. The Detroit Public Schools Community District’s general fund expenditures increased from $718 million in 2018-19 to $1.03 billion in 2023-24. It’s federal revenues increased from $130.8 million to $425 million over that five-year span.