There are many tough decisions on the horizon for Michigan school districts. Schools are facing massive sums of federal pandemic relief funds ending at the same time that many they are facing declining enrollment, partially also due to the pandemic. Approximately 50% of K-12 budgets are allocated on staff salaries, with another 20% to 30% allocated for benefits. Added together, salaries and benefits – people -- account for about $4 out of every $5 dollars in school budgets, spread across a variety of programs. Not surprisingly, many, many districts used the additional resources to grow their s ..read more

Annalise Frank of Axios Detroit chats with Citizens Research Council President Eric Lupher about the recent announcement by District Detroit developers that construction on their 17-story office building would be delayed. The codevelopers, New York-based The Related Cos. and the Ilitch organization's Olympia Development of Michigan, are instead changing the order of their 10 proposed District Detroit projects, moving up one of the planned new hotels as well as one of the residential buildings. Lupher has noted that, given the Ilitches' reputation for overpromising and underdelivering, some pub ..read more

Gongwer News Service reporter Lily Guiney sat down with Research Council health analyst Karley Abramson to discuss Michigan’s shortage of primary care providers (PCP) and how expanding the scope of practice for nurse practitioners would help address the shortage, which is projected to get worse in the coming years. On March 20, medical professionals from around the state gathered in a Senate committee room to testify on both sides of legislation that would expand the scope of Nurse Practitioner services, allowing greater independence for NPs to treat patients and address healthcare needs. Mich ..read more

Michigan can and should encourage healthier, more livable communities, sustainable development, desirable affordable housing, and public transit by getting rid of parking mandates. Governor Whitmer’s Growing Michigan Together Council established a need to 'create thriving, resilient communities' as part of a strategy to grow Michigan’s population and improve our economic prospects. Municipal parking mandates stand directly in the way of this goal ..read more

Detroit Free Press reporter Arpan Lobo guest hosts the Facts Matter podcast, produced by the Citizens Research Council. Arpan, who recently wrote about Consumers Energy getting the OK to bury power lines in 6 Michigan counties, interviews Citizens Research Council analyst Eric Dennis, who issued a report this time last year about the benefits of undergrounding electrical lines but, that without a coherent state policy to enable it, it will not happen. It’s rarely considered due to cost considerations that assume the utility will bear the full cost. However, as Dennis argues, the cost can be mi ..read more

Over the 2020 to 2050 period, Michigan’s school-age population is expected to fall from 1.58 million to 1.48 million children. This will fuel a continuation of a two-decades-long decline in the number of students enrolled in public schools. As individual schools confront further enrollment declines and the exhaustion of one-time federal COVID relief aid at the end of 2024, many will face the prospect of whether to close buildings with lower enrollments to ensure their long-term fiscal stability ..read more

Michigan lawmakers recently approved $114 million from the state School Aid Fund to pay off the legacy debts of several local school systems that previously faced serious financial distress. Some districts received the relief, others did not. This represents a moral hazard, signaling to some districts that they will not be held responsible for solving any future financial problems. Taxpayers should demand a cohesive, transparent strategy for determining who receives debt relief. Because the current situation is unfair to both students and taxpayers in districts that receive no relief ..read more

Michigan is likely to continue to be rated as one of the worst states for government ethics, transparency, and accountability. Proposal 1, a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2022, required the ethics reform (financial disclosure) legislation to be enacted by December 31. While the new law meets the bare minimum standards set by Proposal 1, Michigan is likely to continue to be rated as one of the worst states for government ethics, transparency, and accountability. Because of several major loopholes in reporting for elected officials and candidates for office were left unaddressed ..read more

Maureen McNulty-Saxton talks to Citizens Research Council Research Associate for Local Affairs Chelsea Dowler https://crcmich.org/four-elements-of-better-housing-policy In a Nutshell - Many housing affordability and equity issues are rooted in car reliance, disinvestment in the urban core, and reliance on underfunded and inefficient federal housing programs. - A housing production program must tackle root causes to adequately address housing affordability and equity over the long term. - The state government should provide rent assistance to low-income households and prioritize repairing vacan ..read more

Guest Host Estelle Slootmaker, who recently reported on this issue for SecondWave Media Michigan, interviews Research Council Analyst Karley Abramson. In a nutshell: - Health care to prisoners is a costly endeavor, yet the Michigan Department of Corrections does not adequately assess whether it meets its legal obligations to prisoners in the most cost-effective way. - Three important questions are currently unknowable: Are Michigan prisoners being taken care of up to the constitutional standards that the state is supposed to meet? Is the care being provided efficiently? And is it the best use ..read more