Michigan
Michigan schools to tap into savings, explore loan options amid state budget impasse
Lansing — Michigan school administrators say some K-12 districts are exploring the possibility of taking out short-term loans or tapping into limited savings to tide them over in the event of a state government shutdown on Oct. 1.
Those who are not making contingency plans for a shutdown could be forced to close their doors temporarily until the Legislature and governor reach an agreement, superintendents said Wednesday at a press conference in Lansing.
“Every day that passes without a budget, districts are forced into further contingency planning,” said Tina Kerr, executive director of the Michigan Association of Superintendents & Administrators. “Instead of focusing on what we should be right now, which is student success, these superintendents and their entire teams are spending time and resources trying to guess what the funding will look like.”
For one Michigan district with fewer than 1,000 students, officials would pay more than $70,000 in service fees and interest for loans to ensure enough cash flow to continue operations, Kerr said.
“How is it that we’re expected to meet student needs but, at the same time, we don’t know what funds we’re going to have to do this?” Kerr said.
Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, described herself as “frustrated” with the pace of negotiations on Wednesday, 20 days before the Oct. 1 budget deadline. And Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, said it is “unacceptable” that schools find themselves in this position.
“Passing a budget on time is a top priority for Democrats, but I want to be very clear that we will not get backed into a corner and settle for a bad deal for our kids,” Brinks said in a statement Wednesday.
House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.
But Hall noted last month that each of the budgets proposed so far — the governor’s, the Senate’s and the House’s — is increasing education funding overall, so it’s likely a final budget won’t drop below the floor set in those proposed spending plans. Any schools laying off individuals in light of those proposed increases are “probably doing it for performance reasons,” Hall said.
The Republican-led House and the Democratic-led Senate have been unable to reach a budget deal, with roughly three weeks remaining in the fiscal year. If the chambers fail to reach a deal by Oct. 1, most state operations will shut down, including payments to K-12 schools. Schools are expecting a state aid payment on Oct. 20, a payment that may be in jeopardy in the event of a shutdown.
The state budget year begins Oct. 1, but the fiscal year for K-12 public schools began July 1, making the lack of a state funding plan for schools over the past two months a challenge for administrators. In 2019, the Republican-led Legislature passed a law requiring budget passage by July 1, in part to accommodate the school calendar. But the law contained no penalties for lawmakers who failed to meet that deadline.
The Legislature blew through the July 1 deadline and have yet to pass a spending plan, causing some school districts lay off staff, wait to fill positions or plan for larger class sizes.
In addition to Wednesday’s press conference with superintendents, a group of 13 Lansing-area school superintendents sent a letter to parents in their districts this week, urging them to contact lawmakers to reach a “quick agreement” on the budget.
“At the heart of the deadlock is a proposal to redirect dollars from the School Aid Fund – the fund voters were promised would be dedicated to K-12 education – to other priorities, including road repairs,” the superintendents wrote. “Many believe this violates the original intent of the system voters approved in 1994 to provide fair, statewide funding for public schools.”
The House budget passed by the lower chamber this summer moved School Aid Fund dollars to other areas of the budget, including higher education, prompting concerns about further “raids” on a fund that’s supposed to be dedicated to K-12 schools.
Asked if she would commit to not re-directing more School Aid Fund dollars away from K-12 schools, Anthony said she wants to see “adequate backfills” in the form of some new revenue source for the School Aid Fund.
“That’s the goal,” Anthony said.
On what sources of new revenue she would support, Anthony cited a $3 billion road funding plan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer rolled out in February that included increasing taxes on marijuana and businesses, including big tech companies.
“Many of the concepts that the governor put out early this year we are in agreement with,” Anthony said.
Education leaders on Wednesday expressed some concerns about any attempt to “backfill” the School Aid Fund, arguing similar promises to do so in the past have not been kept.
“The School Aid Fund has served as the state’s piggy bank when lawmakers want to spend more money but don’t want to raise the revenue,” said Peter Spadafore, executive director for the Michigan Alliance for Student Opportunity. “We’re in that situation right now. There is not enough money, particularly with the changes from the federal government, to fund a roads plan and keep all of the government open the way that it was this year.”
While the fight over the School Aid Fund and other elements of the budget continues, the delay in passing a budget has already taken a toll on operations at districts across the state, Spadafore said.
Spadafore noted that it takes time for the state to program the line items contained in the budget into the state aid payment program, meaning even if a budget were passed tomorrow, it could take days or weeks to get the payments to schools.
“Wealthier districts can sometimes patch the holes, but for low-income and rural schools, there’s no safety net,” Spadafore said.
Scott Koenigsknecht, superintendent for Clinton County RESA, the countywide intermediate school district, noted that the budget often includes grants, which take time to process and award to schools, creating further delays in funding for the districts.
“We will see a delay in funds even if the budget passes soon,” Koenigsknecht said.
Lori Haven, a superintendent at Perry Public Schools, said the district already has reduced two staff positions, increased class sizes and delayed purchases in light of Lansing’s budget uncertainty. The situation could become “critical” if lawmakers don’t act soon, Haven said.
“If we don’t receive our state aid payment on Oct. 20, Perry Public Schools could soon face a cash flow crisis,” Haven said. “In the coming months, this would force us to take out high-interest loans in order to make our payroll to keep our schools open.”
eleblanc@detroitnews.com
cmauger@detroitnews.com
Michigan
3 dead after vehicle collides with semitruck on Interstate 94 in Wayne County, Michigan State Police say
Three people are dead after a vehicle hit the back of a semitruck on Interstate 94 in Southeast Michigan late Friday, state officials said.
The Michigan State Police responded to the crash on eastbound I-94 near Michigan Avenue in Wayne County around 11:44 p.m. Investigators said the semitruck was stopped in traffic due to flooding when it was struck by the vehicle.
Three passengers in the vehicle that crashed into the semi died at the scene, according to the state law enforcement agency, and the driver was taken into custody.
The ages of the individuals involved in the collision have not yet been disclosed by officials.
As of Saturday afternoon, the investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Michigan
What to know about cyclosporiasis as Michigan health officials investigate 300+ cases in outbreak
Over 300 cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported within a week in Southeast Michigan, and Michigan health officials are investigating.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) are actively investigating the potential source of the “large and growing outbreak” of cases confirmed in Monroe, Lenawee, Washtenaw, Wayne, Shiawassee, Jackson and Livingston counties.
Health officials also reported 24 cases across 11 other Michigan counties, including in the city of Detroit. Typically, Michigan only gets around 50 cases per year.
On July 1, MDHHS reported there were at least 170 cases. On Thursday, the number of cases jumped to at least 300.
Read more –> Michigan health officials warn of ‘large and growing outbreak’ of cyclosporiasis
The age range of individuals who were diagnosed with the illness ranges from 8 years old to 84 years old, with a median age of 41, according to MDHHS.
Health officials are working to determine the common exposure of the outbreak in Michigan.
Here’s what to know about cyclosporiasis:
What is cyclosporiasis?
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by a parasite and infects the small intestine.
Healthcare providers can diagnose the illness by testing a stool sample.
Signs and symptoms
If infected with cyclosporiasis, people may experience watery diarrhea with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements.
The illness can last from a few days to over a month if the illness is not treated. Symptoms could relapse.
The timeframe from becoming infected to becoming sick usually takes about one week but can range from two days to two weeks or more.
In the US, outbreaks of cyclosporiasis have been linked to various types of fresh produce. People can get infected with Cyclospora more than once.
Anyone who experiences symptoms of cyclosporiasis should see their healthcare provider.
How it spreads
The illness can spread when people eat food or drink water that was contaminated with feces.
The CDC said it can take at least one or two weeks outside the body for Cyclospora to become infectious after passing in a bowel movement, making direct person-to-person transmission unlikely.
How to prevent cyclosporiasis
According to the CDC, people can prevent infection by avoiding food or water that may contain feces and by following food safety recommendations for safe preparation and storage.
The CDC recommends washing hands with soap and water before and after handling or preparing raw fruits and vegetables.
Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water before eating, cutting or cooking. Cut away any damaged or bruised areas on fruits and vegetables before preparing and eating.
Read more on prevention here.
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
A shooting altercation between two groups of young people at a shopping mall in Dearborn, Michigan, left two people dead and a third injured over what is typically the most violent weekend of the year in the US, police said.
The shooting occurred as the US began celebrating the Fourth of July, historically a holiday weekend that sees higher rates of gun violence across the country. In 2024, the Gun Violence Archive reported more than 500 shootings over Independence Day weekend.
The shooting at Fairlane Town Center on Friday sent mall patrons scrambling, including a person who was hit by a vehicle outside the mall while attempting to flee, said Issa Shahin, the Dearborn police chief.
People believed to be linked to the fight were being questioned at the police station, but no one was immediately taken into custody, he said.
Shahin said the altercation was not a random act: the two groups knew each other and after they came into contact at the mall a fight started that escalated into gunfire. Members of both groups had handguns, he said.
One of the victims died inside Fairlane Town Center and the other died at a nearby hospital. Details on the third person who was shot were not released.
The mall was evacuated after the shooting and police planned to keep it closed while they investigated.
A video posted to social media appeared to show people running from the shopping center after gunshots could be heard.
Fairlane Town Center has more than 125 stores and restaurants, according to its website.
Dearborn is a suburb of Detroit with a population of more than 100,000 people about nine miles west of Detroit.
Tyhrann Howard, Michigan state police specialist lieutenant, said the agency was assisting with the investigation and referred questions to the Dearborn police.
A person who answered the phone at the telephone number for mall security declined comment.
Associated Press contributed reporting
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