Michigan

Michigan schools to tap into savings, explore loan options amid state budget impasse

Published

4 months ago

September 10, 2025

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.”

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Michigan

Butler WR transfer Braydon Alford commits to Michigan football

Published

6 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Butler WR transfer Braydon Alford commits to Michigan football

Butler wide receiver transfer Braydon Alford, the son of Michigan offensive run game coordinator and running backs coach Tony Alford, has committed to U-M under new head coach Kyle Whittingham, he announced on social media Friday evening.

The 5-foot-8, 175-pound Dublin, Ohio, native didn’t appear in any games in his two seasons at Butler and has three years of eligibility remaining.

From Alford’s bio while at Butler: “Set his school’s single-season receptions record with 90 catches during his senior year… Had 1,487 all-purpose yards that year and scored 10 touchdowns… Named First Team All-Conference, First Team All-District and Third-Team All-State as a senior… Team captain… Had an outstanding game against Hilliard Bradley in Week 5 which included 14 catches for 195 yards and three touchdowns.”
Alford entered the transfer portal earlier this week and quickly became a Michigan commit.
Whittingham took the Michigan job Dec. 26 and quickly built his staff. One of three holdovers on the group of assistant coaches was Tony Alford, who’s entering his third season in Ann Arbor. Whittingham had a previous connection with Tony Alford’s family.
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“Tremendous football coach. I was blessed to have at Utah, his brother, Aaron Alford, before he passed away, worked for us for several years,” Whittingham said at his introductory press conference. “So I know the Alford family. Great family. Tony, I got a ton of respect for him and we’ll see how things work out in that direction.”
Alford was an unranked recruit out of Dublin (Ohio) Jerome.

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Michigan

Applications for spring turkey season in Michigan is open through Feb. 1. What to know

Published

18 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Applications for spring turkey season in Michigan is open through Feb. 1. What to know

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources opened applications through Feb. 1 for Michigan’s spring turkey season.

Officials say there are some changes to the 2026 season, such as the number of turkey management units, which are designated areas open to hunters.

“These regulation changes uphold the goals for the spring turkey hunting season: maximizing hunter opportunity while also maintaining satisfactory hunting experiences across the state,” said Adam Bump, DNR upland game bird specialist.

Here’s what to know about licenses for the upcoming turkey season. For more information on other regulations, visit the DNR’s website.

How much do the applications cost?

Turkey season applications cost $5 each and are available online on the DNR’s website, at any license agent or through the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app.

A map of license agents is available online.

Who is eligible to apply?

Hunters aged 17 and older during the hunting period are eligible to apply for a license as long as they have a hunter education certificate or an apprentice license.

Anyone between the ages of 10 and 16 can purchase a turkey youth license. Anyone age 9 and under can participate through a mentored hunting program to receive a license. Youth turkey licenses are valid for all three management units and season dates.

Where and when can I hunt?

In 2026, the DNR announced that it had reduced the turkey management unit from 14 to three — Upper Peninsula, northern Lower Peninsula and southern Lower Peninsula. The units also determine the type of license hunters can obtain and when they can hunt.

View a map of the turkey management units below:

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

A Hunt 0110 license is for the Upper Peninsula, with an April 18-May 31 hunting season. Hunt 0134 license is valid for the northern Lower Peninsula and is available from April 18 to May 1. The Hunt 0302 license is available for the southern Lower Peninsula from April 18 to May 1. A Hunt 0303 license is also available for the Southern Lower Peninsula (May 2-31).

These licenses have a limited number available.

Other licenses include Hunt 0234, which is for statewide (April 25-May 31), and Hunt 0301, which is for private land (April 18-May 31). Hunt 0234 is valid on private and public lands in the Upper Peninsula and the northern Lower Peninsula, but private only in the southern Lower Peninsula, as well as Fort Custer military lands, with permission.

How can I get a license?

Hunters who apply for a license are entered into a random drawing system. The drawing results are available on March 2.

The Hunt 0234 license (statewide) and Hunt 0301 license (private land) do not require people to enter a drawing. These licenses can be purchased beginning at 10 a.m. on March 16. Hunters can check their drawing results online or on the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app.

“These changes will give hunters longer seasons and bigger units to hunt in,” said Bump.

Anyone who is not selected in the drawing can purchase a leftover license beginning at 10 a.m. on March 9. Anyone who did not enter the drawing can purchase a leftover license on March 16.

How many licenses are available?

There is a 6,000-license quota for Hunt 0110 (Upper Peninsula), an 18,000-license quota for Hunt 0134 (northern Lower Peninsula), a 6,000-license quota for Hunt 0302 (southern Lower Peninsula April season) and an 8,000-license quota for Hunt 0303 (southern Lower Peninsula May season).

Hunt 0234 (statewide) and Hunt 0301 (private land) licenses are unlimited.

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Michigan football signs former No. 1-ranked running back

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Michigan football signs former No. 1-ranked running back

Michigan football moved quickly to help fill its running back room on Thursday, adding the No. 1-ranked rusher in the 2024 recruiting class to the roster.

Taylor Tatum, who spent the last two seasons at Oklahoma, signed with the Wolverines for the 2026 season, The Ann Arbor News/MLive confirmed.

Tatum, listed at 5-foot-10 and 212 pounds, has three seasons of college eligibility remaining.

He appeared in 12 games for the Sooners, most of it during his true-freshman season in 2024. That first season, Tatum rushed for 278 yards and three touchdowns, highlighted by a five-carry, 69-yard game in Oklahoma’s season opener against Temple.

Tatum was hampered by injuries in 2025, appearing in just one game against South Carolina, where he rushed once for negative-1 yard.

A former four-star recruit, Tatum was considered the nation’s No. 1 running back in 2024 out of Longview High School in Texas, where he set the school record for career rushing touchdowns (53). He picked Oklahoma over Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon, USC, among others.

Tatum was also a member of the Oklahoma baseball team, though he didn’t appear in a game in 2025.

The signing comes just a day after Michigan’s leading rusher in 2025, Jordan Marshall, announced his return to the Wolverines. Since the transfer portal opened last Friday, reserve running backs Bryson Kuzdzal and Jasper Parker have entered. Parker has since signed to play at Arkansas next season.

Meanwhile, Michigan awaits a decision from its other star back, Justice Haynes, who’s left the door open to a return to college. A pair of freshmen backs, Savion Hiter and Jonathan Brown, also joined the team this week.

Tony Alford, Michigan’s running backs coach, was one of three assistants retained by new head coach Kyle Whittingham.

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