State School Aid Budget Update September 12 2025

September 12, 2025

Dear Families and Staff of Holly Area Schools,

Unfortunately, Michigan’s legislature still has not finalized the School Aid Fund budget.  They have broken the law that requires a budget to be sent to the Governor by July 1st and continue to keep our students, parents, staff, and schools in a state of uncertainty.  Michigan now faces the threat of a government shutdown on October 1st. 

Our students, families, and staff deserve better from our elected officials, but instead are faced with this uncertainty and disruption.  Our students should not be political pawns in the budget and roads discussion. School Aid dollars should be for our classrooms, not put at risk to balance the General Fund or fix our roads.  

Another concern is the increased demand by public universities to take a greater proportion of funds from the School Aid Fund.  It has been widely understood that when Michigan voters approved Proposal A in 1994 that the School Aid Fund (SAF) was designated for K-12 public education, with the goal of increasing equity and per-pupil funding levels for schools, rather than for higher education institutions which receive a substantial stream of revenue from tuition, mandatory fees, research grants, federal agencies, corporate funding, major donors, endowments, etc.  

Lansing must act now and pass a responsible School Aid Budget that protects public K-12 education dollars, supports our schools and ensures our staff has the resources needed to support our students.

According to a survey from the Michigan School Business Officials, one in ten school districts in Michigan have already made staffing cuts this academic year due to budget uncertainty.  Among the uncertainties is the dedicated funds from the State over the past two years to support free breakfasts and lunches for all students.  This program increased Holly student participation in breakfast meals by nearly 30% and lunches by almost 33%.  

We are exhausting all efforts to keep our district fully staffed and providing the necessary support for our students and families.  Even with a deadline of October 1st, Holly Area Schools will continue to cover this cost and extend free breakfast and lunch by another month through the end of October for our students and families.  

We want to give our families additional time to prepare as we continue to strongly advocate to our legislature to appropriately pass a supportive School Aid Fund budget.  Additionally, we need our families to complete the Educational Benefits form.  If have not already completed the Educational Benefits form, please visit our district website at https://www.hask12.org/departments/food-services/ for more information. 

Completing an application helps to ensure additional funding for our school is available to meet the needs of our students. All information on the application is confidential. Without your assistance in completing and returning the application, Holly Area Schools cannot maximize the use of available State and Federal funds.

At Holly Area Schools, we are committed to preparing our students to grow, achieve, and lead so that they can meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.  Please continue to advocate for our students and send a clear message to Lansing:  Legislators and Governor Whitmer must act now to pass and sign a responsible School Aid budget that protects our students, families, educators, and classrooms. 

Use these links and enter your street address, city, and ZIP to find your state senator, state representative, the Governor. 

Michigan Legislature — “Find your Senator / Find your Representative”
www2.senate.michigan.gov+2Michigan Legislature+2
https://house.mi.gov/
https://somgovweb.state.mi.us/GovRelations/ContactGovernor.aspx

Sincerely,

Scott M. Roper 

State School Aid Budget Update September 12 2025