Education Finance

Education is a public good. In Michigan, we come together to support our young people from cradle to career. At EPIC, we believe that our leaders should know how these investments are working and what changes are needed to achieve the outcomes our students deserve.

Concerns over K-12 funding are well-founded. Education is the second largest area of the state budget and K-12 resources are strongly linked with student outcomes. Michigan systems of education finance are complex, but present opportunities to serve students and educators to help them thrive.

In the Conversation

EPIC Answers the Most Pressing Education Finance Questions

Education Finance, In the Conversation

These FAQs provide a basic introduction to how weighted student funding works, how it differs from Michigan’s current approach, and how other states use it.

Michigan’s school funding system is overdue for a smart update

Education Finance, In the Conversation, Media

Since Proposal A passed in 1994, classrooms — and the students in them — have changed dramatically. Yet the system directing billions of taxpayer dollars each year has not kept pace with those changes.

Latest Research

Funding Michigan’s Future: Three Decades of School Finance and the Policy Questions Ahead

This report takes stock of three decades of Michigan school finance to clarify how revenues and expenditures have changed — and what that means for students.

Teacher Compensation: Recent Trends and Public Opinion, 2025 Update

Teacher salaries in Michigan have risen slightly in recent years but continue to lag behind those in other states. This report aims to help stakeholders determine whether to maintain the current approach or take more intentional steps to improve teacher compensation.

Teacher Compensation in Michigan: Recent Trends and Public Opinion

This report provides an overview of recent trends in teacher compensation and the current state of teacher compensation in Michigan.

Key Findings from Funding Michigan’s Future

What you need to know about three decades of Michigan school finance to clarify how revenues and expenditures have changed – and what that means for students.

More Key Findings

What’s Happening at EPIC?

EPIC Fact Sheet – Teacher Compensation in Michigan: A Summary of Recent Research

Feature - Teacher Workforce, Other Publications, Other Publications - Teacher Workforce, Teacher Workforce

Teacher Compensation in Michigan: A Summary of Recent Research is a fact sheet summarizing the findings of EPIC’s most recent report.

EPIC Fact Sheet – Pre-Service Penalties: Tuition, Time, and Workload Costs for Aspiring Teachers

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A quick resource of the findings from the Pre-Service Penalties: Tuition, Time, and Workload Costs for Aspiring Teachers brief.

Examining Implementation of Talent Together: A Statewide Grow Your Own Initiative

EPIC Reports, EPIC Reports - Teacher Workforce, Feature - Teacher Workforce, Teacher Workforce

This report explores the initial rollout of Talent Together, a statewide “Grow Your Own” initiative introduced in 2023 to help ease teacher shortages across Michigan.

Teacher Compensation in Michigan: Recent Trends and Public Opinion, 2026

EPIC Reports, EPIC Reports - Teacher Workforce, Feature - Teacher Workforce, Teacher Workforce

This report is EPIC’s third annual report on teacher compensation in Michigan. Given the recruitment and retention challenges Michigan has faced in recent years, understanding the state of teacher compensation has real consequences for students across the state.