This spring, the Michigan Legislature is debating budget allocations for the next fiscal year, which includes funding for Michigan schools. Last year the state made history as it invested more in school districts facing concentrated poverty. The continuation or an increase in funding of this legislation would be a game-changer for students like Sierra, who is constantly falling asleep in my class. On many days, I have to wake Sierra up gently, but while I take attendance, she falls asleep once again. When I suggest that she stands so that she can be fully awake, Sierra yells loudly, “I don’t want to wake up.”
As I wait to speak with Sierra’s parents after school, my principal tells me that Sierra and her four other siblings are currently homeless. Sierra is sleeping during class because she does not have a safe and comfortable place to sleep at night; I am an inconvenience to her because I am expecting her to remain focused and complete her assignments.
For a child like Sierra, focus becomes a luxury when her basic needs are not met. The famous Maslow Hierarchy of Needs, which every educator is familiar with, points out that humans cannot attend to their other needs if our basic needs such as air, food, water, shelter and sleep aren’t met. Students who are living in poverty often find it difficult to concentrate on their academic work because they are hungry, sleep-deprived or afraid. Sierra can’t focus on her homework because her parents are working most evenings to try to meet the basic needs of their children and are unable to provide a stable home environment conducive for learning. Sierra frequently misses school because she lacks clean clothes, is living with others outside of the school district or is simply too tired to come to class because she has been watching her younger siblings at night. It is unrealistic, even though we persist, for me to expect Sierra to focus when her basic needs are unmet.
My school is in a low income neighborhood, and the current funding that it receives is not sufficient to provide an equitable education for our students. Sierra, as well as many other students in my class, could benefit from social-emotional support and/or counseling services, which are severely limited when a single counselor is expected to service 300 or more students. Additionally, many of my students lack social development and teamwork skills which contribute to conflicts in my classroom. These skills could be learned through participation in extracurricular activities, like basketball, soccer or chess club, which are often unavailable to my students due to lack of funding.
The first thing the legislature should do for students like Sierra is to expand the Opportunity Index beyond 47%. Under the Opportunity Index, schools with higher concentrations of poverty receive more funds to support “At-Risk” students, including low-income students, students with disabilities and students in special education. The current funding is not enough to provide the counselors, behavior specialists and school supplies that Sierra needs to help her feel prepared to learn.
Second, the legislature should fully fund special education. Currently, general education funds are used to supplement shortfalls in special education funding. General education students should not have to bear the burden of funding programs for students with special needs. Fully funding special education will provide additional money to help general education students like Sierra meet some of their physiological needs so they could better focus on academic achievement.
Third, the legislature should allow funding allocated for At-Risk and ELL students to be used to increase teacher salaries. Loosening the restrictions attached to these funds will allow districts to spend the money in areas that they deem most crucial to the success of their students. Closing the achievement gap between high-needs schools and their affluent counterparts begins with addressing basic student needs and ensuring high quality instruction. The exodus of many of my colleagues to other districts that pay more highlights the urgency of these funding adjustments if we are to retain competent educators for students like Sierra who desperately need them.
Michigan’s strides in closing the funding gap are noteworthy, yet it’s not time to relent. My hope is for a future where all public school students receive the support they need to nurture the brilliance within them. Making the changes to school funding will help to improve the conditions of students like Sierra and all others who are living in poverty so that they can turn their focus to academic achievement and a brighter future.
Peggy Clark is a 4th grade teacher of English language arts and a K-2 Master Teacher at Erma L. Henderson Academy in Detroit, Michigan. She is a member of the 2023-2024 Michigan Teacher Leadership Collaborative, a program for highly effective teachers led by The Education Trust-Midwest and Teach Plus.