State Rep. Karl Bohnak this week announced his plan to safeguard funding for island schools as bipartisan negotiations regarding the state budget continue.

House Bill 4802 would guarantee funding for island school districts. These districts have fewer than 250 students and are either located 30 miles from any other public-school building or on an island not accessible by bridge.

“When considering our smallest school districts in Michigan, per-student funding doesn’t come close to covering the necessary operating costs and teacher salaries, let alone costs for textbooks, extracurriculars, or other expenses,” said Bohnak, R-Deerton. “My plan would guarantee these schools will receive the funding they need to continue educating our kids.”

Bohnak has one such school in his district, Burt Township School District (BTSD) in Grand Marais. The school only has between 18 and 40 students annually, meaning the normal per-student allocation of funding from the state doesn’t come close to covering the district’s operating costs.

The idea for the legislation came as BTSD Superintendent Miranda McShane attended an office hour event, hosted by Bohnak, to speak with local residents and officials about state government. During the meeting, McShane spoke with Bohnak about the importance of continued state funding for island school districts.

“I want to thank Superintendent McShane for proactively seeking me out so we could discuss the unique challenges faced by our island districts,” Bohnak said. “She attended one of my office hours and thoughtfully explained how important continued funding is to ensure that even our most rural students receive the education they deserve. I’m committed to fighting for this funding throughout the budget process so we can keep the doors open at fantastic schools like Burt Township and many more like it.”

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