Students in 31 Michigan Districts to Benefit from $224M Awarded by MDE for Infrastructure Work

Additional State Funding Needed to Address Critical Needs

LANSING – Students in more than 80 schools in 31 Michigan districts will benefit from improved learning environments due to $224 million in state grants being awarded for projects to address critical needs that include heating, ventilation and air conditioning and roofs.

The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is announcing the awarding of the infrastructure competitive grants, which are going to school districts across the state. Michigan schools have major infrastructure needs that they haven’t been able to fund. That is evidenced by nearly $1.8 billion in grant requests and the available funding being able to pay for only 16.5% of the grant requests—with the amount awarded less than what was requested in many cases.

“These infrastructure grants put Michigan Students First and help move us toward multiple goals in Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan, including Goal 3, to improve the health, safety and wellness of all learners, and Goal 8, to provide adequate and equitable school funding,” said State Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko. “I thank Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Legislature for providing this important funding. MDE will continue to strongly advocate for investing more state dollars in school infrastructure. In my visits to schools around Michigan, I have witnessed first-hand the critical facility needs that districts are unable to meet with local tax dollars and how this negatively affects student health and learning.”

The districts receiving infrastructure grants and the amount received by each are:

•         Alcona Community Schools, $1,992,205.
•         Almont Community Schools, $332,472.
•         Benton Harbor Area Schools, $12,300,000.
•         Carrollton Public Schools, $1,419,029.
•         Clintondale Community Schools, $19,362,400.
•         Detroit Public Schools Community District, $32,798,314.
•         Dowagiac Union Schools, $4,281,713.
•         Engadine Consolidated Schools, $8,151,746.
•         Evart Public Schools, $3,088,000.
•         Fitzgerald Public Schools, $4,174,878.
•         Flint Community Schools, $3,496,446.
•         Genesee School District, $12,670,795.
•         Grant Public Schools, $20,907,243.
•         Hamtramck Public School District, $11,016,707.
•         Hesperia Community Schools, $2,913,040.
•         Ida Public Schools, $250,000.
•         Iosco Regional Educational Service Agency, $500,000.
•         Iron Mountain Public Schools, $3,101,274.
•         Lamphere Public Schools, $7,210,763.
•         Lansing School District, $4,386,435.
•         Madison District Public Schools, $1,750,000.
•         Mason Consolidated Schools (Monroe), $3,643,940.
•         Mayville Community Schools, $3,206,220.
•         Melvindale-Northern Allen Park Public Schools, $2,612,000.
•         Mio-AuSable Schools, $6,684,189.
•         Oak Park Schools, $3,500,000.
•         Orchard View Schools, $8,845,746.
•         Owendale-Gagetown Area Schools, $6,565,594.
•         Romulus Community Schools, $12,250,948.
•         Vanderbilt Area School, $800,000.
•         Vandercook Lake Public Schools, $19,787,867.

The Detroit district’s nearly $32.8 million in funding is to pay for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and roof projects at 17 schools.

“We appreciate that the state earmarked facility funding for school districts, and we can only hope that the state expands this funding in the future,” said Dr. Nikolai P. Vitti, superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District. “DPSCD and most Michigan school districts cannot afford to simply rely on local taxbases for facility revenue, yet they desperately need facility funding to provide the type of infrastructure our students and staff deserve. When DPSCD assumed responsibility for the former Detroit Public Schools, there was a $1.2 billion unfunded facility gap and no federal or state revenues to address this need, and we could not legally tax a local Detroit taxbase that was already overwhelmed.”

The more than $3.1 million grant awarded to Iron Mountain School District in the Upper Peninsula will pay for projects at four district buildings, including HVAC and fire protection projects and building access and security work involving doors and windows. “This state infrastructure funding is a significant investment in the future of the Iron Mountain School District and the students we serve,” said Superintendent Jerry Sardina. “This funding will allow the district to address critical facility and infrastructure needs identified in a recent state audit of our facilities. This opportunity will help in creating safer, more modern and more efficient learning environments while reducing the financial burden on local taxpayers. This demonstrated the state’s confidence in the district’s planning and commitment to responsible stewardship of public resources and demonstrates the state’s ongoing efforts to put students first. Most importantly, these improvements will help ensure that Iron Mountain students have the high-quality facilities they need to learn, grow and succeed for years to come. On behalf of myself, the Iron Mountain Board of Education, and the greater community, I would like to thank the State of Michigan and Department of Education for their support and partnership.”

The nearly $21 million awarded to Grant Public Schools will pay for roofing, electrical and HVAC projects at the district’s high school, middle school and elementary school.

"This infrastructure grant represents a transformational investment in the future of Grant Public Schools and the students we serve,” said Superintendent Kevin Akin. “These funds will allow us to create modern and safe learning environments while positioning our district to operate more efficiently for years to come. We are grateful to the State of Michigan for recognizing the importance of investing in rural school districts. This grant is more than funding for buildings—it is an investment in our students, our staff, and the future of our community. We are excited to begin this next chapter and provide educational opportunities that will benefit generations of Grant students."

MDE awarded the majority of the grants for roof and HVAC projects because those types of work were prioritized by legislators in Section 12e of the fiscal year 2026 state school aid budget that provided the infrastructure funding.

However, the department also awarded grants for other improvements, including projects related to plumbing, fire protection and electrical work.

The competitive grant award process also required MDE to use as selection criteria factors such as the percentage of students who are economically disadvantaged, the ability or lack of ability for the district to issue bonds for infrastructure needs and whether the district participated in the Statewide School Facilities Study. That study found Michigan needs a nearly $23 billion investment to carry out much-needed infrastructure work in schools across the state over 10 years.

###