Why Give?

Why MPEF needs your support.

MCS is a highly sought after school district in southwest Michigan and produces successful graduates but lacks in funding. According to U.S. News & World Report, 41% of students are enrolled in AP courses and the high school boasts a 95% graduation rate. MCS students at every level achieve success far beyond average by any measure of educational standards.

The MPEF mission is important to sustaining and enhancing a vibrant learning community. The inequity in school funding in the state of Michigan is real. In the 2019-2020 school year,

  • Mattawan School District was in the bottom 7% for total state funding, meaning 93% of schools across Michigan received more funding from the state per student than MCS. Out of 842 districts in Michigan, Mattawan was the 781st lowest funded school.
  • On average the total revenue per student is $10,487. Mattawan receives $9,156 per student – a shortfall of $1,331 per student each year. This is the difference between what it truly costs to educate each student and the funding received from the state.

This allocation is based on the “wealth” of each school district as determined by census data (ex. % of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch, property taxes for the district, etc.).

When compared to the average funding per student in the state of Michigan, this equates to a deficit of more than $5 million dollars for our district each year (approximatley 30 staff members). Therefore, while MCS provides our students an education that is well above average in every regard, our district receives funding well below average. Gifts received through MPEF help fill this gap and make unique learning opportunities available that simply could not be supported through regular annual school funding sources. Our district works very hard to overcome this deficit, however, there are needs within academics, athletics and the arts that still must be met.

To learn more about school funding: Parent Dashboard for School Transparency. For further questions on school funding and encouragement for change please contact your state and federal representatives.