A new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities ranks Michigan 12th worst in the country when it comes to education funding cuts.
The report says Michigan has cut per-pupil K-12 funding by 7.5 percent since 2008.
According to the Michigan League for Public Policy, the cuts have already had a negative impact on the state's education system.
"We have a state that is still lagging in the number of students who are reading by third grade. We still don't have the high school [graduation] rates that we want," said League CEO Gilda Jacobs.
Jacobs said education funding is directly connected to the state's economic recovery.
"If we want to have a strong, educated workforce, then we're really going to have to front-load our system and put money into the K-12 education system," Jacobs said.
The League is calling on lawmakers to invest more in per-pupil funding, work harder to close racial disparities in education, and reevaluate its school funding formula.
