Court Opinion

ID: 9730471
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 15:13:19.338178+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:26:06.747387
License: Public Domain

Williams, C.J.
(dissenting in part). I respectfully dissent. I do not here challenge the majority’s conclusion regarding the so-called Headlee Amendment, Const 1963, art 9, §§ 25-34, although I cannot fully agree with their analysis. Rather, I write separately to challenge the majority’s explication, or lack of explication, of Const 1963, art 8, § 2, the pertinent provisions of the School Code of 1976, MCL 380.1 et seq.; MSA 15.4001 et seq., and the school aid formula, MCL 388.1621; MSA 15.1919(921).
Const 1963, art 8, § 2, provides in part:
The legislature shall maintain and support a *397system of free public elementary and secondary schools as defined by law.
It is my contention that the Legislature has responsibly attempted to fulfill its obligation to "maintain ... a system of free public elementary and secondary schools as defined by law.” However, the convergence of the art 9, § 31, rollback of property taxes and the operation of the school aid formula appear to have here created an unforeseen situation in which the Legislature is not now providing the constitutionally required "support” under art 8, § 2.1
I
Michigan has always placed a high value on education. Even before statehood, the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 proclaimed what our present constitution reiterates:
Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged. [Const 1963, art 8, § 1.]
James Blanchard, the Governor of Michigan, has graphically personalized this belief in his January 18, 1984, State of the State address as follows:
For decades, the promise of education has been the ladder of opportunity in this state. Hard-working people, honest people, lived here or came here, knowing that they themselves could earn a decent living working with their hands — but even more *398important, that their children could find an even better future working with their minds because of Michigan’s fine schools and colleges and universities.
It has been judicially recognized in Michigan for over three-quarters of a century that public education is a state responsibility. Attorney General v Detroit Bd of Ed, 154 Mich 584, 590; 118 NW 606 (1908); Child Welfare Society of Flint v Kennedy School Dist, 220 Mich 290, 296; 189 NW 1002 (1922); Lansing School Dist v State Bd of Ed, 367 Mich 591, 595; 116 NW2d 866 (1962); Governor v State Treasurer, 389 Mich 1, 13-15; 203 NW2d 457 (1972), vacated 390 Mich 389; 212 NW2d 711 (1973).
The Constitution of 1908, in a provision similar to Const 1963, art 8, § 2, required the Legislature to "continue a system of primary schools . . . .”2 This Court interpreted that constitutional mandate in the following terms:
Fundamentally, provision for and control of our public school system is a State matter, delegated to and lodged in the State legislature by the Constitution in a separate article entirely distinct from that relating to local government. The general policy of the State has been to retain control of its school system, to be administered throughout the State under State laws by local State agencies organized with plenary powers independent of the local government with which, by location and geographical boundaries, they are necessarily closely associated and to a greater or less extent authorized to co-operate. Education belongs to the State. It is no part of the local self-government inherent in the township or municipality except so far as the legislature may choose to make it such. [MacQueen v Port Huron City Comm, 194 Mich 328, 336; 160 NW 627 (1916).]
*399In legislation enacted pursuant to the mandate of art 8, §2, the lawmakers have attempted to provide a workable balance between two important concepts: first, state responsibility for, and support of, education, and second, local management of the schools. Recognizing the vital importance accorded to education by our citizens, the legislators have structured a system in which local officials with day-to-day responsibility for curriculum, transportation, staffing, scheduling and many other matters are directly accountable and directly accessible to the people most aifected.
It is for this reason that the Legislature has set forth both general and specific criteria for schools. The School Code contains such general provisions as the following:
Sec. 1281. (1) The state board shall:
(b) Require each board to maintain school or to provide educational opportunities for resident children for the statutory period. [MCL 380.1281(l)(b); MSA 15.41281(l)(b).]
Sec. 1282. The board of a school district shall establish and carry on the grades, schools, and departments it deems necessary or desirable for the maintenance and improvement of the schools, determine the courses of study to be pursued, and cause the pupils attending school in the district to be taught in the schools or departments the board deems expedient. [MCL 380.1282; MSA 15.41282.]
Sec. 1211. (1) The board of the school district shall vote to levy taxes necessary for school operating purposes to conduct the educational programs authorized by the board. [MCL 380.1211(1); MSA 15.41211(1).]
And such specific directions as:
Sec. 1284. (1) The board of a school district shall *400determine the length of the school term. The minimum number of days of student instruction shall be 180. [MCL 380.1284(1); MSA 15.41284(1).]
Sec. 103. (1) A district shall not be allotted or paid a sum under this act for the number of pupils in membership in excess of a ratio of 30 pupils to 1 teacher. The department may include all pupils in membership regardless of this section if in the department’s judgment the district could not maintain the ratio because of lack of funds, facilities, or qualified teachers. [MCL 388.1703(1); MSA 15.1919(1003X1).]
Further, the Legislature created the State Board of Education in part to establish specific regulations such as teacher certification (1981 AACS, R 390.1101 et seq.) and a minimum of nine hundred hours of instruction per school year (1984 AACS, R 340.10[5]).
Finally, as testified by Mr. Bruce Rule, supervisor of accounting and finance for the Waterford district: "There is a state aid formula and in that formula the state guarantees you so much per pupil,” e.g., 1979 PA 94. This indeed is a prime indicator that the Legislature recognized and intended to honor its responsibility under art 8, § 2, to "support” "a system of free public” education. The school aid formula establishes a minimum guarantee per pupil.
From the above data, it is clear that the Legislature not only understood its responsibility to provide "a system of free public” education, but took the necessary legislative action to respond to that obligation. In part it did so by general directives to a state system of education in the local communities, and in part by very specific directives to the local components of the state system, either in legislation or through the State Board of Education rules and regulations. At the same time, the *401Legislature gave to the local communities the task of management of the school districts and schools.
However, this policy judgment favoring local management, which I fully support, should not obscure the fact that education and the "support” of education is the concern of the state under the mandate of art 8, §2. Nor should it obscure the fact that, although the Legislature has directed the local school boards, by the statutes quoted above, and others, to provide education for children, the ultimate responsibility, particularly for "support,” still rests with the state.
II
It is incontrovertible, then, that the state constitution requires the Legislature to ensure a basic level of education for the children of Michigan. While it may not be possible or appropriate for this Court at this time to state with precision what constitutes a basic level of education, or how much it should cost, I would not hesitate to say that the Michigan Constitution and Legislature contemplate that the public elementary and secondary schools of this state should prepare our children to move into the mainstream through admission to college or the obtaining of employment in industry or commerce after graduation.
That such a standard has been set for the school children of Michigan appears to be well recognized by the State Department of Education. Its Better Education for Michigan Citizens: A Blue Print for Action (1984), p v, stated:
Michigan has a rich history of educational leadership. In the last decade and a half, state-level resources have been developed to assist schools in improving and programming for preschoolers *402through adults. Student expectations have been developed for the essential skills of communication, social studies, science, fine arts, health and physical education, and mathematics.
The Michigan Educational Assessment Program, which was one of the first statewide testing efforts in the nation, tests every 4th, 7th, and 10th grade student in reading and mathematics yearly, and tests students on a sampling basis in these other essential skills.
Ill
In Waterford, the experienced trial judge found that the reduction in state school aid resulted in conditions that jeopardized students’ college admission or preparedness to enter apprenticeships offered by local employers.3 The court’s findings of fact show that the school aid formula in this case failed its intended purpose to "support a system of free public” education.
It is too late to assist the students damaged by this state of affairs. No infusion of funds would now restore to the students their lost opportuni*403ties. So there is little use in trying to measure the damage in terms of dollars and cents with a view to restitution, even if there were a way of doing so.
Consequently, mindful of the concerned and responsible action of the Legislature following this Court’s decisions in Shavers v Attorney General, 402 Mich 554; 267 NW2d 72 (1978), and Kosa v State Treasurer, 408 Mich 356; 292 NW2d 452 (1980),4 I would indicate to that body wherein the school aid formula has fallen short of its intended purpose and leave to the lawmakers the difficult task of devising a formula that will both maintain and support a system of education that will adequately prepare young people for college or employment. Only then will the Legislature have completely fulfilled its constitutionally mandated task of providing a free public education to all the children of Michigan, and no Michigan child will be without an adequate education.
Cavanagh, J., took no part in the decision of Durant.

 The art 8, § 2 lack of support problem addressed in this opinion is limited to the facts in Waterford. In Durant, there does not appear to be any allegation that students are receiving less than an adequate education. The allegations appear limited to the reduction of the percentage of state aid contrary to the Headlee Amendment.

 Const 1908, art 11, § 9.

 The circuit court opinion of Judge Steven N. Andrews filed March 29,1982, includes the following findings of fact:
"It is clear from the evidence that Waterford School District has suffered financial reversals which can be traced to the implementation of the Headlee Amendment, recent school aid legislation, inflation, generally poor economic conditions, declining enrollment, and the unwillingness of the electorate to support millage increases. The confluence of these factors has forced the District to curtail its operations to the extent that loss of accreditation is imminent. For fiscal year 1981-82, the school day has been reduced from six (6) hours to five (5) hours of classroom instruction and course offerings have been dropped. Class sizes have been increased, and teachers laid-off so that the student-teacher ratios do not meet accreditation standards.
"Reductions in classroom hours and curricula may seriously affect Waterford students seeking college admission. Subjects previously taught in the District’s schools which could improve a student’s chances on the college admission tests have been curtailed.
"In addition to cutbacks in college curricula, vocational course offerings have been reduced. These cutbacks decrease the likelihood that Waterford students can compete for apprenticeships sponsored by local employers.”

 In Shavers, this Court held that the no-fault automobile insurance act, 1972 PA 294, failed to satisfy due process in certain specified respects. Our holding was made effective eighteen months from the date of the opinion, in order to allow the Legislature time to amend the act. The Legislature promptly enacted 1979 PA 145 and 147. In response to a remand from this Court, the Wayne circuit judge concluded that the subsequent legislation cured the defects ordered to be cured by Shavers. Because there was no further claim of uncpnstitutionality, this Court affirmed the judgment without considering the merits.
In Kosa, plaintiffs sought a writ of mandamus to prohibit the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement Board from using funds derived from current service money to pay accrued unfunded liabilities and to compel the Legislature to appropriate sufficient monies to properly fund the retirement system. The Court of Appeals issued the writ prohibiting the "borrowing” of funds, but held that the judiciary could not compel the Legislature to appropriate funds. 78 Mich App 316; 259 NW2d 463 (1977). In response, the Legislature enacted 1977 PA 275, which retroactively changed the accounting method for the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System so as to remedy the underfunding.