LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — A group of Michigan House Republicans is reviving a long-running debate over who should pay for public education, and who shouldn’t.

Legislation introduced this month by seven GOP lawmakers would gradually remove school-related property taxes for homeowners without children enrolled in public schools. 

MORE NEWS: Trump Administration Unveils New Rural Health Funding Boost for Michigan

“It’s fundamentally unjust to force people, including seniors, empty-nesters, those who pay for private school, and those without children, to subsidize a government education system they do not use,” Rep. Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers) told The Detroit News. 

Carra, the lead sponsor, added that the bills are about restoring fairness as education budgets grow larger without clear improvements in student achievement.

Under the plan, qualifying property owners would receive a 40% reduction in school taxes beginning in 2027. The exemption would expand by 15 percentage points each year until those taxes are fully eliminated by 2031.

Carra’s office notes that roughly 72% of Michigan households do not have children in public schools, while state records show $10.8 billion in property tax revenue went to K-12 schools or the School Aid Fund in 2023.

With Democrats controlling the Senate and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer backing increased school funding, the legislation faces steep political headwinds—but it has reopened a familiar fault line over taxes, fairness, and the purpose of public schools.