Taxpayers for Michigan Constitutional Govt v. State of Michigan

Summary

The Court held that Proposal A payments to school districts and state funding for state-mandated local services must be included when calculating the proportion of total state spending paid to local governments under the Headlee Amendment. It held that public school academies are neither school districts nor, categorically, political subdivisions of the state, but remanded for consideration of whether funding for academies authorized by certain local governmental entities should count. The Court also vacated the mandamus relief because the lower court's order and the parties' pleadings did not clearly identify the required duty, responsible defendant, or basis for the writ.