The $15 million for smaller high schools is less than half of the $32 million Gov. Jennifer Granholm had requested. The fund would give out $3 million in direct start-up grants to some districts with high dropout rates, rather than pay off bonds to build the revamped high schools.
Senate Republicans, who hold a majority, held fast against selling more state bonds for the school plan, which Granholm had proposed.
The basic grant to all schools would range from $56 to $112 per pupil, depending on how much each district now receives; lower spending districts would receive larger increases.
The increases are roughly half of what Granholm originally proposed because state revenues have come in less than expected since January.
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