Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (second from right) and Oakland County Executive David Coulter (third from right) heard from local parents at Troy High on Thursday during a roundtable discussion on the bipartisan education budget.
– Photo courtesy of Michigan Executive Office of the Governor
On Thursday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer hosted a roundtable with parents at Troy High School on the recently passed bipartisan education budget for Fiscal Year 2023. The governor sought the perspective of Michigan’s parents throughout the budget process and will continue engaging with them as the school year starts. The education budget includes the highest state per-student investment in Michigan history, funds to improve school infrastructure, and resources to hire more educators.
“Every parent wants their kid to feel safe and supported in school, have access to the best on-campus resources and facilities, and learn from the best educators,” said Whitmer. “I am proud that the recently passed, bipartisan education budget will make the highest state per-student funding in Michigan history to help schools buy new textbooks, offer more personalized instruction, and expand AP and honors classes. To hire and recruit the best educators for every classroom, the budget funds $10,000 in tuition for 2,500 future educators every year. Finally, the budget invests nearly half a billion dollars in school infrastructure to build or renovate everything from classrooms, computer labs, and libraries. As a mom, I know what this budget means for parents who want the best for their kids. It is proof of we can do when we put students first and stay focused on getting things done. As we head into the next school year, I look forward to continuing my conversations with parents about how we can support their kids.”
“I’m grateful for Governor Whitmer’s willingness to listen to parents about what is important to families,” said Beth Hulett, parent and PTA state board member. “The education budget allocations for safety, mental health and special needs are vital investments that support students most in need, ensure every child learns in healthy and safe school environments and strengthens family engagement in education.”
—Education Budget Investments
The education budget can be divided into six key sections: students, mental health, learning supports, student safety, school infrastructure, and teacher recruitment.
1) Students
For our students, the highest per-pupil funding in Michigan history—$9,150 for every kid, in every public school district. Additional support for the nearly 200,000 special education students and 710,000 at-risk students in Michigan. An expansion of free preschool under the Great Start Readiness Program to 1,300 more kids—allowing the state to serve over 50,000 four-year-olds. Expanding funding for career and technical education programs by 27%.
2) Mental Health
Dedicated mental health dollars for every student in every school. Increasing funding for teen centers, district mental health grants, and TRAILS, which offers training to school mental health professionals so they can better serve students with evidence-based services.
3) Teacher Recruitment
Funding MI Future Educator Fellowships, which pay up to $10,000 in tuition for future Michigan educators, $9,600 stipends a semester for student teachers, and Grow-Your-Own programs that help districts put support staff on no-cost paths to become educators. Additional funding for career and technical education educators and the Troops-to-Teachers program that connects veterans with mentor teachers as they work to become certified educators. Finally, a robust investment to guarantee retired teachers have a stable, secure retirement.
4) School Infrastructure
$475 million for school construction, renovations and voluntary consolidation, helping them build or refurbish classrooms, labs, and libraries. Funds to assess current state of school infrastructure, determine further funding.
5) Learning Supports
An expansion of before and after-school programs to keep kids engaged. The budget offers every kid in Michigan tutoring to help catch up and get on track for long-term success, and resources for districts to develop learning pods for academically at-risk and economically disadvantaged students.
6) Student Safety
Dedicated school safety dollars for every student in every school. Funds to hire more on-campus school resources officers, create an intervention system for at-risk students that brings together law enforcement, schools, and mental health professionals, and establish a school safety commission.
—Education Budget by the Numbers
• $9,150 per-pupil funding for every kid, in every public school district, highest state amount ever.?
• $214 per-pupil mental health and school safety funding for every kid, in every public school district.?
• Additional funding to meet students’ individual needs for all of the nearly 200,000 special education and 710,000 at-risk students.?
• 1,300 more free preschool slots in the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP).?
• $475 million for school infrastructure and voluntary consolidation.?
• $10,000 in tuition for 2,500 future Michigan educators every year.
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