FLINT, Mich. (WXYZ) — Governor Whitmer signed a bipartisan education budget today making it the highest state per-student investment in Michigan history.
Through the $19.6 billion investment in K-12 education, Michigan students will experience improvements in school infrastructure, teacher recruitment, school safety, expanded mental health resources and more. The investment is part of the $22.2 billion education budget that also includes colleges and universities in Michigan.
“Every kid in every district deserves to feel safe and supported in school, and I am proud today to sign a historic, bipartisan education budget that will make game-changing investments to improve every student’s in-class experience,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
“The budget makes the highest state per-student investment in Michigan history to help schools buy new textbooks, offer more personalized instruction, and bolster AP and honors classes. It also bolsters resources for special education, at-risk funding, and career and technical education while expanding slots in free after-school and preschool programs. Finally, to improve the on-campus experience, the budget invests a quarter of a billion dollars in school infrastructure to build or renovate everything from classrooms, computer labs, and libraries, and significantly expands teacher recruitment programs so we attract and train thousands of educators every year. This budget is proof of what is possible when we put our students first and stay focused on getting things done,” Whitmer added.
The following, Whitmer says, is a breakdown of how the multibillion dollar budget will be allocated.
Education Budget by the Numbers
- $9,150 per-pupil funding for every kid, in every public school district.
- $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).
- $250 million for school infrastructure.
- $10,000 in tuition for 2,500 future Michigan educators every year.
Education Budget Breakdown
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 students, the highest state per-pupil funding in Michigan history — $9,150 for students in every 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. Expanding funding for career and technical education programs by 27%.
2) Mental Health
Dedicated mental health dollars for every student in every school. Increased funding for teen centers, district mental health grants, and TRAILS, which offers training to school mental health professionals. evidence-based services.
3) Learning Supports
An expansion of before and after-school programs. Funding for the MI Kids Back on Track, a tutoring program to help students to get on track for long-term success and resources for districts to develop learning pods for academically at-risk and economically disadvantaged students.
4) 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.
5) School Infrastructure
$250 million for school infrastructure. Resources to help schools build or refurbish classrooms, labs, and libraries. Funds to assess current state of school infrastructure, determine further funding.
6) Teacher Recruitment
Funding MI Future Educator Fellowships, which pays up to $10,000 in tuition for 2,500 future Michigan educators every year, $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. And additional investment to guarantee retired teachers have a stable, secure retirement.
