(WXYZ) — Governor Gretchen Whitmer is pushing a $361 million budget recommendation for school-based mental health services in Michigan as part of her fiscal year 2023 School Aid Fund.
The governor attended a mental health roundtable at Pontiac High School Monday, advocating for her proposed investment that would include hiring and retaining mental health professionals and opening 40 clinics for students that would reportedly be housed in school buildings and staffed by clinicians.
The full breakdown of her proposed budget:
- $150 million to offer training for teachers in partnership with TRAILS [lnks.gd]
- $25 million to give every school free access to quality mental health screeners
- $120 million to hire more school-based mental health professionals
- $50 million to continue to strengthen school-based mental health supports to ensure school nurses and social workers are part of a bigger effort and not isolated resources
- $11 million to open school-based health centers in regions with limited access to care
- $5 million to provide on-demand help for school-based clinicians responding to unique cases in partnership with the Michigan Child Collaborative Care at the University of Michigan
“In my budget for the next school year, I’m proposing another historic investment in on-campus mental health supports for our kids. We can and must work together to expand access to mental health care to help our kids thrive in and out of the classroom. My budget includes the highest per-student investment in Michigan history – I look forward to making that investment reality. Let's get it done,” said Whitmer in a press release.
