An education budget that increases per-pupil spending, offers free school meals, and makes it possible for more families to participate in Michigan’s state-funded preschool programme was approved by governor Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday. Whitmer praised the budget for education, saying it would guarantee educational equity for kids in Michigan.
“We are aware that while potential exists everywhere, opportunity does not. Furthermore, when we invest in the education of our children, we open doors for everyone, said Whitmer at a bill signing event in Suttons Bay. The $24.3 billion education budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on October 1, was dubbed Senate Bill 173 by legislators as transformative.
The bill’s sponsor, state senator Darrin Camilleri, a Democrat from Trenton, stated, “This is a education budget that our students, families, and educators have been waiting for.”
The education budget raises the per-pupil foundation allowance by 5% to $9,608. In the state’s history, this funding per kid is the greatest, according to Whitmer. It provides $160 million for 1.4 million PreK–12 pupils to get free breakfast and lunch. According to Whitmer, families will save more than $850 a year as a result. Free meals, according to Whitmer, are a “no-brainer” that will improve student focus and reduce costs for families.
A family of four making $90,000 a year or less will now be eligible for Michigan’s state-funded Pre-K programme under the education budget’s expansion of eligibility. Previously, households earning less than 250% of the federal poverty level, or $75,000 annually for a family of four, were eligible for the programme.
According to Whitmer, the Pre-K expansion will make free preschool available to 5,600 more children this autumn. By the end of her second term, Whitmer plans to offer free preschool to all Michigan families, as she stated in an announcement at the beginning of the year. It will save families, according to her, $10,000 annually on average.
Gov. Whitmer signs $24.3 billion education budget
Every Democratic politician voted in favour of the budget, which was approved 58–50 in the state House. State Representatives Graham Filler of Clinton County and Mark Tisdel of Rochester Hills, both Republicans, cast votes in favour of the measure in the chamber. Nine Republican state senators, including Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, supported it as it cleared the state Senate 29-8 with further GOP backing.
Richland Township Republican Matt Hall, the House Minority Leader, criticised the budget in a statement on Thursday. “Democrats put pet projects — powered by a tax hike — over students’ academics,” he said, making reference to the debate earlier this year over how long a drop in the state’s income tax would last. “Michigan children who’ve struggled to learn to read won’t get much comfort from that,” he said. It should only last a year, according to Attorney General Dana Nessel. Republican legislators have resisted funding for certain projects with grants from the education budget, such as the $500,000 given to Eastpointe Community Schools to build a pool.
The budget allocates $343 million to enhance school safety, student mental health, and an internship programme in counselling for graduate students enrolled in mental health professional programmes. Additionally, it contains $150 million for the “MI Kids Back on Track” programme, which offers academic remediation and tutoring to students who are at risk of falling behind.
The education budget allocates money for student loan payback for school personnel, tuition-free teacher training, and stipends for student teachers in an effort to address Michigan’s teacher shortage. “Our goal is to make Michigan the best state in which to become a teacher. It is an ambitious but doable goal. That is our aim, according to Whitmer.
