Dear Neighbor,
It’s been a busy summer knocking doors in the community and having conversations about what you’d like to see happen in Michigan. As many of you send your kids off to school for another school year, I’d like to share some of the great things we’ve been able to accomplish in Lansing this year for the betterment of our children and young people.
We Passed Free Breakfast and Lunch for All Public School Children
We worked hard on the “Make it in Michigan” budget that Gov. Whitmer signed into law, which provides free breakfast and lunch for all K-12 public school children in Michigan. This benefits 1.4 million public school children in Michigan and 13,109 children in our district. This will save families an average of over $850 annually per kid, as well as plenty of time in the morning.
We Increased Per-Pupil Funding by 5%
Our budget also included $611 million to increase per-pupil funding by 5%. This is an additional $458 per student for a total of $9,608 per pupil, the highest student funding in the state’s history! This also includes additional funding for students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students. Since Gov. Whitmer took office, per-pupil funding is up 22%!
We Created a Robust Rainy Day Fund for Schools
In order to set aside resources for future needs, our budget deposited $450 million into a new rainy day fund for schools. This fiscally responsible action will shore up the long-term financial stability of the state’s public education system.
We Funded Mental Health and School Safety
As you may know, mental health is one of my biggest priorities as your representative. I’m delighted that our budget included $328 million for funding student mental health and support services. This includes school safety funding for districts and ISDs to purchase and implement tools to identify early behaviors that could require intervention to prevent abuse, self-harm, or violence in schools.
We Funded Vocational Education and Equipment Upgrades
Our budget included $15 million for additional support for vocational education and career and technical education equipment upgrades. This will strengthen our workforce through alternative educational choices.
We Funded the Michigan Clean School Bus Program
Our budget included $125 million to fund matching grants for school districts to electrify their bus fleets. Currently, many of our state’s school buses run on diesel fuel, which exposes children to exhaust pollution that has been linked to asthma and other respiratory illnesses. These electric school buses have zero tailpipe emissions, and the grants will prioritize low-income and rural school districts. This is a logical step forward toward our state’s clean energy goals.
Sincerely,
State Representative Reggie Miller
Michigan’s 31st District
Office Phone: (517) 373-0159
Email: ReggieMiller@house.mi.gov