LANSING, Mich., May 10, 2023 — The Michigan House of Representatives passed the largest School Aid budget in the state’s history today. It would provide free breakfast and lunch for every student in the state and make a substantial investment in the Great Start Readiness Program to make preschool affordable for every family.
“With this historic budget, we are reinvesting in the people of Michigan by directly addressing the needs of our students,” said state Rep. Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth), chair of the House Education Committee. “We put students first in this budget by increasing per-pupil funding by 4%, increasing support for student tutoring after the pandemic, and funding special education programs at 100%.”
The budget would increase the intermediate school district operations budget by roughly 5% for a total of over $3.8 billion in greater operational funding. It would provide record funding for special education and programs for economically disadvantaged students. It includes substantial funding to improve K-12 education by finding and addressing educational needs. The budget also funds the MI Kids Back on Track program to help students recover from pandemic-related learning loss, and it provides mental health funding to address the youth mental health crisis. Over half a billion dollars would go toward improvements to school infrastructure and enhanced school safety.
“Not only are we investing in important educational programs and resources, we are ensuring the health and well-being of our students by providing free breakfast and lunch,” said state Rep. Jaime Churches (D-Wyandotte), vice chair of the Education Committee. “This is an investment in Michigan’s future — when kids are set up for success, our whole state benefits. I was proud to vote in favor of this budget.”
The budget also allocates substantial support for educational programs to maintain the state’s economic competitiveness and attract and retain a talented workforce. It would devote funding to support technical and vocational education to prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow and support student teachers to address Michigan’s teacher shortage.