LANSING, Mich., June 13, 2025 — This week, House Republicans passed a revised School Aid budget that still fails Michigan students, families, and educators. Their plan slashes funding for critical programs — including free school meals, mental health support, special education, early literacy, and school transportation — while imposing harmful ideological restrictions and heavy penalties on schools that promote diversity, inclusion, or teach honest history. It also includes dangerous cuts to career and technical education (CTE), a vital pathway to opportunity for more than 100,000 students across the state. House Democrats introduced their vision for the School Aid budget during a publicly accessible press conference that would increase funding in these critical areas, investing in a successful future for every student.
In response to Republicans’ reckless budget, state. Rep. Amos O’Neal (D-Saginaw), who voted against it, issued the following statement:
“This budget doesn’t invest in students — it targets them. It eliminates support programs kids rely on every day, and it guts career and technical education — one of the most effective tools we have to create opportunity and close equity gaps. CTE helps over 100,000 Michigan students gain real-world skills and access stable, good-paying careers, regardless of whether they attend a four-year college. Cutting this program isn’t fiscally responsible — it’s economically reckless. Our students deserve more than empty rhetoric. They deserve a budget that builds futures, not one that puts politics first.”
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