Whitmer Kicks off Back-to-School Tour with Students, Parents, and Educators in Novi

Statement

Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer kicked off her Back-to-School Tour, sitting down with students, parents, and teachers to discuss efforts the Whitmer-Gilchrist Administration has taken to strengthen in-person learning, on-campus mental health, and staff recruitment and retention as the new school year begins. Last month, the governor signed her fourth bipartisan education budget that will make the highest state per-student investment in Michigan history, hire, train and recruit 10,000 teachers, expand on-campus mental health resources, build up school facilities, and more.

"As a mom, I know every parent wants to send their kids to school knowing they have the resources and support they need to start the school year off right," said Governor Whitmer. "That's why I'm grateful to get invaluable input from parents, teachers, and staff to ensure resources from the historic education budget I signed last month are used as effectively as possible. Our bipartisan budget made the highest state per-student funding in Michigan history, will help recruit and train 10,000 educators, and invest in school infrastructure, mental health, and campus safety. Together, we can improve your child's in-class experience, and make sure they are on track for long-term success. I will work with anyone to help our kids learn and grow in-person."

Governor Whitmer has worked collaboratively with leaders in education, as well as students and parents to gain their perspectives throughout the budget process. She will continue engaging with students, parents, educators and experts into the school year, including more formally bringing parents into the policymaking process with the Michigan Parents' Council.

"We have seen the data from the School Finance Research Collaborative, and we have been hopeful that our lawmakers would enact the recommendations that it produced," said Ben Mainka, Superintendent of Novi Community School District. "As public educators, we are extremely grateful for the investment that was made this year in our students, staff, and quite literally - our future here in Michigan. The intentionality given to mental health, teacher recruitment and retention, and school infrastructure by Governor Whitmer and the legislature this year will benefit not only Novi Community School District, but the entire state of Michigan. We are extremely excited for an incredible school year, and support like this is exactly what Michigan schools need right now."

"I am encouraged by the direction towards fully funding prek-12 public education because it makes it so much easier to give the students the resources they need to become successful citizens of Michigan and stay in Michigan," said Ruth Ann Knapp, retired educator from Saginaw of over four decades. "The funding level is very helpful in supporting the professional school family: teachers, aides, admin, custodians, cafeteria workers, and more. If they have sufficient salaries, they can do the work they love as their only job instead of having to juggle two or three just to make ends meet."

"The Funding MI Future Educator Fellowship is an effective way to recruit and retain great teacher candidates while recognizing the work that goes into the job," said Amena Shukairy, a current student teacher and future graduate of the University of Michigan-Flint. "Teachers are in need in Michigan, and programs like this will help remove the barriers that limit student teachers from excelling in their roles."

"Governor Gretchen Whitmer understands the stress Michigan's students and families have been under the last several years," said Wesley Wilson, Mona Shores Public School District Trustee. "Committed to enabling Michigan students to succeed, she's led the effort to provide $214-per-pupil in every district across Michigan to address mental health support and school safety."

Earlier this month, Governor Whitmer proposed suspending the Michigan sales tax on school supplies, part of her MI Back to School Plan to help families save money right now, help educators save on classroom expenses, and equip kids with the tools they need to succeed, including everything from paper and pencils to crayons and computers.

Governor Whitmer has centered Michigan families by making historic investments in pre-K-12 schools without raising taxes. She continues to deliver meaningful change so every kid in every school in Michigan has equal opportunity to succeed.

Investing in Students and Schools in Southeast Michigan

- Increased per-student funding by $1,279 for the 555,000+ students in Southeast Michigan since taking office
- Expanded free preschool through the Great Start Readiness Program to 10,000+ more kids in Southeast Michigan
- Closed the funding gap between schools, ensuring every school district has the same baseline funding

Education Budget by the Numbers

- $9,150 per-pupil funding for every kid, in every public school district, highest state amount ever.
- $214 per-pupil mental health and school safety funding for every kid, in every public school district.
- Additional funding to meet students' individual needs for all the nearly 200,000 special education and 710,000 at-risk students.
- $250 million for school infrastructure.
- $10,000 in tuition for 2,500 future Michigan educators every year.

Education Budget Breakdown

Governor Whitmer is dedicated to improving the in-class experience for every Michigan student. The education budget focuses on improving six key areas: students, mental health, learning supports, student safety, school infrastructure, and teacher recruitment.

1) Students

For our students, the highest state per-pupil funding in Michigan history--$9,150 for students in every district. Additional support for the nearly 200,000 special education students and 710,000 at-risk students in Michigan. A continued expansion of free preschool under the Great Start Readiness Program. Expanding funding for career and technical education programs by 27%.

2) Mental Health

Dedicated mental health dollars for every student in every school. Increasing funding for teen centers, district mental health grants, and TRAILS, which offers training to school mental health professionals so they can better serve students with evidence-based services.

3) Learning Supports

An expansion of before and after-school programs to keep kids engaged. Funding for the MI Kids Back on Track, Governor Whitmer's proposal to offer every kid in Michigan tutoring to help catch up and get on track for long-term success, and resources for districts to develop learning pods for academically at-risk and economically disadvantaged students.

4) Student Safety

Dedicated school safety dollars for every student in every school. Funds to hire more on-campus school resources officers, create an intervention system for at-risk students that brings together law enforcement, schools, and mental health professionals, and establish a school safety commission.

5) School Infrastructure

$250 million for school infrastructure. Resources to help schools build or refurbish classrooms, labs, and libraries. Funds to assess current state of school infrastructure, determine further funding.

6) Teacher Recruitment

Funding MI Future Educator Fellowships, which pay up to $10,000 in tuition for 2,500 future Michigan educators every year, $9,600 stipends a semester for student teachers, and Grow-Your-Own programs that help districts put support staff on no-cost paths to become educators. Additional funding for career and technical education educators and the Troops-to-Teachers program that connects veterans with mentor teachers as they work to become certified educators. Finally, a robust investment to guarantee retired teachers have a stable, secure retirement.

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