Budget for the People: Education Edition

Jul 28, 2023 | Email

Dear Neighbor,  

I hope this newsletter finds you and your family well. In the first edition of our FY 2024 ‘Budget for the People’ e-newsletter series, we will take a closer look at education funding. I’m proud to share details about these historic investments that will help our students, parents, educators and schools for generations to come. 

As always, if you, or someone you know, wants to provide any feedback about what’s happening in Lansing or needs assistance of any sort, please feel free to reach out to us at any time. You can email us at SenSAnthony@senate.michigan.gov or call (517) 373-6960.  

In Service,  

Sen. Sarah Anthony  
State Senator  
District 21  

 

School Aid Budget
TOTAL: $24.3 billion

Michiganders have made themselves clear: they want legislators who are willing to listen and deliver on the issues that matter most with thoughtful and effective solutions.

For the first time in our state, a historic education budget has been passed by legislators who truly understand the importance of investing in Michigan schools. With the leadership of Sen. Darrin Camilleri, Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on PreK-12, we crafted a transformational School Aid budget for Fiscal Year 2024.

I have never stopped fighting for our students. Our children are our future and deserve the best resources and tools to thrive. A critical component of this is ensuring that we are adequately compensating our exceptional educators and support staff who put in the hard work every single day for their students. By making these investments in schools, we are one step closer toward ensuring quality education for all and creating a brighter tomorrow.

Statewide Investments

K-12

  • 5% increase in per-pupil funding
  • $328 million to improve mental health and improve school safety
  • $310.3 million increase in special education funding, bringing the total special education spending in the budget to $2.2 billion and fully funding the foundation allowance of special education students for the first time
  • $160 million to provide free breakfast and lunch for 1.4 million PreK-12 students
  • $150 million for the “MI Kids Back on Track” program to provide tutoring and academic catch-up services for students at risk of falling behind
  • $150 million to help with cost for rural bus transportation with a School Transportation Fund
  • $125 million to purchase no- or low-greenhouse gas emission school buses, including alternative fuel vehicles and infrastructure
  • $6 million for districts to implement plans to teach diverse American histories and their local history

Teachers

  • $225 million for a student loan repayment program to repay student loans of school employees who work directly with students
  • $68.3 million for a pilot program to provide an additional per-pupil grant to help bolster salaries
  • $50 million for student teacher stipends
  • $25 million for the MI Future Educator Fellowship Program to offset tuition costs for
  • college students working toward their teacher certification
  • $15 million for a rural educator credentialing hub to support prospective educators and help develop more teachers for rural school districts

Higher Education and Community Colleges

  • The creation of the Michigan Office of Postsecondary Educational Attainment that will focus on improving postsecondary educational outcomes, operations and impact on college affordability, and make recommendations as to those improvements, among other responsibilities
  • 5% operational increase for each of the state’s 15 public universities
  • $79 million for Infrastructure, Technology, Equipment, Maintenance and Safety — or ITEMS — funding to assist public universities with improving existing facilities, infrastructure, technology, equipment, maintenance and safety for necessary improvements and deferred maintenance of public university buildings, facilities and other physical infrastructure
  • $10 million FAFSA completion challenge to improve FAFSA completion rates

Mid-Michigan Investments

  • $6 million for Career and Technical Education in Lansing
  • $5 million for the Ingham County Intermediate School District to establish a joint training innovation center
  • $4 million for Eaton County Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) to upgrade agricultural education facilities and $2 million for a real-time academic performance tracking tool
  • $3 million for Waverly Community Schools for renovation, planning and construction capital costs for a high school auditorium
  • $500,000 for Lansing Public School District for the Hill Center track