Governor Whitmer just signed a historic, bipartisan $19.6 billion School Aid budget, building on per pupil investment gains to invest in the next generation of our workforce, close pandemic learning gaps, and retain teachers in their own communities – once again without raising taxes.
Last year, also without raising taxes, she secured a bipartisan $17.1 billion dollar public education budget that completely closed a decades-long state funding gap between school districts. At the time, that budget marked the “largest investment in PreK-12 schools in state history.”
The 2023 fiscal year appropriation “applauded” by education advocates in Michigan directs critical resources towards the following:
- $9,150 for every student in a public school district, the highest state amount in Michigan history.
- $214 per pupil for mental health and school safety funding.
- $25 million to hire more on-campus school resource officers.
- Funding for the MI Future Educator Fellowships, which will grant up to $10,000 in tuition for 2,500 future Michigan educators, $9,600 stipends a semester for student teachers.
Meanwhile, every Republican gubernatorial candidate has consistently shown Michiganders that their public education agendas would be harmful to students, parents, and teachers.
Kevin Rinke, Tudor Dixon, Ryan Kelley, and Garrett Soldano all support a reckless scheme to cut $3.5 billion from public schools that would devastate Michigan students and parents. Ryan Kelley has multiple times called for eliminating the U.S. Department of Education.
Rinke and DeVos sellout Dixon both back a plan to cut public education funding by up to $500 million annually and sell public schools for parts, while siphoning resources for private schools-turned corporate tax havens.
Dixon wants to take her dangerous funding cuts a step further by rewriting our state’s constitution. To distract from her slash and burn public school agenda, Dixon hopes to divide Michiganders and pass legislation combating issues that don’t exist in Michigan schools.
MDP spokesperson Rodericka Applewhaite issued the following statement:
“Every single Republican running for governor has shown Michigan students, parents, or teachers that they will reverse the historic, bipartisan progress made boosting public education under Governor Whitmer. Working families deserve real leadership that will ensure students, parents, and educators have what they need to thrive and prepare future generations of our workforce in order to keep Michigan families first.”
