LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday proposed a $61.9 billion state budget, including what she billed as the biggest increase for classroom operations in 20 years.

The plan would boost overall spending by 3.9%.

Whitmer, a Democrat, proposed increasing base per-student funding by $225, or 2.8%, for most schools. She also proposed $60 million increases for special education and academically at-risk and economically disadvantaged students, and $250 payments to teachers who spend their own money on classroom supplies.

Chris Wigent, executive director of the Michigan Association of Superintendents & Administrators, released the following statement regarding the Governors proposed Fiscal Year 2021 budget proposal.

“The budget presented today represents a strong commitment to a more equitable and robust funding formula for Michigan schools. By any measure, the state of Michigan continues to underfund education, so we are pleased to see students and teachers front and center in the 2021 budget proposal. We call on the Legislature to work quickly to adopt a budget that reflects this priority so that district leaders will have certainty as we look to develop our local budgets before the end of June,” Wigent said.

Whitmer again sought funding from the Republican-led Legislature for her proposed Reconnect program to provide tuition-free community college or technical training to nontraditional students age 25 and older who don’t have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. It is backed by the business lobby but was not enacted last year.

Unlike in 2019, Whitmer did not make a fuel tax increase the linchpin of her budget proposal — having recently announced that the state will borrow money to start fixing state-owned roads and bridges.

“This is a thoughtful budget that focuses on increased funding for education and skill development, providing for the health and needs of working families, and protecting Michigan’s water,” she said in a statement.

Whitmer proposed $37.5 in new spending to reduce infant mortality rates and provide expanded health care to pregnant Medicaid recipients and those with infants.

Dr. Derrick Coleman is the superintendent of River Rouge Schools. He wants his students to be success stories on the field —like the high school football team winning the state championship — all the way to the classroom.

“The war on education and the war on poverty has been underfunded because if you want to move people from poverty educate them,” he says.

Dr. Coleman is excited to see the governor increasing the base of per-pupil spending by $225 for most schools. He says the money could help address things like support staff and teacher compensation.

“If you want to have high performing students, you need quality teachers,” he says.

View the budget priories below:

Budget Priorities on Education and Skills

The Governor’s recommended budget makes strong investments in public education, providing the largest funding increase for classroom operations in 20 years. Centered on helping students and teachers obtain the resources they need to be successful, the budget plan for education includes:

• Continuing to move towards a weighted foundation formula based on science and equity.
  • The school aid fund includes a base funding increase of $150 to $225 per pupil, which equates to $8,336 per pupil for districts at the minimum and $8,679 per pupil for districts at the maximum, reducing the gap between the highest and lowest funded districts to $343 per pupil.
  • $60 million (a 100% increase over FY20) in additional funding for special education services to help districts address the wide variety of needs for special education students.
  • $60 million (an 11.5% increase over FY20) in additional funding to support academically at-risk and economically disadvantaged students to allow for additional instructional supports.
  • $5 million (a 38% increase over FY20) in additional funding for English language learners.
• Continuing to fund literacy coaches and expanding resources to improve training for other educators in best practices of literacy learning.
• $42 million in new funding to expand access to preschool programming for the children who need it most.
• $250 for each teacher for classroom supplies, in recognition that teachers spend their own money to supply their classrooms.
• $35 million for the Michigan Reconnect program to provide a tuition-free pathway for adults looking to upskill and earn a postsecondary certificate or associate degree. Implementing Reconnect will help close the skills gap and move the state closer to reaching 60% postsecondary educational attainment by 2030.
• $27.9 million for the Going Pro program to support job training grants to businesses to support training for current and new employees in high-demand, skilled trades industries.
• Funding to eliminate all school lunch debt for Michigan students.

Budget Priorities for Families and Their Health

Knowing that investing in the heath and security of families across Michigan is at the core of creating a vibrant state, the Governor’s budget recommendation includes:

• $37.5 million for the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies programs to ensure Michiganders are given the care they need to have a healthy pregnancy and to expand support for interventions that are proven to increase outcomes for women.
• $27 million to expand access to childcare for families by increasing the income limit from 130% to 150% of the federal poverty level, expanding childcare services to an estimated 5,900 children.
• $12.3 million to expand response to the opioid crisis and assist families and communities with this continued epidemic.
• $10 million for a Lead Poisoning Prevention Fund to protect Michigan families from lead in their homes.
• $86.5 million to double the number of physicians in rural and underserved areas by eliminating debt for medical residency programs.
• Funding for paid parental leave to provide state employees up to 12 weeks paid leave if they are the parent of a newborn or newly adopted child.

Budget Priorities for the Environment, Climate, and Water

The budget also calls for investments centered on the environment, climate change, and clean water to help ensure that Michigan’s abundance of natural resources is protected and preserved for generations to come. These investments include:

• $40 million for local climate resilient infrastructure grants for local units of government to help plan for and prevent the negative impacts of Michigan’s changing climate conditions like high water levels.
• $40 million in grants to school districts for infrastructure upgrades to ensure students have healthy learning environments. These grants will cover air and water filter replacement, lead and asbestos abatement, and other facility upgrades.
• $20 million for rapid response to environmental contamination to provide additional resources to protect Michiganders from contamination across the state.
• $10 million for farmers to implement conservation practices to help mitigate toxic algal blooms in the Great Lakes and impaired watersheds.
• $2.5 million for the construction of the new Milliken Visitors Center located at Arch Rock on Mackinac Island.
• $15 million for the Pure Michigan program, with an invitation for the tourism industry to contribute additional funding to support the campaign.

FY2021_Executive_Budget_680297_7 (1) by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd