EDUCATIONAL RECOVERY AND ACCELERATION THROUGH EQUITABLE FUNDING - HOW MICHIGAN’S BUDGET CAN IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR ALL STUDENTS - Brief on the Fiscal Year 2025 Executive School Aid Budget Recommendation

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Callum

Educational Recovery and Acceleration Through Equitable Funding outlines how Michigan’s FY2025 Executive School Aid budget recommendation can improve outcomes and advance equity in K-12 education. It reviews why pandemic recovery remains inadequate, then highlights funding proposals for student learning recovery, before- and after-school programs, and tracking results through common metrics. The brief also summarizes fair-funding priorities, including base foundation increases, Opportunity Index supports, competitive grants, and targeted investments for students with disabilities and English learners, emphasizing effective spending with transparency.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Educational Recovery

Keeping existing programs while investing beyond the status quo

MI Kids Back on Track Program and after-school learning

Fair Funding

Base foundation allowance and targeted increases

Opportunity Index, competitive grants, and accountability

Improving Equity for Key Student Groups

Students with disabilities funding

Funding for English learners

EDUCATIONAL RECOVERY AND ACCELERATION THROUGH EQUITABLE FUNDING: HOW MICHIGAN’S BUDGET CAN IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR ALL STUDENTS BRIEF ON THE FISCAL YEAR 2025 EXECUTIVE SCHOOL AID BUDGET RECOMMENDATION All students deserve access to a high-quality education and theresources they need to thrive. However, in Michigan this has not been the reality for far too long, particularly for students who are the most underserved. Longstanding inequities have persisted and worsened since the beginning of the pandemic, and Michigan has fallen further and faster than leading states since 2019. Further, our pandemic recovery as of 2023 has been woefully inadequate. i To improve our outcomes for all Michigan students, ETM outlined 10 evidence-backed recommendations as part of the 2023 State of Michigan Education Report. In the Fiscal Year 2025 Executive Budget Recommendation , Governor Whitmer includes several key investments for students’educational recovery and acceleration that align with those recommendations. This document is intended to highlight these key pieces of Governor Whitmer’s education budget recommendation and explore how these priorities, as well as other strategies, can advance equity and excellence in Michigan schools. EDUCATIONAL RECOVERY Governor Whitmer has proposed investments to address student recovery largely by maintaining funding for existing programs. Given the ongoing academic impact of the pandemic, we should invest urgently beyond the status quo. • MI Kids Back on Track Program, funding is renewed at $150 million, the same amount as the FY24 budget. This item addresses unfinished learning through evidencebased practices Practices could include high-dosage tutoring, which with effective implementation, can lead to significant learning gains. ii Funding for MI Kids Back on Track is currently nonrecurring, but learning recovery should continue to be prioritized in future years. • Before and After School Programs, funding is also renewed at $50 million for before and after school programs, with no increase in the level of funding for FY25 . Importantly, with high a quality workforce and a supportive environment, out-of-school learning can be a vital resource for students. iii Addressing the many needs of students is imperative for Michigan’s continued educational recovery from the pandemic, as well as closing longstanding opportunity gaps. Also important is tracking the effects of these budget items through common metrics and public reporting to ensure we best direct resources and supports to students in the future. FAIR FUNDING Michigan has a long history of inequitable funding, and even ranked 36th out of 46 states in funding gaps based on income, with the students in the highest-poverty districts receiving about 6% less than students in the wealthiest districts according to 2018-2020 data.iv While the state has made recent historic investments to close longstanding gaps through the Opportunity Index, far more remains to be done.v Governor Whitmer’s executive budget recommendation includes a 2.5% increase to the base foundation allowance , bringing it up to $9,849 per pupil. The recommendation also includes increases in funding for English Learners, funding for students with disabilities, and At-Risk funding. • At-Risk Funding, $23.8 million for weighted funding for students from low-income families and other underserved student groups through the Opportunity Index. The recommendation allows for 30% of funds received through this section to be spent on teacher recruitment and retention in the Partnership districts with poverty rates of 90% or higher. While this represents a step in the right direction , we should invest more deeply into the Opportunity Index in order to achieve the goal weights set in statute last year. Further, ETM recommends accelerating movement toward a system where students from low-income backgrounds receive at least 100% more funding in addition to the base foundati

FAQs

What is the main purpose of this FY2025 education budget brief?

It highlights key parts of Governor Whitmer’s education budget recommendation and explains how these priorities can improve equity and excellence for Michigan students.

How does the brief describe Michigan’s pandemic recovery and current needs?

It argues that recovery as of 2023 has been inadequate and that longstanding inequities have persisted and worsened, requiring urgent investment beyond the current status quo.

Which funding areas does the brief emphasize for fairer education outcomes?

It emphasizes base foundation allowance increases and targeted funding through the Opportunity Index, along with new competitive grants, support for students with disabilities, and increased funding for English learners.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Callum