REBUILDING EQUITABLY: OVERCOMING EDUCATIONAL INEQUITY THROUGH MICHIGAN’S BUDGET - Brief on the Fiscal Year 2022 Executive School Aid Budget Recommendation

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob

Rebuilding Equitably outlines how Michigan’s Fiscal Year 2022 Executive Budget Recommendation for Executive School Aid and Emergency Education Relief Funds can address educational inequity intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. It argues learning recovery must combine accelerated recovery investments with long-term reforms to advance equitable school funding. The brief details needs in learning recovery, academic support like high-dosage tutoring, physical and mental health, postsecondary readiness, summer learning, and locating missing students, then discusses fair school funding principles and foundation allowance increases.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Learning Recovery

Academic Recovery

Physical and Mental Health

Postsecondary Readiness and Transition

In-Person Summer Learning

Locating Missing Students

Fair School Funding

Foundation Allowance Increases

Reducing Per-Pupil Funding Gaps

REBUILDING EQUITABLY: OVERCOMING EDUCATIONAL INEQUITY THROUGH MICHIGAN’S BUDGET BRIEF ON THE FISCAL YEAR 2022 EXECUTIVE SCHOOL AID BUDGET RECOMMENDATION By Tabitha Bentley, Ph.D, and Riley Stone The past year has demonstrated the fragility of Michigan’s public education system and longstanding inequities, amid the rapidly evolving global pandemic. One year ago, Governor Whitmer proposed a budget without mention of COVID-19, which had not yet come into the public consciousness. Just weeks later, schools across the state were abruptly closed as Michigan’s first cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed. The past year has seen inequities abound as school closings have been followed by a patchwork of reopenings and a shift to virtual instruction amida significant digital divide. Some students have returned to inperson instruction in recent months, yet hundreds of thousands continue to attend virtually, and thousands remain unaccounted for. i It would be easy, in this moment, to focus only on the devastating educational impact of COVID-19. Yet as highlighted in The Education Trust-Midwest’s recent report, The Urgency of Now: Michigan’s Educational Recovery, we must instead accelerate efforts toreimagine public education and support the broader educational recovery caused by longstanding inequities that have hindered educational opportunity for decades. Whether learning disruption and inequity are the product of a recent crisis or systemic undercurrent, our top priority must be a full recovery for every student. In the Fiscal Year 2022 Executive Budget Recommendation and the spending of Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Funds, Governor Whitmer outlines investments intended to support the immediate recovery students require, while also making progress on the longterm goal of building a more equitable approach to school funding. This document is intended to highlight key pieces of Governor Whitmer’s education budget recommendation and how these priorities can advance equity and excellence in Michigan schools. Read more research and analysis from the Education Trust-Midwest at: [www.michiganachieves.com](www.michiganachieves.com) LEARNING RECOVERY The acute need for learning recovery amid the ongoing pandemic should not overshadow gaps in access, opportunity and outcomes that long predated COVID-19; however, unfinished learning during the pandemic can also not be ignored. Research suggests that school closures may result in Black students falling behind by 10.3 months, Hispanic students by 9.2 months and low-income students by more than a year. ii Furthermore, our own data shows that online virtual instruction is a significant challenge for hundreds of thousands of Michigan children due to a lack of digital access in their household. iii Governor Whitmer has proposed $250 million in one-time funding to address student recovery in the following areas: • Academic recovery, including targeted interventions such as high-dosage tutoring. Effective implementation of tutoring has been shown to lead to significant learning gains.iv • Physical and mental health, recognizing the considerable toll that shutdowns, increased isolation and trauma has had on many students and their families , physically and emotionally. • Postsecondary readiness and transition, to ensure that graduating students are prepared to enter creditbearing courses as they transition into postsecondary education. Additionally, Governor Whitmer has proposed one-time funding to support student’s educational recovery through: • In-person summer learning for two summers – Highquality summer learning programs help make up for learning lost as a result of school closures and virtual instruction. This research-based practice for learning recovery would be supported through $120 million over two years.v • Locating missing students – Students cannot learn if they are not engaged, yet fall enrollment data did not account for more than 50,000 students.vi

FAQs

Why does the brief emphasize educational inequity beyond COVID-19?

It states that gaps in access, opportunity, and outcomes predated COVID-19 and that recovery efforts must accelerate broader educational improvement caused by long-standing inequities.

What learning recovery funding areas does the brief describe for Fiscal Year 2022?

It highlights academic recovery (including high-dosage tutoring), physical and mental health supports, and postsecondary readiness and transition.

How does the budget recommendation address fair school funding?

It increases the per-pupil foundation allowance for all districts, with a greater increase for districts at the minimum, aiming to reduce the funding gap between the lowest and highest allowances.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob