Governor Whitmer on Legislature’s Passage of School Aid Bill
Governor celebrates adoption of school aid bill, urges passage of full state budget and disbursement of critical relief for communities facing unprecedented flooding
LANSING, Mich.—Governor Gretchen Whitmer released the following statement on the School Aid Fund budget approved by the Michigan Legislature. She urges the Legislature to continue working together to approve the remaining budget bills despite missing the July 1 statutory deadline and deliver aid to areas impacted by the recent record flooding.
“The bipartisan school aid bill makes historic investments in our children without raising taxes and will help each and every student thrive academically, mentally, and physically,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “I look forward to signing this legislation to expand the Great Start Readiness preschool program for 22,000 more children and connect more students to counselors, psychologists, and nurses in their schools. The bill also delivers on a decades-old goal to close the K-12 school funding gap.”
“Unfortunately, the legislature adjourned without getting the job done and passing a full budget — missing their July 1 deadline. We need to appropriate the $10 million in disaster aid for areas impacted by last weekend’s historic flooding. I am hopeful that the legislature will work quickly to approve a state budget that supports small businesses, fixes our crumbling roads and bridges, expands access to childcare and grows our economy. In the meantime, I will continue to do all that I can to help Michiganders impacted by the flooding get the help and resources they need at the state and federal levels.”
While the legislature today finalized the school aid budget, the rest of the budget remains incomplete. Governor Whitmer proposed her budget in February of 2021 which centered on equitably growing the state’s economy by expanding skills training and childcare for families, providing a further down payment on rebuilding the state’s crumbling bridges and water infrastructure, and helping small businesses recover from the pandemic. The governor is encouraged by the legislature’s move and looks forward to passing a full budget and appropriating the remaining federal stimulus dollar and Michigan’s unprecedented $3.5 billion state surplus to make a real difference in people’s lives right now.
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