A local member of the Michigan Legislature said a recently passed school aid budget will help students not only in his district but statewide if the governor approves it.
State Rep. Rodney Wakeman (R-Saginaw Township) said the school aid budget will give students in the state the “tools they need to achieve success in their futures.”
The budget, which represents the largest-ever investment in the state’s schools includes boosting funding to $50 per student as well as $16 million in equipment grants. In addition, with the additional funding the state’s education system will be able to triple its investment in literacy coaches and nearly triple funding for people whose primary language is not English.
Michigan state Rep. Rodney Wakeman (R-Saginaw Township)
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In addition to helping regular education classes, the budget also provides help for other students as well. The plan calls for more than $500 million for at-risk students and $60 million more than was allocated last year to reimburse districts for special education costs.
“This school aid budget is a testament to what we can achieve as a state when we prioritize what matters to families across Michigan,” Wakeman said. “We are making key investments in the areas that research studies have deemed important to improve achievement for all students without imposing a national-high gas tax on hard-working Michigan residents.”
With the approval of the legislature, the budget now goes to the desk of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Wakeman said the plan the legislature presented not only meets but exceeds what Whitmer had asked for, making him hopeful the governor will sign it.
“It’s time to stop playing politics and start putting our children’s education first,” he said.
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