Lansing, Michigan, October 3, 2025—Teach Plus Michigan issued this statement following the finalization of the FY25-26 School Aid Budget:
Late last night, Michigan state legislative leaders and Governor Gretchen Whitmer came together to pass a long-awaited School Aid Budget. Teach Plus and Teach Plus teacher leaders commend the efforts of the Michigan legislature to prioritize student mental health in the latest School Aid Budget. Lawmakers agreed to restore funding for student mental health and school safety to $321 million, marking a significant increase from the previous year’s budget. Teach Plus teacher leaders advocated tirelessly for increased funding for student mental health, authoring op-eds here and here highlighting the importance of adequate student mental health funding and securing verbal commitments from lawmakers to prioritize this line item during budget deliberations.
“This budget represents progress for students and teachers in key areas of our education system, including student mental health, equitable school funding, and support for multilingual learners,” said Teach Plus Michigan Executive Director Ben Locke. “Taken together, these investments will help ensure that Michigan’s students can access the resources they need to succeed academically and pursue their dreams in high school and beyond.”
“Restoring student mental health and school safety funding to $321 million means that our students will have access to the essential resources and support systems that promote their emotional well-being, as well as create a safer learning environment,” said LaShonda Marble, middle school math teacher at Detroit Merit Academy and Teach Plus Michigan Policy Fellowship alumna. “This funding also opens the door to hire more school counselors and mental health professionals, as well as to implement programs that help students develop coping skills. Ultimately, this funding helps ensure that all students can thrive academically and socially, while fostering a healthier school community where every student feels valued and secure.”
Additionally, Teach Plus Michigan applauds the significant increase to the Opportunity Index in this year’s budget, which will drive additional investment to students living in concentrated poverty.
“Through the 25% increase to the Opportunity Index, the students I serve will now have greater access to critical supports like full-time social workers and targeted instructional support programs,” said Kyle Kemppainen, 2025-26 Teach Plus Michigan Senior Policy Fellow and 8th-grade teacher social studies teacher at Bothwell Middle School in Marquette, Michigan. “To build on this progress, we encourage lawmakers to fully fund the Opportunity Index over the next five years and to ensure greater transparency and community involvement in deciding how those funds are spent.”
The new state budget also includes a 25% increase in funding for multilingual learners, another priority of Teach Plus teacher leaders.
Through the new School Aid Budget, lawmakers are also continuing to invest in initiatives vital for student success, including funding for Free Application for Federal Student Aid completion, which Teach Plus teacher leaders have also advocated for, along with continued investment in LETRS training for educators in evidence-based reading instruction. Teach Plus Michigan was also heartened to see a $70 million investment in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, which will help provide postsecondary pathways to students living in “CTE deserts.”
About Teach Plus
The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning for students. teachplus.org/mi
