 Dear Friend,
As a parent, I know your kids are your number one priority. That’s why, since I took office, we have made record, bipartisan investments to set every student up for success. We are feeding all 1.4 million public school students free breakfast and lunch at school, we expanded on-campus mental health and school safety resources, and we raised per-pupil funding by nearly 26% since 2019 so every student has better textbooks and resources from the library to the computer lab.
Earlier this month, when I heard that the Trump administration was reviewing options to cut or completely abolish the U.S. Department of Education, I thought immediately, probably like many of you, about what that would mean for our children.
Nearly 10% of our state’s education budget comes from federal funding, which goes directly to low-income schools, special education, and other critical, on-campus supports. Michigan public schools could stand to lose a significant amount of funding and lose the tools that students need to learn. Things like computers for coding, transparency for parents, and grants that make college more affordable could all be in jeopardy.
 We are doing everything we can to ensure every student has more of the resources they need to succeed, not less.
The balanced 2026 budget I just proposed a few weeks ago continues to set our students up for success by:
✅ Investing $10,000 in every child and every school, ensuring students get the attention and resources they need to succeed.
✅ Expanding support for special education students—a 10% increase.
✅ Continuing to provide free breakfast and lunch to all 1.4 million public school students.
✅ Making the largest investment in career and technical education in Michigan history, so more students can get good-paying jobs right out of high school.
✅ Keeping students safe in school with continued investments in student mental health and upgrading school security.
✅ Fully phasing in the costs of the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, providing a tuition-free pathway for full-time community college students, and two out of three full-time students at public or private 4-year universities, up to $27,500 toward a 4-year degree.
✅ Continuing funding for the MI Future Educator Fellowship and Student Teacher Stipends, providing a tuition-free route to becoming a teacher.
Investing in our kids early gives them a strong foundation for a lifetime of success. Everyone deserves the opportunity to get a high-quality education, secure a good-paying job, and ‘make it’ in Michigan. But deep cuts to the U.S. Department of Education would hurt Michigan kids, put a strain on teachers and parents, and could make it even harder for many Michiganders to afford higher education.
I want to hear from you about how cuts to the U.S. Department of Education would impact you. Fill out this survey, using the button below.
Sincerely,
 Gretchen Whitmer
Governor
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