Educational Recovery and Acceleration through Equitable Funding: How Michigan's Budget Can Improve Outcomes for All Students. Brief on the Fiscal Year 2025 Executive School Aid Budget Recommendation

All students deserve access to a high-quality education and the resources they need to thrive. However, in Michigan this has not been the reality for far too long, particularly for students who are the most underserved. Longstanding inequities have persisted and worsened since the beginning of the pandemic, and Michigan has fallen further and faster than leading states since 2019. Further, pandemic recovery as of 2023 has been woefully inadequate. To improve outcomes for all Michigan students, Education Trust-Midwest (ETM) outlined 10 evidence-backed recommendations as part of the 2023 State of Michigan Education Report. In the Fiscal Year 2025 Executive Budget Recommendation, Governor Whitmer includes several key investments for students' educational recovery and acceleration that align with those recommendations. This document is intended to highlight these key pieces of Governor Whitmer's education budget recommendation and explore how these priorities, as well as other strategies, can advance equity and excellence in Michigan schools.