GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As children prepare to head back to school nationwide and here at home, school districts are dealing with an unprecedented number of staffing shortages.
Every position from bus drivers to teachers needs to be filled.
Education funding was a big part of the new state budget agreed on last month. While the budget does not include specific line items to increase salary or benefits for teachers already working in the classroom, it does provide support and incentives for new teachers.
The budget allocated $175 million for "Grow Your Own Grants," which gives districts a no-cost pathway for support staff or long-term substitutes to become certified teachers.
The budget also includes a $50 million stipend for student teachers looking to join the workforce.
"We've got some incentive pay that we were able to get done in this budget, helping student teachers, as with per diems, these are ways that we can acknowledge these are important jobs or tough jobs. And we want to help get good people to stay in these jobs, but also to go into this field," said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
$305 million has been appropriated for scholarships to college students earning their initial teacher certification. $25 million of that money will be given out during the upcoming fiscal year.
Additionally, the new budget provides funding for mental health resources, special education and school safety.
Safety remains top of mind for parents after a year of a number of school shootings, including one in Oxford.
The state made a big investment in school security with new legislation passed this summer, which aims to keep our students safe.
One new piece of legislation helps schools implement risk assessments of their campus to find out where more support is needed. It will also allow schools to complete critical incidence mapping to see if emergency plans and protocols are effective.
$14 million will be awarded to schools for $2,000 grants to complete a comprehensive safety and security assessment.
"Physical safety is as important as all of those other things as well. And that's why getting these additional resources so that districts can take whatever actions they deem necessary to improve the safety of their student body, their teachers, paraprofessionals, and everyone who works at schools," Whitmer said.
The legislation also invests directly in Oxford Community Schools. It provides funding to help them hire mental health professionals and enhance security.
In the budget, there are also millions of dollars in funding for mental health services for every student in every school. Plus, money to hire more campus resource officers and funds to create an intervention system for at-risk students.
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