Legislature Strengthens School Safety and Mental Health Funding

LANSING, MI —The Michigan Alliance for Student Opportunity (MASO), the Michigan Association of Superintendents & Administrators (MASA), the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB), the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA), the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP), and the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association (MEMSPA)  applaud the Michigan House and Senate for passing a School Aid Fund Supplemental, which restores critical investments in school safety and mental health resources for students across the state.

House Bill 5503, introduced by Representative Weiss, Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on School Aid and Education, addresses a key funding gap in the School Aid Fund budget. The bill restores an additional $125 million to the 31aa school safety and mental health fund, a crucial source of support for districts to enhance safety infrastructure and provide mental health services for students. Combined with the existing $25 million appropriation, district and building leaders now have nearly $100 per pupil to spend on student safety and mental health.

With the passage of this School Aid Supplemental, school districts across the state will now have significantly more resources available to better address the mental and physical well being of Michigan’s 1.4 million students. We appreciate the urgency with which the Legislature acted to pass HB 5503 to send these dollars to the classroom.