Lansing, Michigan – Michigan’s latest education budget puts reading at the center of the classroom, but its reach begins before preschool and continues through college.
Signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as her eighth and final education budget, the bipartisan fiscal year 2027 plan directs $502 million toward literacy while maintaining programs designed to help students eat, learn and prepare for careers without placing additional costs on families.
The spending package fulfills a major promise from Whitmer’s 2026 State of the State address through the Every Child Reads plan. It combines early education, teacher training and direct academic support, including $50 million for high-impact tutoring and $135 million for before-school, after-school and summer programs.
“This education budget will help every Michigan student succeed, from pre-K to postsecondary and beyond,” Whitmer said.
She called the literacy funding an investment in “early starts, proven methods, and extra help” for students.
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Teacher preparation is a major part of the strategy. The budget provides $123.1 million for science-of-reading training, including $75 million for Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, known as LETRS. Nearly 7,200 educators have completed the training, while more than 5,700 are currently enrolled.
Another $50 million will encourage districts to use literacy curricula aligned with research-based reading methods. Funding for literacy coaches rises to $10.5 million, four times the level provided when Whitmer entered office.
The wider school budget also continues free breakfast and lunch for Michigan’s 1.4 million public school students. The $200 million program is estimated to save families about $1,000 annually for each child.
Schools will receive an additional $250 per student under a 2.5% increase in base funding, bringing the total to $10,300 per pupil. Michigan is also directing $278 million toward students who are economically disadvantaged, learning English, enrolled in career and technical education, or attending rural districts.
Other investments include $321 million for mental health and school safety, $150 million for educator bonuses and support, $125 million for districts facing unusually high transportation costs and $123 million for special education.
Beyond K-12 classrooms, the budget continues free pre-K, supports free community college pathways and provides $532 million for the Michigan Achievement Scholarship. Nearly 90,000 students across all 83 counties received that scholarship during the previous school year.
State Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko said the budget and new reading legislation demonstrate what can happen when leaders work together across party lines. He said making literacy Michigan’s top education priority will help ensure students are prepared not only for school, but also for life.