Michigan Board of Education seeks to reverse $300 million cut in student mental health funding

Michigan – Requesting a supplemental budget for the 2025 fiscal year, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is pushing for more mental health care in educational environments. This action follows the recent notable cut in financing allocated to support student mental health initiatives.

Members of the State Board of Education decided unanimously last week to ask state legislators to review and change the extreme planned budget cuts. The MDE reports that Section 31aa funding has been cut more than $300 million. Funding mental health projects in schools used to be mostly dependent on this particular field.

Michigan’s dedication to school mental health financing has not always been constant historically. The educational aid laws of the state lacked specific mental health financing as recently as 2018. But there was a clear rise in later years; financing peaked in the 2024 budget at $491.8 million. The expected budget for 2025 reduced funds to just $136.7 million, therefore stopping this encouraging trend.

The cut in financing carries the risk of slowing down the development in enhancing mental health services in educational institutions throughout the past five years. Although present financing under Section 31n and 31o will help schools to keep their current mental health staff, capacity to hire more professionals—which is absolutely essential for increasing services—would be hampered.

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Understanding the seriousness of the matter, the State Board of Education has approved a resolution asking for an additional budget to guarantee continuous support for these essential programs. This appeal seeks not just to restore recently lost funds but also to create a more solid financial basis for next mental health projects in educational institutions.

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Officials attending the conference hope the governor and the Michigan legislature would acknowledge the urgent need for strong mental health treatment in educational institutions and approve the extra funding for the fiscal year 2025. This funding is considered important for maintaining the momentum in mental health advances and guaranteeing that Michigan students have access to required support services.