Michigan School Safety, Mental Health Budgets Slashed by 90%

Michigan schools are scrambling to adjust staffing levels and student supports after a massive cut to the state’s budget for student mental health and school safety.

The budget decreases per-pupil grants for mental health and school safety by well over 90%, down from $328 million in the previous budget to around $26.5 million, WILX 10 reports. The original presented budget was $300 million.

“That’s the money that is not only upgraded equipment and policies but directly pays for the SROs and the police that are in many different school buildings around the state right now,” said Robert McCann, Executive Director of the K12 Alliance of Michigan. “You’re very likely going to see districts really having trouble maintaining the counselors that are in schools, the social workers that are in schools, you know, the people that we know help students succeed in the classroom.”

Last week, the Michigan Education Association (MEA) urged lawmakers to invest more in school safety and mental health.

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“With proper funding for mental health services, our schools can hire more mental health professionals who can work to identify and address relatively minor issues before they spiral out of control,” said its president.

According to a report from the American School Counselor Association, Michigan is the second worst state in the U.S. for student-per-counselor ratio.

RELATED: SCHOOL COUNSELOR SHORTAGES BY STATE AND ITS IMPACT ON STUDENTS

Michigan Teachers Speak Out Against Safety Budget Cuts

Jason Mellema, superintendent of the Ingham Intermediate School District in Mason, Mich., told WILX that his district provided mental health services to over 600 students last school year.

“Most districts were estimating that they would see a higher amount of support and so I think now with where this budget ended up with some of those decreases absolutely believe that staffing levels are going to something that local districts are going to be having some tough conversations about,” he said. “Whether it’s resource officers that might be inside schools, safety officers, other safety components that school districts have used to make the facilities, the infrastructure safer.”

Livonia Public Schools Superintendent Andrea Oquist told Chalkbeat that the cut would reduce the $3 million it received to hire extra psychologists, social workers, security personnel, and security cameras to $225,000.

“That is a devastating cut to every school in the state for a variety of programs that are directly designed to not only keep students safe, but healthy. We know that’s critically important to their success in the classroom,” she said. “It’ll vary from district to district in terms of the significant impact it will have. But it’s safe to say that the effect will be profound.”

Michigan School Budget to Increase Funding for Low-Income Families

While the budget significantly decreases mental health and safety budgets, it invests $1 billion in programs that support students from low-income families — the highest amount ever allocated, according to Chalkbeat. The funding will be distributed to districts through the state’s “opportunity index,” a funding formula established last year to provide more money to districts serving communities with higher concentrations of poverty.

“Additional investments in the Opportunity Index are critical to right the past wrongs and ensure that students with the greatest needs in Michigan – Black and Latino students, students from low-income backgrounds, English Learners, and students with disabilities – have every opportunity to reach their highest potential,” Alice Thompson, chair of the education committee of the NAACP Detroit branch, wrote in a statement.

RELATED: TEACHER SHORTAGES BY STATE AND HOW SCHOOLS ARE TRYING TO FIX THE PROBLEM

An analysis by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan found only 55% of the state’s largest school districts showed a history of equitable per-pupil spending with state dollars, despite an increase in at-risk funds in recent years, Chalkbeat reports. According to Ed Trust-Midwest, despite making progress last year, Michigan still ranks among the worst in the nation in the percentage of funding allocated to support English language learners.

The legislation allows districts to use up to 30% of the money to reduce teacher-student ratios in K-3 classrooms and 30% for teacher recruitment and retention.

The budget heads to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s desk for approval and would go into effect Oct. 1.