Gov. Rick Snyder (R)
Date of Speech: Feb. 16
A year after making a $65 million investment in early education and creating nearly 19,000 full- and part-time preschool seats, Gov. Snyder used his budget address to call for an additional $65 million investment in early education in order to make Michigan what he called a “no-wait state” for pre-K. The state estimates that before last year’s funding increase, 29,000 4-year-olds from low-income families were eligible for state-run preschools but could not get in because there were not enough slots.
The governor has also said the legislature should consider a pilot program for year-round schools. Other state lawmakers have backed the creation of a $10 million fund that at-risk schools could tap to help pay for the infrastructure improvements needed for year-round schools, such as air conditioning. Gov. Snyder did not refer to that specific plan in his speech, but said that summer learning loss is a concern. “There’s evidence out there to show that [students] can lose much of what they learn because they’re not actively in learning mode,” he said.
