MID-MICHIGAN – The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) has reaffirmed its commitment to developing a robust school mental health system and is now seeking additional funding to address recent budget cuts. During last week’s meeting, the State Board of Education formally requested state legislators to consider a supplemental budget for fiscal year 2025 to counteract significant reductions in mental health funding.
The MDE highlighted that Section 31aa funding, which supports mental health services in schools, experienced a substantial cut of over $300 million. In a previous budget cycle, mental health funding for schools saw a historic increase from $31.3 million in fiscal year 2019 to $491.8 million in the 2024 budget. However, this allocation was drastically reduced to $136.7 million for the 2025 fiscal year.
According to the MDE, if these budget cuts are not reversed, the progress made in enhancing mental health services over the past five years could be jeopardized. Although current funding for Sections 31n and 31o should allow schools to maintain their existing mental health staff, the reduction in Section 31aa funding may hinder schools’ ability to recruit additional mental health professionals.
In response to these concerns, the State Board of Education has passed a resolution urging the approval of a supplemental budget to restore the previous funding levels on an ongoing basis. Officials expressed hope that the legislature and governor will act favorably on this request to strengthen mental health support for students in the upcoming fiscal year.
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