The state recently released the final report from the Michigan Parents’ Council (MPC), an advisory group Governor Gretchen Whitmer established to better include parents in the education budget process.

The report summarizes feedback from thousands of Michigan parents and seven regional roundtables hosted by the council. The report recommends continued investments in student mental health, school safety, teacher recruitment, learning supports and parent/student feedback on state and local education policy.

MPC members included parents from across the state with children in the pre-K–12 education system representing diverse learning and life experiences.

CMF member Yazeed Moore, senior program officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and 2022 recipient of CMF and the Michigan Forum for African Americans in Philanthropy’s Dr. Gerald K. Smith Award for Philanthropy, serves on the council.

The MPC connected with more than 13,500 parents from every corner of the state through seven in-person community conversations, one virtual roundtable, and an online survey. Feedback was collected from parents in all 83 counties and more than 500 school districts.

The council conducted seven regional roundtables, a virtual statewide event and an online parent survey to engage parent and caregiver voices.

Roundtable findings highlighted that education policy and budget initiatives should continue to:  

• Provide schools with the resources and flexibility to meet the unique learning needs of every student.
• Prioritize and support access to student mental health and school safety funding for schools in the state budget, including funds for counselors and social workers, school programming and curricula. 
• Continue supporting creative teacher recruitment and certification funding strategies. 
• Expand opportunities for parents and students to give feedback on state and local education policy and budget initiatives. 

“Parents are their children’s first and most important teachers, and by including their perspectives in the policymaking process, we can set our kids up for long-term success,” Whitmer said.

Want more?

Read the full report.