Whitmer pitches education ‘transparency’ plan as Michigan test scores lag

• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is pitching increased ‘transparency’ and funding for Michigan schools
• The announcement comes as Michigan lags the nation on test scores
• Under both Republican and Democratic leadership, the state has made literacy reform efforts

With new test results showing Michigan students continue to struggle, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is preparing to pitch lawmakers on what she’s calling a “SMART” plan to increase school transparency and boost funding. 

The plan, which Whitmer is expected to detail next week in her executive budget proposal, will focus on “students, metrics and results with transparency,” spokesperson Stacey LaRouche told Bridge Michigan.

Among other things, LaRouche said the plan will award districts for increasing parental communication about student outcomes, increase per-pupil funding, double funding for literacy grants and invest more in mental health and school safety.

State Budget Director Jen Flood is scheduled to present the governor’s budget proposal to lawmakers next Wednesday. In the following months, the Republican-led House will present its own budget proposal, and the Democrat-led Senate will propose another before all sides negotiate a final deal by October 1. 

Whitmer will need some Republican support to fund her ideas. 

While full details of the plan are not yet known, LaRouche said Whitmer’s proposal will use funding “to add transparency measures such as awarding districts for implementing best practices and increasing transparency around student outcomes for parents through a combination of direct reporting to parents, improved dashboards, and board meetings to improve parental engagement.”

Related:

• Michigan test scores lag again; students fall farther behind peers in reading
• Report: Michigan teacher workforce ‘less experienced’ than before pandemic
• More teachers work outside areas of expertise in high-poverty Mich. districts

Whitmer’s office released an outline of her plans on the heels of sobering student test results in Michigan and the nation. 

On the biennial National Assessment of Educational Progress, Michigan fourth and eighth grade students’ average reading scores were lower than the last time the test was administered, in 2022. Math scores were up for fourth graders in Michigan but fell among eighth graders.

In reading, just 24% of Michigan fourth graders were deemed proficient in 2024, down from 28% in 2022 and well below the 30% nationally. In math, 37% of Michigan fourth graders were proficient last year, up from 32%. 

Republicans used the test results to argue that Whitmer and fellow Democrats have not focused enough on the basics of education.

“Parents don’t send their children to school so they can be taught woke DEI nonsense,” Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, wrote on social media. “They send them to school so they can learn to read and write. If they can’t do that the system failed. We need to get back to basics.” 

Republicans also contend Democrats have weakened transparency and accountability programs, including an A to F school grading system that the Legislature and Whitmer repealed in 2023. Bill sponsor Matt Koleszar, D-Plymouth, had called the system “duplicative and ineffective.” 

In 2022 when Republicans across the country and state were pushing for “parental rights,” Whitmer announced the creation of the Michigan Parents’ Council. The council released a report but with only four recommendations, none of which were new to education leaders and at least some of which were vague. 

Venessa Keesler, President and CEO of Launch Michigan, a bipartisan nonprofit group working to reform state education, told Bridge it’s common for people to use NAEP scores to further their talking points. But Michigan has taken steps to improve literacy, including spending on literacy coaches and training, she said.

“I think we need to be more focused on making sure every district has a research-based reading curriculum and I think we need to make sure that there’s more focus on instructional practice and instructional walkthroughs,” Keesler said. 

Researchers at Michigan State University’s Education Policy Innovation Collaborative found in 2022 that reading lessons across classrooms and districts varied widely. Many of the instruction materials or curriculum were unrated or poorly rated in aligning with standards.

In the current state education budget, lawmakers allocated $87 million for the Michigan Department of Education to create a “committee for literacy achievement” that will evaluate literacy materials, professional development and tools. The group will rank these items and then districts can apply for funding and receive more funds for highly-ranked items.