A proposed ballot initiative to help close Michigan’s $4.5 billion school funding gap has won the endorsement of the State Board of Education.
The Invest in MI Kids amendment would place an additional "fair share" surcharge on incomes of more than $1 million to help fund K-12 public schools.
Molly Sweeney, director of the Detroit-based advocacy group 482 Forward, said the new revenue would help reduce class sizes, recruit and retain teachers and boost career and technical training.
"We know our greatest investment is our kids," Sweeney asserted. "If we’re not putting our money where our mouth is, what are we doing?"
Critics of the amendment said Michigan taxpayers already spend record high amounts per student, yet the state’s reading and math scores remain some of the lowest in the nation. Sweeney stressed the amendment could raise an additional billion dollars a year at a time when federal education funds are under threat.
Support for the amendment has grown since the Trump administration abruptly froze nearly $200 million for Michigan educational programs, including those for after-school and summer learning. The money was later released, but Sweeney argued it revealed the critical need to ensure secure, stable revenue for public school funding.
She noted organizers were inspired by fellow advocates in Massachusetts, which passed a similar amendment in 2022 and has already generated more than $2 billion.
"People are scared about the future of their public schools," Sweeney observed. "I think they find a lot of hope in the fact that we are a citizen-led movement to protect our public education system and to invest in it."
She pointed out while critics of the Massachusetts’ amendment warned it would drive businesses and wealthy households from the state, studies show more millionaires have moved in since it passed.
To qualify for the November 2026 Michigan ballot, supporters will need to gather some 447,000 valid signatures by Feb. 11. They said they are well on track.
