Michigan Lawmakers Push Federal Education Program to Address State's Reading Crisis

Michigan Lawmakers Push Federal Education Program to Address State's Reading Crisis

LANSING — Michigan lawmakers are increasingly focused on the state's K-12 reading crisis, with some now pushing for the state to join a federal program that would allow donors to receive tax credits for contributions to scholarship funds.

The push comes as Michigan faces one of the worst literacy challenges in the nation. Just 38.9% of third graders were proficient on the English language arts portion of the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress last year, representing the lowest performance in the exam's 11-year history. Nationally, only 24% of Michigan fourth graders were proficient in 2024 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, ranking the state 44th in the nation for fourth-grade reading.

U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon recently visited Hamtramck, Michigan, and urged Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to opt the state into the Education Freedom Tax Credit program. The program would give donors tax credits of up to $1,700 for contributions to scholarship-granting organizations. Students could use the money for tuition or other educational expenses at public schools, religious schools, private schools, or for home-schooling.

Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, a Republican from Richland Township, and state Rep. Tim Kelly, a Republican from Saginaw, have spoken at the event. Hall said he is working with Whitmer on efforts to improve literacy and described the federal program as another way to improve student achievement.

"If they're in a failing school, this could be the lifeline for their family with these scholarships to go into another school that will help unlock their potential," Hall said. "So this is another tool that Michigan needs, and I'm very hopeful that Gov. Whitmer will see that, to see what other governors have seen and opt us in."

Republican state Reps. Matt Maddock of Milford, Alicia St. Germaine of Harrison Township, Joseph Pavlov of Kimball, and Mike Harris of Clarkston also attended McMahon's event.

Previously, Whitmer has vetoed similar state efforts to pass a tax-credit scholarship program. A Whitmer spokesperson said Friday she had nothing to add from Whitmer's previous comments about the program.

State Superintendent Glenn Maleyko did not directly answer whether he wants the state to opt in. "My priority is adequate and equitable funding for public schools in Michigan," Maleyko said in a statement. "I believe federal resources should be devoted to those priorities."

State's Reading Problem Deepens

Michigan's literacy challenge has persisted even as other states that have invested heavily in early literacy have improved. The state spent $788 million more on higher education in the current budget, mostly on new scholarship programs, according to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

Lawmakers have also spent on various expensive priorities. The state spends $220 million more on the state police, and $215 million more on the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.

When Democrats took majorities in both chambers of the Legislature in 2023, corporate welfare was their top priority. They authorized $4.7 billion in selective subsidies over their two years of control. Authorizations included money for electric vehicle plants that got shifted into other things and site preparation for a semiconductor plant that was never built.

Legislators are now spending less on pork projects, or "legislatively directed spending," as some call it. This type of spending ballooned to $1.8 billion in fiscal year 2023-24, but it has since come down to $360 million in the current fiscal year.

Bipartisan Efforts Underway

The legislative action comes as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has made addressing literacy a priority for 2026, her last year in office. During her State of the State address last month, Whitmer detailed steps already underway to improve literacy and recommendations in her budget proposal for the coming fiscal year.

Among them is additional money she wants to invest in high-impact literacy tutoring, high-quality curriculum, literacy training for teachers, and hiring of literacy coaches.

"This is a serious problem," Whitmer said in the address. "Our kids deserve better."

In 2016, fueled by similarly troubling test results in reading, lawmakers passed a Read by Grade 3 law that required early intervention, the hiring of literacy coaches, and the retention of third graders struggling to read. The retention rule has since been rescinded.

Ten years since that broad effort, Michigan's student literacy problem continues.

Rep. Nancy DeBoer, a Republican from Holland who chairs the House Education and Workforce committee, introduced bipartisan legislation that would require that by the 2031-32 school year, all K-5 educators who provide, support, or oversee instruction, including in literacy, must have been trained in the science of reading.

"The science of reading also figures prominently in a bipartisan bill introduced by Rep. Tim Kelly, a Republican from Saginaw Township," according to reports. Kelly described the bill as "a long overdue rescue mission for the next generation of Michigan's workers, citizens, and leaders."

Kelly said Wednesday that teacher preparation programs that don't equip teachers with the tools needed to teach children to read have forfeited their right to operate in Michigan.

"We must stop subsidizing failure," Kelly said.

The state has funded LETRS training, but thus far hasn't made it a requirement. In September, the State Board of Education urged that it become a mandate for all K-5 teachers, saying the lack of one "has led to inconsistent participation of Michigan educators and inconsistent access to instruction based on the science of reading for Michigan's students."

What Michigan Families Need to Know

The Education Freedom Tax Credit program would allow Michigan families to donate to student education and receive a tax break of up to $1,700. The donated money goes to organizations that grant scholarships, which helps parents receive money to pay for tutoring or other support.

Currently, Michigan ranks near the bottom in the nation at the fourth grade reading level. The program would start in 2027 and has already been adopted by 27 states.

Democrats have criticized similar models as allowing public dollars to pay for private education, which would be forbidden by the Michigan Constitution. The Michigan Education Justice Coalition's Katherine Nitz told Bridge Michigan the program would "weaken public schools" and "sets the stage for privatization."

"This would wind up gutting public school funding, which is already tenuous in Michigan," Nitz said.

The program would require students to be eligible to enroll in a public elementary or secondary school and from a household with income not greater than 300% of the area's median gross income.

The Bottom Line

Whether Michigan joins the federal program or not, the state's reading crisis continues to be a major concern for lawmakers and educators. With Whitmer's budget focusing on literacy tutoring, curriculum, teacher training, and literacy coaches, the state is taking steps to address the problem.

But for families across West Michigan, the question remains: what works best to ensure their children can read and succeed in school?