Budget Update (Aug. 21): House plan rolls categoricals into one pot (Sec. 22f) — eliminating dedicated early childhood funding

Thank you for speaking up for Michigan's youngest children. Here's the house budget and why matters for families in Michigan:

What the House plan does

• Sweeps dozens of "categorcials" into a per-pupil bucket. Once swept, there are no guarantees dollars are spent on their original purposes.
• Eliminates Section 32p (Early Childhood Block Grant) — the only dedicated state funding for Great Start Collaboratives (GSCs), Great Start Family Coalitions (GSFCs), and home visiting coordination — and rolls it into 22f.
• Eliminates Universal School Breakfast & Lunch (30d) by rolling it into 22f.
• Eliminates or rolls into 22f: School Mental Health & Supports (31n), Per-Pupil Mental Health & School Safety (31aa), Vision/Hearing/Dental screenings (31a(8)), Locally Grown Produce (31j), Adult Education (107), English Learner supports (41), and multiple CTE lines (61a/61b/61d/62), plus early literacy supports (35a(5), 35a(7)).
• The Michigan Department of Education confirms this approach puts school meals, EL, mental health, literacy coaches, CTE, assessments and more into one category (22f) and notes the House plan shifts over $1.9B from School Aid to Higher Ed.
• The MEA’s budget analysis also warns the House plan "replaces state programs addressing specific issues with a single per-pupil allocation (Sec. 22f)."

Why this harms families — especially birth to age 5

• Babies and toddlers aren't in a K–12 headcount. Moving 32p into a per-pupil formula means birth-to-5 services lose by design.
• Parent voice and accountability disappear when dedicated lines are erased. 32p is what requires GSCs/GSFCs to convene partners and elevate families' input county-by-county.
• It fractures a two-decade statewide network (a GSC in every county) that coordinates developmental screening, home visiting referrals, and early literacy supports so children arrive at kindergarten ready to learn.
• Local leaders are forced to make impossible trade-offs (buses vs. home visiting; HVAC vs. literacy coaches) with no guardrails to protect early childhood, meals, mental health, or CTE.

What we're asking lawmakers to do

• Restore 32p, 32p(4) and 32p(6) as dedicated lines (keep GSCs/GSFCs and home visiting coordination intact).
• Keep key categoricals outside 22f, including school meals (30d), school mental health (31n/31aa), EL (41), and early literacy (35a).
• Pair local flexibility with accountability and parent voice — not a sweep that erases them.

Two-minute action you can take today

Call or email your State Representative and Senator. (If you live in Michigan, tell them you support the Great Start Collaboratives and Family Coalition's work with families of children birth–8.)

Script (copy/paste):
"Hello, I'm a constituent from [city/township]. I'm asking you to oppose rolling categoricals into Section 22f and to restore dedicated early childhood funding (32p) that supports Great Start Collaboratives, Family Coalitions, and home visiting. Please keep school meals, school mental health, EL supports, CTE, and early literacy outside 22f with guardrails and reporting. Families need both strong K–12 and protected birth-to-5 investments. Thank you."

Then share this petition with 3 friends so local families see it.

With gratitude,
Breanne Green