[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6559152,"mediaKeyId","3216808-91d09e3bee8f6d4343de33f8def45ccc","parentId",3216808,"title","MyLEAP outlines FY2026 budget priorities: pre-K expansion, childcare changes and higher-education grants","audioSeconds",1221,"startMs",279855,"endMs",1500865,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3216808-91d09e3bee8f6d4343de33f8def45ccc&start=279&end=1500","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3216808-91d09e3bee8f6d4343de33f8def45ccc/thumbnail_279855.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6559152/Michigan/MyLEAP-outlines-FY2026-budget-priorities-pre-K-expansion-childcare-changes-and-higher-education-grants","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6559152-cccf62bd8a6a5bd3f43e49d180810271/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136103&Signature=b61~Y2qt6~jKvtnVvnOermdOHvOUa8P16ALS2UxWe8RWTvfATREqXupVISxhiPeJVhwrfa~0sSa0RoUGYrixt13WhFlnmR40qraPy0q~ZwhO7E1TGgvX~ZCajNY8qUnyVakZPPdq70oCdwAQHDi4QS8PcvgpGfxLKl~5t8ZfqPwjVIRcx-kloUbMlF94EQTiZ97xgCV-p0XTOoIH5dalnAQAVBPb2Vk6ocKejoovx4LbD9498vu5sYtaxZyLmCQUO9YIaLRu-poq7fwP9zL7ntL-5GXHrwFhRxuqJQVAIAM9GayzJdx4OcoboTU0YcnrZQNttIu2UeuqxOEtF3t7pw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Michigan Legislature","date","2025-05-08T04:54:46Z","article","Dr. Beverly Walker Grafia, director of the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential (MyLEAP), told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education and Community Colleges that MyLEAP's FY2026 executive budget recommendation keeps prior commitments while adding targeted investments to expand early education and strengthen postsecondary supports.

\"MyLeap was established in 2023 by governor Whitmer to align state resources to ensure that every Michigander has the lifelong educational opportunities they need to achieve their goals and thrive,\" Grafia said. She and deputy director for early education Emily Laidlaw described program outcomes, recent enrollment gains and proposed budget amounts.

Grafia said the executive recommendation continues $676,100,000 for pre-K through the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP), including a $392 per-child increase that brings the per-student allocation to $10,577. The proposal also includes: $28,000,000 for student transportation, $25,000,000 in startup grants to attract new providers, $28,400,000 for EarlyON Michigan (early intervention/support for infants and toddlers with developmental delays), and $63,000,000 in state funding for the child development and care scholarship (maintaining a 15% reimbursement increase implemented this year).

Two new investments in early education were highlighted: $61,000,000 to expand the Strong Beginnings pilot to increase pre-K access for 3-year-olds (the department said 28 Strong Beginnings programs currently serve 392 children in 10 ISDs and that the investment would expand the program to serve 4,003-year-olds in 100 classrooms by 2029) and $50,000,000 to meet new federal requirements for the child development and care scholarship by shifting payments to providers prospectively.

On affordability and employer partnerships, Grafia described the TriShare program, which she said helps lower childcare costs for families by splitting costs among the state, employers and employees; she said TriShare currently serves 750 families and more than 1,100 children. Grafia also said participation in the childcare scholarship for working families has grown by 19,500 children since 2021.

In higher education, Grafia said Michigan has made progress toward the state's 60 by 2030 credential goal (citing a rise to 51.8% of adults with a postsecondary credential) and described proposals to increase support for students. The executive recommendation would add $350,000,000 to the Michigan Achievement Scholarship (a $50,000,000 increase); the department also proposed codifying the Michigan Achievement Scholarship statute into law. The budget would add $15,000,000 (one-time) to the college success fund for competitive grants to public and private four-year institutions, tribal colleges and community colleges. Grafia said nearly 60,000 students are receiving the Michigan Achievement Scholarship so far this year and that the scholarship program saved families an estimated $252,300,000 in tuition statewide.

Grafia said MyLEAP is funded from the General Fund, School Aid Fund and federal dollars, with proposed increases in school aid and general fund dollars while federal funding remains roughly consistent with the prior year. She identified partnerships across state government (including the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, LEO, MDE, MDHHS, LARA and DTMB) and external partners such as early educators, K'12 schools, public and private four-year institutions, tribal colleges and community colleges.

During questioning, Representative Ralph sought clarification about childcare licensing. Emily Laidlaw and Grafia said childcare licensing was transferred from the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) to MyLEAP when the department was established and that enforcement and licensure now fall under MyLEAP. Representative Long John asked about the relationship between licensure and the QRIS (Quality Rating and Improvement System); Grafia replied that QRIS sits alongside licensure (\"Licensure is sort of the base health and safety, and then quality remains\") and that QRIS continues to operate to increase quality across the state's child care providers.

Other budget specifics Grafia cited: continued funding of $50,000,000 for competitive out-of-school-time grants (with $371,000 to administer the program); a per-child GSRP increase of $392; and a proposed codification of the Michigan Achievement Scholarship statute. Grafia said one administration change in the recommendation converts previously limited-term staff positions to ongoing authorization (non-cost FTE authorization changes).

Representative Roth asked whether private institutions are included in the increased Michigan Achievement Scholarship funding; Laura Hall, MyLEAP's director of policy communications and engagement, said the scholarship inclusion applies to both private and public institutions and that the department would follow up with written clarification for the committee. Roth also asked for more detail about the $10,000,000 for FAFSA incentives; Grafia described outreach approaches including early FAFSA completion campaigns, district pilots and incentives that the department has used to encourage timely FAFSA filing.

No formal vote related to the MyLEAP presentation was taken. Earlier in the meeting Representative Roth moved to accept the minutes from April 30; the motion was made without objection and the chair ordered the minutes accepted.

Grafia closed by noting MyLEAP's data dashboards and the myschooldata website as resources for district-level impact reports and contact information for legislative offices.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Appropriations: Subcommittee on Higher Education and Community Colleges - 5/6/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Dr. Beverly Walker Grafia, director of the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential (MyLEAP), presented the department's FY2026 executive budget request to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education and Community Colleges, outlining continued funding for pre-K and childcare scholarships, new investments to expand pre-K to 3-year-olds, and increased support for higher-education grant programs.","taxTitle","2025 House Legislature MI, Michigan","taxId",77683,"location","Michigan","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6559147,"Grand Rapids Community College urges action on unequal state community college funding",398,2376660,2775520,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3216808-91d09e3bee8f6d4343de33f8def45ccc&start=2376&end=2775","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3216808-91d09e3bee8f6d4343de33f8def45ccc/thumbnail_2376660.jpg","/articles/6559147/Michigan/Grand-Rapids-Community-College-urges-action-on-unequal-state-community-college-funding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6559147-ffdf40f1b20593438300ecb1fe14eb43/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136103&Signature=Jv8Eol4dfhBBTJQG~xuD37d-UQXvjFOreekH-GIxiREAtAKNvgnQXK0Z3EEXRVVWkpfqDZ9U6JPuWhxLGcQLCsKhOMCUfTOctD3MUlaeWCmi1PgZ39AlnT4NKWsESsFkoR9mk7f1QgbZ75zt2uemxc4YeOX14CbkmBlUCzbvPx72V35LOGy4ZFaPJPLb2zxFwkKpVCmbYfWuabgi4vA8334aDLBuk7AnnmFDrT7n7VedG2~gxZOvKBfH0-Qq-PtiBDN3T2-COwN4JgJaQqRuCOUm9MkkOoxjzaM~u85LSeS~hWbsx9MSmPcEJH2JVEPdQMhMAmcG2WYjA1oYSZW6iw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lisa Freiberger, interim president of Grand Rapids Community College, told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education and Community Colleges that the current state operational funding formula for community colleges perpetuates large per-student funding disparities and recommended consideration of a funding floor.

\"We are really seeking some attention to that base funding allocation and potentially some, consideration about providing some additional equity throughout that funding system,\" Freiberger said, describing data the college provided to the committee.

Freiberger said Grand Rapids Community College serves more than 12,000 credit-seeking students and approximately 15,000 additional students in noncredit, apprenticeship and customized training programs. She described the gap between the highest- and lowest-funded community colleges under the existing allocation formula: she said the highest-funded community college (Gogebic) received about $9,433 per student in the example year shown, the statewide average was $4,290 per student, the lowest-funded community college (Washtenaw) received about $2,100 per student, and Grand Rapids received about $2,723 per student.

Freiberger explained that the operational allocation formula has a component that allocates new or additional operational dollars based partly (30%) on prior-year state aid, which she said compounds inequities. She said the college is not proposing reallocation of existing dollars away from other colleges but instead proposed establishing a funding floor (possibly phased in over multiple years) so no community college receives less than that minimum level.

When Representative Rogers asked whether the presenter had prepared fiscal estimates for various floor options, Freiberger said she had run scenarios and that the fiscal impact depends on the floor selected; she offered an example that a $3,500 floor would likely require phasing in over five to 10 years and would amount to multiple millions of dollars per year.

Freiberger said the four-year institutions previously had a funding floor established and suggested applying a similar approach to community colleges to address the compounding inequity created by the current formula. Committee members responded with interest in further conversation and potential committee follow-up.

","Lisa Freiberger, interim president of Grand Rapids Community College, told the subcommittee that per-student state operational allocations vary widely across Michigan community colleges and asked legislators to consider establishing a funding floor to reduce inequities.","actionData","errors"]

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MyLEAP outlines FY2026 budget priorities: pre-K expansion, childcare changes and higher-education grants

Grand Rapids Community College urges action on unequal state community college funding