State education leaders cite gains in graduation and CTE but press lawmakers on funding, literacy and teacher pipeline

State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh and Michigan State Superintendent Michael Rice told the Michigan House Committee on Oversight that Michigan has recorded historic highs in several education measures but still faces multi‑billion‑dollar funding shortfalls, persistent teacher shortages and low literacy outcomes.

"This is not the time for finger pointing. It is the time for shared responsibility and action rooted in evidence and empathy," Pugh said in opening remarks to the committee. Rice noted academic gains, saying, "We are at the highest level for a 4 year graduation rate in the state's history, 82.8 percent."

Pugh and Rice walked lawmakers through the Department of Education's Top 10 Strategic Education Plan goals and a slate of legislative requests. Rice described increases in career and technical education (CTE), advanced placement participation and dual enrollment: CTE participation is up 9% over three years, about 112,000 students participate in CTE programs, and 52,000 students completed full CTE programs, the presenters said. Dual enrollment reached about 35,000 students and early middle college nearly 16,000.

The department pressed for targeted funding changes and statutory fixes. Among the specific requests were: - A five‑year plan to reduce CTE "deserts" with an additional $125,000,000 over five years to expand CTE access statewide; - Making the Section 31a funding stream for school mental health and safety recurring rather than annual; - Codifying the Michigan School Meals program to maintain access and avoid annual budget uncertainty; - Expanding LETRS (science‑of‑reading) training statewide and making it mandatory for K‑5 literacy teachers; - Additional funding for high‑quality instructional materials via Section 35m and a targeted effort to lower class sizes in high‑poverty K‑3 classrooms.

Rice and Pugh also cited progress on several measures: the state reached a record 4‑year graduation rate (82.8%), AP participation and AP exam scores increased (AP students up about 12% and students scoring 3–5 up roughly 31% over two years), and Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) enrollment exceeded 47,000. The department reported roughly 1,700 more "helping professionals" (nurses, counselors, social workers, psychologists) over five years and said state investments in school mental health and safety had grown from about $31.3 million in FY2019 to about $250 million in the current fiscal year.

Officials highlighted persistent gaps. Rice cited the School Finance Research Collaborative and MSU research showing long‑term underfunding and singled out special education as an example: the department reported roughly $3.4 billion in special education revenue versus approximately $4.0 billion in expenditures, leaving an estimated funding gap of about $600 million. The department also referenced a statewide estimate of roughly $22.8 billion in school infrastructure needs for traditional public districts over 10 years.

Lawmakers asked detailed questions about measurement, accountability and whether recent budget increases have produced measurable results. Several members urged sharper focus on reading, math and classroom fundamentals; others raised concerns about class size, local control, and how funding is targeted for high‑need students. Rice and Pugh repeatedly tied performance challenges to the long timeline needed to recover from years of underinvestment and to the effects of the pandemic on students who were remote during critical learning windows.

The committee recorded one formal action at the start of the meeting: Representative Menser moved to approve the minutes of the May 20 meeting; "hearing no objections, they're approved," the record shows. The presentation and lengthy Q&A will inform upcoming budget and policy deliberations.