If the State’s budget is a representation of our values, then Michigan needs to do some soul searching. For the first time in decades, no part of our Budget has been negotiated by this point in the year – and when Lansing is quiet, it’s not good news for community input.

The school budget is supposed to be finalized by July 1 and the full state budget is supposed to be finalized by September 30th, but the process typically takes months to negotiate and from the public point of view they haven’t even started.

It’s time to act so that schools and publicly funded programs can budget for their next year with funds that support equity and thriving communities.

Child Care Funding

Families need affordable, high-quality child care so they can get to work, but the support from the state can’t sustain a living wage for child care teachers. Michigan has suffered a 28% reduction in available child care over the past two decades, and we cannot afford to lose any more. Help fight for an increase to the child care scholarship so child care providers can better support children and their teachers.

^{This action is in alignment with Goal 3 of the Kalamazoo Blueprint for Peace and in collaboration with a new provider-only child care advocate group, the Michigan Child Care Provider Collective (MICCPC) – Learn More}

School Funding

Cuts and delays from the Federal level are made worse by our own elected officials. For the first time in years, the Legislature has not passed a school budget by July1 – which allows public schools to plan for the Fall. The budget is being negotiated behind closed doors – with only a few State legislators in the room making deals. We need our elected officials to know that our kids individual needs must be supported by continuing dedicated funding – not just increasing funding that goes to each student.

^{This action is in alignment with Goal 3 of the Kalamazoo Blueprint for Peace and the work of two statewide education coalitions. Learn more about the Michigan Education Justice Coalition (MEJC) and the Michigan Partnership for Equity & Opportunity (MPEO).}

Community Violence Intervention

The Michigan Legislature is debating multiple proposals to fund public safety and CVI – and if we want the right funding, we need them to hear from their voters on what we need. Both proposals provide similar total funds for public safety, the funds dedicated to reducing gun violence through a public health approach in the Senate budgets provide a balance of resources to municipalities and programs working in community that are making significant reductions in gun violence.

^{This action is in alignment with Goal 1 of the Kalamazoo Blueprint for Peace and the Michigan CVI Advocacy Coalition.}

Want to learn more about the goals and the work of the Blueprint for Peace. Visit: https://issuu.com/mitransformation/docs/blueprint_for_peace_2024_issu