Lansing Update: House Budget Plan Provides Millions for Nonpublic Schools
Posted May 1, 2026
Budget Action Picking Up as House, Senate Approve Proposals
In the past two weeks, both the full House and Senate have passed their budget proposals for the fiscal year that would begin October 1. The Governor proposed her budget earlier this year.
The work now begins to reach a final budget that both chambers can agree to and the Governor will sign. State law requires that a budget be presented to the Governor by July 1.
During each budget cycle, MCC advocates for funding to support Catholic and nonpublic schools, Catholic Charities agencies, and other initiatives that serve families and children in need.
Throughout the budget process, MCC meets with key lawmakers in both chambers and both parties to advocate for this funding.
As detailed in the stories below, most MCC priorities are included in one or more budget proposals that have been presented. The House education budget, in particular, provided funding for all MCC requests for supporting nonpublic schools, from school safety and mental health services to inclusion in teacher recruitment programs.
While the final budget will likely differ, the inclusion of these provisions in one or more budget proposals is helpful ahead of negotiations between the parties. MCC will continue to stay in contact with lawmakers regarding these funding priorities as they finalize the next state budget.
House Budget Continues $21m in School Safety Funding for Nonpublic Schools
Catholic and nonpublic schools across Michigan would continue receiving $21 million in state funding for school safety improvements and services, under a proposed budget for next year recently passed by the state House of Representatives.
The House-approved version of the state budget that would take effect October 1 continues the substantial support for improving safety in nonpublic schools that was adopted in last year’s budget.
The $21 million total available to nonpublic schools includes $14 million for building safety and security improvements, $3.5 million to hire school resource officers, and $3.5 million to hire mental health counselors.
In a new development from last year’s adopted budget, the House budget would also include nonpublic schools as career options for student teachers or those preparing to become teachers who also receive state support (read more about these programs and why they are important for nonpublic schools in the next article).
The state Senate also recently passed its budget proposal for next year. Both the House and Senate budget proposals for next year would support nonpublic schools in the following ways:
- $1.6 million to continue offering school meals to all students in nonpublic schools that already serve breakfast and lunch through the federal meal program.
- $1 million to continue reimbursing nonpublic schools for the cost of complying with state-mandated health and safety regulations.
- $600,000 in grant funding for nonpublic students to have continued opportunities to participate in robotics competitions to bolster their STEM skills.
- Funding for nonpublic school students to participate in dual enrollment, which allows high school students to enroll in college courses and earn college credits.
The Senate budget did not include school safety funding for nonpublic schools or include nonpublic schools in the teacher recruitment programs.
Nonpublic Schools Included in Teacher Recruitment Initiatives Under House Plan
In recent years the state has been funding programs to address the ongoing teacher shortage in Michigan—which affect both public and nonpublic schools—by providing incentives to student teachers and college students studying to be teachers.
However, these incentives have effectively only been available to teachers who go on to teach in public schools. MCC has been working with lawmakers to include nonpublic schools as career options for these teachers who receive state support, recognizing that all students need quality teachers, and that teachers often move between public and nonpublic schools in their careers.
The proposed House budget would include nonpublic schools as career options for student teachers or those preparing to become teachers who receive state support across two different programs.
One program provides $9,600 stipends for college students who student-teach in public schools. However, the stipend has not been available for individuals student teaching in a nonpublic school.
The House budget would extend that eligibility to nonpublic schools.
In a similar program, the state has been making available $10,000 in yearly assistance for certain college students studying to be teachers. Currently, students who go on to teach in public school would not have to repay the assistance received from the state, but they would have to repay it if they ended up teaching in a nonpublic school. This essentially removes the option for beginning a career teaching in nonpublic schools for these teachers.
However, the proposed House budget would expand the program’s eligibility to allow teachers that receive assistance to teach in nonpublic schools without having to repay the assistance.
For more on why including nonpublic school teachers in these type of programs is important, watch the video below.
Legislative Budgets Maintain MCC Funding Priorities That Support Families, Kids
Three key priorities MCC is advocating for in the state budget that help children and families would continue in next year’s state budget under proposals passed by the House and Senate.
The state diaper assistance grant program, which is supported by MCC and provides funding to nonprofit agencies that distribute diapers free of charge, would continue at the current $6.4 million under the Senate budget.
The House also continues the program, but at $718,800, in an effort to align the budget with actual annual expenditures. The House proposal also includes language requested by MCC that stipulates that the diaper program must be offered in all 83 Michigan counties.
The House and Senate budgets would continue funding that support the work of Catholic Charities agencies that care for foster children and provide services to foster parents. Both budgets maintain the current foster care administrative rate, which supports agency services for foster parents and kids.
Finally, both the House and Senate maintain funding for services for homeless and runaway youth in crisis. The House set the amount at $11.8 million and the Senate at $12.5 million.
MCC’s most recent Focus shares the how funding for all three programs mentioned above make a difference in serving families and children at the local level.
Another program that benefits mothers and children that MCC is watching in the budget process is RxKids, an initiative supported by MCC that provides direct cash assistance to pregnant women and their babies in communities across the state. The program is both privately and publicly funded.
The Senate continues the program at $20 million, while the House did not provide additional funding. The current budget allocated $250 million in one-time funding for RxKids, in addition to the annual $20 million.
Senate Approves Bills Limiting Kids’ Access to Social Media; Artificial Intelligence Bots
The Senate this week passed a four-bill package supported by MCC to limit children’s access to addictive social media feeds and “companion chatbots” powered by artificial intelligence.
MCC supports Senate Bills 757–760 because they seek to protect children from the online harms associated with unfettered access to social media feeds as well as chatbots that attempt to mimic human relationships.
Pope Leo XIV has frequently shared his concerns regarding artificial intelligence and social media, which MCC recounted in a recently published Word from Lansing column that laid out MCC’s support for the legislation.
The Senate bills were referred to the House Communications and Technology Committee for further consideration.