Despite Record Education Funding Michigan Students Are Not Getting Smarter
Michigan continues to pour record amounts of taxpayer money into public education, but the latest statewide testing results show English Language Arts proficiency moving in the opposite direction.
New 2026 M-STEP results released by the Michigan Department of Education on September 4, 2026 show proficiency declining from the previous year in every ELA grade tested by M-STEP, grades 3 through 7.
The numbers are particularly troubling when viewed over several years.
Third-grade ELA proficiency has now fallen for three consecutive years, dropping from 40.89% in 2023 to 39.64% in 2024, 38.87% in 2025 and just 38.17% in 2026.
Fourth grade has followed essentially the same path, falling from 44.35% in 2023 to 43.25% in 2024, 42.43% in 2025 and 41.28% in 2026.
At the same time, Michigan has repeatedly increased education spending under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, including record per-pupil funding and hundreds of millions of dollars directed toward literacy, tutoring, teacher training, early childhood education and other programs.
For the 2025-26 school year, students entered classrooms under what Whitmer’s office called her seventh consecutive record education budget.
That bipartisan budget increased the state’s foundation allowance by $442 to a record $10,050 per student. Whitmer’s administration said the budget would help Michigan children “learn, grow, and thrive” and highlighted increased literacy support among its major investments.
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Madison taxpayers have long supported far above average k-12 tax & $pending. This despite our long term, disastrous reading results. May, 2026: 7,095 Staff for 25,003 students; $pending > $28k per student!
