Michigan is preparing to spend a record $22.9 billion on K-12 education during the next school year, marking the largest school aid budget in state history.
Despite years of increased education spending, Michigan students continue to struggle on national assessments. The state ranks 44th in fourth-grade reading and 34th in fourth-grade math, according to the latest Nation’s Report Card.
The five major candidates running to become Michigan’s next governor agree those results must improve. However, the two Democrats and three Republicans offer sharply different approaches to addressing the problem.
Democratic candidates Jocelyn Benson and Chris Swanson argue that schools need additional resources, although they differ over whether Michigan residents should expect higher taxes.
Republican candidates John James, Mike Cox and Perry Johnson say Michigan’s education challenges are driven less by funding than by a lack of accountability, effective literacy instruction, and parental options.
Jocelyn Benson (D) calls for a new funding model
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democratic candidate for governor, said Michigan has increased education funding but still is not providing schools with enough money.
“We have seen increased funding, but it’s not enough. We have to redo our one-size-fits-all funding model and replace it with a weighted, equitable model,” Benson said.
Michigan provided $10,050 in per-pupil foundation funding during the 2025-2026 school year, the highest amount in state history. And the legislature passed an even great education budget, raising per-pupil spending to $10,250 for the 2026-2027 school year.
When asked whether Michigan residents should expect a tax increase to pay for her education proposals, Benson said she does not intend to raise taxes on middle-class families. However, she did not categorically rule out other changes to the state’s tax structure.
“I have no intention or plans to raise taxes on the middle class in particular in Michigan,” said Benson. “A lot of what we can do is close other loopholes that are antiquated in our revenue streams in Michigan and prioritize putting that increased revenue into our schools. I think the big thing that you’ll see shift in my budget process as governor is an increased focus and priority on funding public education.”
Mike Cox (R) proposes school grades and reading requirements
Former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, another Republican candidate, also cited Mississippi’s improvement in fourth-grade reading.
“Mississippi went from 49th in fourth-grade reading to ninth,” Cox said. “We went from a mediocre 31st to 48th in the past 10 years. That’s a moral stain upon our state.”
Cox said Michigan has a results problem rather than a spending problem. His proposals include assigning letter grades to public schools and requiring students to demonstrate reading proficiency before advancing beyond third grade.
“We’re top five in spending, bottom five in outcomes, so some more accountability,” Cox said. “That’s what grading every public school is about right? That’s what making sure every third grader can read before they move on.”
Cox said advancing students before they can read proficiently makes it more difficult for them to catch up in later grades.
“Because if you push them on, what happens? Then they always feel behind, and then they start dropping out and they start causing problems,” Cox said.
John James (R) emphasizes accountability and school choice
U.S. Rep. John James, a Republican candidate, said Michigan does not need to spend more money on education. He said the state must ensure existing funding is being used effectively.
“I’m going to make sure that we have fiscal responsibility to ensure that, as we are losing school-age population, we are not overspending on overhead and waste in our school systems,” James said.
James’ plan includes expanding phonics instruction, providing education tax credits and giving parents more choices over where their children attend school.
He has also called for restoring Michigan’s former third-grade reading retention law, which generally required students who were significantly behind in reading to repeat the grade. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation repealing the retention requirement in 2023.
“Bringing back the third-grade standards that I mentioned that Gretchen Whitmer repealed, and also by putting forward my education tax credits that we passed last year in the working family tax cuts,” James said when asked how he would improve reading and math performance.
James has pointed to Mississippi as an example of a state that improved literacy outcomes while spending less per student than Michigan.
Perry Johnson (R) calls for performance incentives
Businessman Perry Johnson, the third major Republican candidate, said Michigan should return to basic literacy instruction and operate schools more like private businesses.
“We decided that we’re just going to throw money at it,” Johnson said. “But what happened is we eliminated phonics. You can’t do that.”
Johnson’s plan includes restoring phonics, placing a greater emphasis on vocabulary, and encouraging parents to become involved in their children’s education before kindergarten.
He also supports offering financial incentives to teachers whose students meet certain performance goals.
“In my companies, we always reward on the basis of performance,” Johnson said. “And I think that we’ve lost sight of the fact that we have to have something like that. If we incentivize teachers for actually achieving certain levels of performance, we’ll change the focus.”
Chris Swanson (D) disputes national rankings
Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, another Democratic candidate, also said Michigan’s record per-pupil funding has not kept pace with inflation.
“Ten thousand fifty dollars, as I said, is the highest it’s ever been, but not quite where it needs to be based on inflation,” Swanson said.
When asked if taxes would go up under his administration to pay for increased education funding, Swanson responded:
“Definitely not go up,” Swanson said. “I myself am taxed enough, and I bet everybody out there watching could feel the same way. But we’re going to be efficient and effective on how we spend our tax money.”
Swanson also questioned whether Michigan’s national rankings accurately reflect what students are learning in the classroom. He said the assessments used to compare states might not align with Michigan’s curriculum.
“That is not accurate with the curriculum that they are teaching,” Swanson said when asked if he thought the metrics to rate Michigan school was off. “So, we’re going to do another assessment to figure out where we are with it. I think we’re much higher than what people think, especially even in math literacy.”