Michigan’s special education funding system hasn’t kept up with today’s realities. It’s overly complex, underfunded, and inequitable, leaving too many students without the support they need and too many districts struggling to meet those needs.

The MI Special Education Finance Reform Blueprint (MI Blueprint) is a statewide, data-driven proposal to fix that system. It aligns funding with actual student needs and provides a clearer, more predictable framework so schools have the resources to deliver.

Led by Autism Alliance of Michigan with support from Public Sector Consultants, the MI Blueprint was developed through a bipartisan legislatively authorized process and is grounded in data, experience, and input from families, educators, and advocates.

Today, Michigan covers just 28.6 percent of special education costs— among the lowest in the country— often leaving schools without the resources they need to fully support students. That means stretched budgets and fewer resources for all students. The impact is clear. Fewer than 15 percent of Michigan students with disabilities are proficient in reading or math, and our graduation rates for students with disabilities are among the lowest in the country.

The MI Blueprint lays out a smarter, more sustainable funding formula that reflects what services actually cost and what students need to succeed. It establishes a needs-based, proportional framework that supports stability for districts while directing additional resources where needs are greatest, allowing schools to plan, staff, and serve students more effectively.

The MI Blueprint was shaped through one of the most inclusive special education
finance efforts Michigan has undertaken, including:

• More than 1,000 stakeholders from across the state
• Educators, families, disability advocates, and service providers
• Four statewide convenings and a public survey with more than 880 responses

The MI Blueprint formally submitted to the Michigan Legislature in October 2025. It provides lawmakers with a clear, comprehensive framework to guide future action and represents an important opportunity to modernize how Michigan funds special education so that every student, in every district, has access to the support they need to thrive.