Educator staffing issues have been a long-term issue in Michigan and nationwide before COVID-19, but were intensified by the pandemic. Over the last three budget cycles, Michigan invested over $1.1 billion—a significant investment—to address these persistent educator staffing problems. This funding has supported a variety of initiatives of varying sizes to attract talent, support professional development, and create sustainable career paths across the educator continuum.

Michigan is at an inflection point. Are these investments working? As the state looks to a new budget cycle, key recommendations need to be made about how to optimize current and future resources.

Long-term efforts require long-term solutions. In October 2024, Senator Camilleri, Chairman of the PreK-12 School Aid Budget, requested investment and policy recommendations from Launch Michigan. As a cross-partisan nonprofit organization led by an experienced Michigan education leader, Launch Michigan is uniquely positioned to critically evaluate and help guide the state to a more cohesive vision for the future. Senator Camilleri also encouraged Launch Michigan to convene an Educator Roundtable of experts to provide input into this work. In response to Senator Camilleri’s request, Launch Michigan prepared this report and sought advice from the Educator Roundtable to envision a blueprint for the opportunities to come.