Gilchrist Distributes Eyeglasses to Lansing Elementary Students

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 19, 2022

Contact: press@michigan.gov

PHOTOS: Lt. Governor Gilchrist ll Distributes Eyeglasses to Lansing Elementary Students  

LANSING, Mich. – Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II today joined Vision To Learn at Averill New Tech Elementary in Lansing to distribute eyeglasses to 35 students. Vision To Learn is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free eye exams and glasses to students for success in school and life.

“School-based health services like Vision To Learn are a powerful tool to get students the resources they need,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “By addressing common health issues like vision, dental care, hearing, and mental health right on campus, we can help students stay on track academically and realize their full potential. Governor Whitmer and I are proud of the work Vision To Learn has done to support students, and we look forward to continuing to make a difference for kids throughout Michigan.”

Since taking office, Governor Whitmer and Lt. Governor Gilchrist II have worked to expand opportunities and improve outcomes for Michigan’s children by making the largest education investments in state history—without raising taxes. These historic investments ensure our schools have the funds to help every Michigander reach their full potential.

In 2019, Governor Whitmer signed an historic School Aid Fund budget to triple the number of literacy coaches in schools.

In 2020, Governor Whitmer protected funding for schools, while also including new education investments focused on providing students, teachers, and adults across Michigan with needed resources. The budget included $161 million in flexible per pupil spending to help districts address the increased costs of educating students, $5.6 million for mental health counselors to assist children in schools across Michigan with mental health needs, $5 million in incentives to attract and retain first-year teachers, and an increase of $5.7 million to continue to fund literacy coaches and expand resources to improve training for other educators in best practices of literacy learning.

In July 2021, Governor Whitmer’s education budget included $723 million to eliminate the gap between the minimum and maximum foundation allowance by setting both at $8,700 per pupil, which other governors tried to do for nearly 30 years.

In December 2021, the Governor Whitmer signed a supplemental bill that invests nearly $1 billion in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan into Michigan's families, communities, and small businesses. The investments made to schools include $150 million for COVID school testing to keep kids safe and learning in-person and $10 million to support teacher recruitment, training, development, and retention. 

In February 2022, Governor Whitmer put forward her education budget proposal for fiscal year 2023, which would make the biggest state education funding increase in 20 years-without raising taxes. It would make game-changing investments in every student, in every district, fund $1 billion in new school construction and create 40 school-based mental health clinics to serve 20,000 students, while also delivering bonuses to hire or retain hundreds of thousands of school staff. Also, that same month, the Michigan Legislature passed a $1.2 billion supplemental bill investing federal resources to keep kids learning in-person.

Read more about Governor Whitmer’s historic investments in kids, schools, and skills here.

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