LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer talks about how much she has spent on education frequently.

Most recently, Whitmer boasted on X about her “Record per-pupil funding + free school meals.”

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But there was no mention of what that extra money produced for taxpayers.

Whitmer took office on Jan. 1, 2019. Her first budget year would have been 2019-20, the first year federal pandemic funding flooded K-12 public school districts’ coffers.

However, state funding only also increased.

For example, state funding for K-12 public schools went from $13.06 billion in 2018-19 (the year before Whitmer took office) to $19.37 billion in 2023-24, a record in state funding for schools. State funding for K-12 public school was $18.38 billion in 2024-25.

But the state has not seen much of a return on that investment in education.

In the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranking of education by state, Michigan has dropped in the U.S. from 38th in 2018 to 44th in 2025.

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Also, while politicians like to promote the “free lunches” provided to students, they cost taxpayers about $200 million a year.