[responsivevoice_button buttontext=”Dale clic para escuchar” voice=”UK English Female”]

USA/December 02, 2023/by Samantha May/Source: https://wsbt.com/

The new agency introduced by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in July had officially launched Friday with a goal of improving education outcomes from preschool to employment.

The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, or MiLEAP, is expected to take over several early learning, higher education, and education partnership responsibilities from other state departments, according to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

MiLEAP will work alongside the Department of Education and State Board of Education to make progress on the Whitmer administration’s Sixty by 30 goal, which aims to increase the number of adults with a skill certificate or degree to 60% by 2030.

In August, the State Board of Education voted to have the attorney general give an opinion on if MiLEAP was constitutional.

Attorney General Dana Nessel later responded to their request saying it was “premature.”

“Whether or not we agree on the formation of a new department, we’re all going to continue to serve kids,” State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice said in a statement Friday.

The latest state budget, completed by the new Democrat-led legislature at the end of June, invests $24.3 billion into education.

The budget ensures that 1.4 million students get free breakfast and lunch, and also includes the highest per-pupil funding in the state’s history, funds for tutoring and after school programming, and support for students’ mental health, according to the governor.

Source: https://wsbt.com/news/regional/michigan-department-lifelong-education-advancement-mileap-college-school-governor-gretchen-whitmer-agency-employment