School workers next month will start getting "MI Classroom Heroes Grants" of up to $500, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says.
Gretchen Whitmer: "They've made incredible sacrifices." (Photo: State of Michigan)
"She will outline her plan in Wednesday’s State of the State address" at 7 p.m., Michigan Advance reports. The speech will be televised statewide.
"Every person in the education ecosystem has been stressed to the limit, has continued to serve our kids," Whitmer said in a video call interview on Tuesday. ... "This is one important way that we can acknowledge that they've made incredible sacrifices to support our kids."
... Public and non-public teachers will receive up to $500. Eligible teachers primarily worked in bricks-and-mortar classrooms before April 2, 2020, and then taught after Whitmer closed in-person learning for the rest of the 2019-20 school year due to the pandemic.
Under the same guidelines, support staff — including paraprofessionals, food service workers, custodians, bus drivers, school counselors, and literacy coaches — will receive up to $250.
... Funds were already appropriated in the Fiscal Year 2021 budget Whitmer signed in September. In December, Michigan school administrators submitted the names and addresses of eligible teachers and support staff to the Michigan Department of Treasury. Treasury will be mailing checks directly to educators in February.
She also lists three priorities to be addressed in the annual speech tonight:
► "Getting to 70% of our population vaccinated for our 16 and up population as quickly as possible."
► "Getting our kids back in school, and giving them the supports they need."
► "Getting our unemployed help so that they can get through, and then re-engaging [businesses] with gusto when it's safe to do so."
