IONIA COUNTY, Mich. — Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Michigan's School Aid Fund budget Tuesday, sending record funding to public schools and setting aside $125 million for student transportation.
The move comes as some West Michigan families, including Ionia County parent Mindy Lange, continue to feel the effects of bus driver shortages.
WATCH: Michigan school funding boost gives one Ionia County parent hope for transportation improvements
Lange commutes about 45 minutes to Grand Rapids for work. In June, she told FOX 17's Paige Meyer that her family faced multiple transportation challenges during the previous school year when her son's bus route through Lakewood Public Schools was canceled on short notice due to driver shortages.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Lakewood families impacted by bus cancellations as district seeks more drivers
"Being short bus drivers really hurt attendance at the end of the year," Lange said.
According to Lange, her family received several last-minute notifications that their son's bus service had been canceled, forcing them to find alternate transportation arrangements.
"When a bus is cancelled, they're just expecting parents to find the student another way to school," she said.
As a teacher herself, Lange said reliable bus transportation is something her family depends on.
State leaders say the new budget will invest in student literacy, free school meals, teacher recruitment, and school transportation.
For Lange, the funding offers hope that fewer families will face the same transportation challenges when students return to the classroom this fall.
“I feel like it’s investing in our future because the kids that are in school now, are the kids that are going to be in charge later,” Lange said.
FOX 17 reached out to Lakewood Public Schools to ask whether the district has plans for how it will use the additional funding. As of publication, the district had not responded.
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