Michigan school districts are splitting close to $10 million meant to keep newly hired teachers and administrators from walking out the door, with state education officials confirming that 239 districts statewide received grants through Section 27h of the fiscal year 2025 State School Aid Act. The funding arrives as the state grapples with a persistent gap between how many teachers it certifies each year and how many it loses.
According to MLive, the grant program lets districts either build their own mentoring and induction programs or partner with outside service providers to meet state requirements, with the goal of increasing the number of certified teachers who stick around in shortage areas. The money is split into two categories. The larger pool, nearly $8.5 million, is going to 199 intermediate school districts and local education agencies, covering traditional public school districts and public school academies alike, 9&10 News reports.
What the Grant Money Can Actually Pay For
Districts receiving funds from that first category can use the dollars for mentor stipends, mentor training, professional learning materials and resources, and staffing costs tied to onboarding and mentoring new hires, per the same outlet's reporting. A second, smaller pool of $1.5 million was awarded to 118 districts specifically to contract with approved providers for administrator mentoring services — meaning the grants cover not just classroom teachers but also the principals and administrators overseeing them.
The Michigan Department of Education did specify how much individual schools or districts received, according to MLive. The department's own program page describes the broader goal as providing up to $10 million per year over five years for mentoring and induction programming for teachers, administrators and school counselors, though that figure comes from a limited excerpt of the Michigan Department of Education's own description.
Officials Frame Mentoring as a Retention Tool
State Superintendent Glenn Maleyko said mentoring and induction programs help schools retain teachers and administrators, telling CBS Detroit that the programs can help retain staff. Per MLive, Maleyko also said keeping outstanding new educators in the field is necessary to put students first.
State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh said the grants show districts' commitment to addressing teacher shortages by having educators learn from experienced colleagues, and added that the board will continue supporting efforts to address the shortages, according to MLive's reporting. Among the recipients named in coverage are Northern Michigan districts including Alcona Community Schools, Alpena Public Schools, Cadillac Area Public Schools and Onaway Area Schools, per 9&10 News, while Southeast Michigan recipients listed by CBS Detroit include Detroit Public Schools Community District and Plymouth-Canton Community Schools.
The Retention Problem Behind the Funding
The grants land against a backdrop of stubborn teacher turnover across Michigan. Nearly 8,000 teachers who worked in the state's public school workforce in the 2023–24 school year did not return for the 2024–25 school year, and while Michigan certified 5,447 new teachers that same year — a decade-high number — that was only enough to replace 68% of those who departed, according to MSUToday. At the current rate, the outlet reports, turnover is not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels until the 2031–32 school year.
The strain is not evenly distributed either. MSUToday's reporting found special educators in Michigan are about 31% more likely to leave their positions than elementary classroom teachers, underscoring why mentoring support for new hires has become a policy focus. A separate excerpt from the Institute of Education Sciences notes that teacher retention was higher where local education agencies had supports in place for new teachers, including mentoring, though that research did not quantify the size of the effect.
