Invest in MI Kids reboot

When the Invest in MI Kids (IIMK) campaign was launched in 2025, the goal was ambitious but clear: collect enough signatures to qualify for the November 2026 ballot. As strong supporters of the initiative, staff at the League collected signatures, provided data support and wrote educational material about IIMK. We want Michigan voters to have a chance to invest in our public schools in an equitable way. While the campaign ultimately fell short of the required number of signatures this cycle, the work of IIMK is far from over. 

It’s been a while since IIMK has been in the public eye – Invest in MI Kids is a proposed constitutional amendment designed to generate significant new funding for Michigan’s public education system. The plan would create a 5% “fair share” surcharge on income above $500,000 for individuals and $1 million for joint filers, with all revenue dedicated to the School Aid Fund. These funds would be used to reduce class sizes, expand career and technical education, and recruit and retain teachers.

Despite strong grassroots energy, collecting nearly half a million valid signatures in just a few months to get on the ballot proved to be a big hurdle. Although our effort didn’t succeed in getting across the signature threshold, we learned a great deal along the way about what it will take to make it to the ballot in the future. 

Everything that we learned from the IIMK signature collection was front and center when supporters, organizers and partners gathered at the beginning of August in Onaway at the United Auto Workers conference center on Black Lake to debrief and strategize. The setting itself added meaning to our work. Gathering at the UAW’s education center on Black Lake placed us in a space shaped by decades of collective action and advocacy for working people. The UAW’s history is rooted in the idea that lasting change comes from people organizing together around a shared vision. Being surrounded by that legacy and the beauty of northern Michigan was a reminder that progress is often built over time, through persistence and collaboration.

Instead of dwelling on what didn’t happen, we dug into the data and worked together to build a strategic path forward. Together, we analyzed signature collection efforts across regions, identified gaps in outreach and discussed how to better support volunteers on the ground. We also talked candidly about capacity and what it takes to sustain a campaign of this scale. We planned to strengthen the infrastructure needed to succeed in future signature collection efforts.

There is broad agreement that the need behind IIMK has not changed. Michigan schools continue to face significant funding gaps, and research supports that our schools need over $4 billion more a year to ensure every student has access to a high-quality education. At the same time, the proposal itself remains widely compelling: it would impact only the highest earners while generating over $1 billion each year for public schools.

Rather than stepping back, the coalition is regrouping and planning for the long term. We are building stronger partnerships, planning volunteer signature collector training and refining strategies for reaching voters in every corner of the state. We need to continue to tell the story of why this work matters; behind every statistic is a student, a teacher or a community that stands to benefit from better-resourced schools.

Whether we give signature gathering another go in 2028 or 2030, the path forward is rooted in persistence. Ballot initiatives are rarely one-and-done efforts. The conversations at Black Lake made one thing clear: there is both the will and the commitment to carry this work forward. We are dedicated to ensuring that every child in Michigan, no matter their ZIP code, has the opportunity to access high-quality public schools. While we may have missed the 2026 ballot, we are not stepping away. You will be hearing more from us because when we invest in our kids, we invest in the future of Michigan.