The K-12 education budget I signed into law last week will strengthen our economy and help create new jobs for Michigan citizens. Specifically, the legislation increases funding for Michigan's K-12 schools, promotes early childhood education, and targets the state's dropout rate by creating the 21st Century Schools Fund.

Today, when most jobs require education beyond high school, tens of thousands of our young people fail to even finish high school. But the high schools created by the 21st Century Schools Fund will get kids excited about learning and connect them to good-paying jobs that exist in Michigan today.

Through the 21st Century Schools Fund, we will help school districts replace large, impersonal schools with smaller, personal schools that use strong relationships and real-world rigor to help kids succeed. Every child in Michigan deserves a chance to attend a high school that works – and when they do, our economy will work better, too.