Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer delivers State of the State Address

LANSING, Mich. -- Democratic Governor of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer delivered her seventh State of the State Address tonight.

Whitmer noted several 'firsts' and new beginnings that she says are worth celebrating, including palisades becoming the first Nuclear Power Plant to restart in American history. 

And while the mitten state made a few great strides in education, from raising teacher pay to closing the funding gaps between schools, Whitmer says they must demand better results, with a majority of the nation's students well behind in academics. 

"I get that this is a national trend, but the reality is that we invest more per-pupil than most states and achieve bottom 10 results. We spend more and we get less. It’s not acceptable. For our kids, let’s do better. Let’s face our literacy crisis with fierce urgency," stated Whitmer.

Whitmer's education budget this year proposes targeting schools where most kids are falling behind, make changes that get funds to classrooms faster, and increase transparency in notifying parents about performance. 

She's also hopeful for Bipartisan Legislation to limit the use of phones in the classroom.