On July 20, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer chose Suttons Bay High School as the venue to sign the state’s record-setting new education budget which allocates $24.3 billion for pre-K through 12th grade during the coming school year. Whitmer said the programs funded by the budget will help achieve education equity across Michigan. The new allowance per student will be $9,608 with more funding for students with disabilities, low-income families and English-language learners. “We know that potential is universal, but opportunity is not,” Whitmer said. “And when we make investments in the education of our kids, we’re creating opportunity for all. This is how we level the playing field. This is how we ensure that every student is prepared to be successful.” “It’s about priority,” Suttons Bay Superintendent Casey Petz told the Sun. “If we’re gonna put our money where our mouth is, this is the place to come. Suttons Bay has an incredibly diverse student population. We have a high-needs population. When a Governor and her team make it a point to come to a place like this, what they’re saying is, ‘We see you. We hear you’.”