According to a new analysis by The Education Trust-Midwest, Michigan is underfunding students from low-income backgrounds and English Learners by an estimated $5.1 billion annually compared to what leading states practice and what research indicates is needed for those students to succeed. The analysis also found that Michigan is near the bottom for the additional funding the state provides for both English Learners and students from low-income backgrounds, leaving substantial funding gaps. To build a truly fair and equitable funding system in Michigan, policymakers have an immediate opportunity to work toward what leading states and research recommends. Those include: (1) enshrine in law an Opportunity Index; (2) create a weighted student funding formula for English learners; and (3) act decisively to close the shortfall gap in special education funding.