Michigan Office of the Governor via AP In a pool photo provided by the Michigan Office of the Governor, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addresses the state during a speech in Lansing, Mich., Wednesday. The governor says she is optimistic about a return to in-person instruction at K-12 schools in the fall, announcing she will release further guidance on June 30.

LANSING — Michigan schools will likely return to in-person instruction this fall, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said at a press conference Monday. 

Whitmer plans to release an executive order and detailed set of instructions on June 30 that will set minimum health and safety requirements for schools. Local districts can also impose more stringent requirements.

“While we hope soon to be in phase 5, and stay there until post-pandemic, we’ve got to be prepared for spikes that might occur over the next school year,” she said. “Public health conditions change daily, and we’re going to need to be prepared to move quickly between scenarios.” 

Schools can reopen in phase four of the state’s six-stage reopening plan. All regions of the state are at least that far along. Two regions — the Upper Peninsula and northern Michigan, have advanced to phase 5. Whitmer said she hopes to move the rest of the state to phase 5 by July 4. 

Also Wednesday, Whitmer announced she would extend the state’s emergency declaration, which was set to expire later this week. 

The emergency status is separate from the state’s stay-at-home order, which Whitmer revoked earlier this month. 

To determine when and where schools can resume, the state will primarily use the eight regions already being used by the Michigan Economic Recovery Council, Whitmer said. When possible, the state will work with local public health officials and epidemiologists to make decisions on schools at a county-wide level. 

For instance, in the case of an outbreak in Chippewa County, schools in that county might shift back to remote learning without affecting the rest of the Upper Peninsula. 

“Perhaps Chippewa could shift down and not the whole region, and that way, Houghton schools could continue,” Whitmer said. 

The plan is being put together by the Return to School Advisory Council, which includes 25 representatives from education and health care from throughout the state. 

Whitmer said ensuring funding for K-12 students was her top priority. She called on the federal government to provide additional support. State estimates put the potential School Aid Fund deficit over the next year years at $2.4 billion. 

“This is a crisis unlike anything we’ve ever seen in our lifetime,” Whitmer said. “And it has had significant budget implications not just for Michigan, but for states all across the country. We need the federal government to provide more funding for states and flexibility so we can continue to crucial services and we either help to ensure resources for kids.”