This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
The Legislature took another step this week to reduce high-stakes standardized testing in Michigan, with the House unanimously concurring in HB 4556 and HB 4557, sponsored by Representatives Koleszar and Kunse, and sending them to the Governor for signature, eliminating the SAT Essay beginning in spring 2027 and removing the requirement that MME scores be included on student transcripts. These changes will reduce state-mandated testing time by approximately one hour and allow…
Senate, House Put Forward Budget Proposals
This week, the Michigan House and Senate put forward their 2026-27 School Aid budget proposals, marking the next important step in the state's budget process. While both chambers included a 2.5% increase in the foundation allowance and somewhat larger increases to most weighted funding, the similarities on major points largely stop there. The Senate proposal includes a shift toward a weighted foundation model for At-Risk and English Language Learner (ELL) funding, similar…
This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
Michigan lawmakers took another step to scale back 11th grade assessment requirements this week, as the Senate approved HB 4556 and HB 4557 by a 24–9 vote—the bills would eliminate the SAT essay portion of the Michigan Merit Examination and remove the requirement that student MME scores appear on their transcripts, with a House concurrence vote now the final step before the bills head to the governor for signature. Paired with the…
Administrator Mentor Coaching Requirements and Available Grant Support
Michigan now requires districts to provide mentor support for all school administrators, excluding superintendents, within their first three years in a new position. With dedicated grant funding from MDE becoming available soon, districts have an opportunity to align compliance with meaningful leadership development. MASSP’s Strengthening Leaders Program is ready to partner with you to provide mentor-coaches and support building confident, capable leaders. As districts and school leaders begin planning for the 2026–27…
This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
This week the House Appropriations Subcommittee on School Aid dug into the issue of sometimes sizeable fines that schools are facing for placing educators outside their areas of certification or endorsement, even if those situations are due to clerical errors or other staffing mistakes, hearing testimony from superintendents who described districts being penalized tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars for paperwork issues involving otherwise qualified educators. Representatives from the Michigan…
This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
This week the House Appropriations Subcommittee on School Aid heard testimony from MASSP’s Bob Kefgen, delivered in collaboration with MASA, urging lawmakers to move Michigan toward a weighted per-pupil funding system that ties dollars more directly to student need while reducing the red tape and reporting requirements created by our current patchwork of categorical programs. For building administrators, the practical significance is that such a system would make school funding more stable…
This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
Governor Whitmer delivered her eighth and final State of the State address this week, focusing her education remarks almost exclusively on early literacy—highlighting implementation of the science of reading, dyslexia screening, tutoring, LETRS training, and expanded PreK—while introducing no major new K-12 proposals and instead directing lawmakers to her executive budget as the true roadmap for her final year. While literacy dominated the rhetoric, the more consequential policy debate for secondary principals…
This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
Governor Whitmer signed HB 4141 and SB 495 Tuesday implementing Michigan's first, statewide restrictions on student use of “wireless communications devices” during instructional time—MASSP members can review our earlier implementation article and join us on February 26 at 9 a.m. for a webinar to support principals and leadership teams as they prepare for next year (click here to register). The Senate Education Committee also unanimously advanced HB 4556-57, bipartisan legislation that would…
Governor’s Budget Advances Weighted Foundation Model, Boosts Key Line Items…but Expands School Aid Raid
Governor Whitmer has released her Fiscal Year 2027 Executive Budget Recommendation, proposing a 2.5% increase in the foundation allowance and taking a significant structural step toward a true weighted student funding model. The proposal would increase the foundation from $10,050 to $10,300 per pupil and increase weighted funding line items by 6%, while formally rolling At-Risk and English Language Learner (ELL) funding into the foundation formula itself. While the structural reforms represent…
Legislature Passes New Law on Student Wireless Devices: What Principals Need to Know and How to Use It Well
HB 4141 and SB 495 have passed the Michigan Legislature and are awaiting Governor Whitmer's signature. Because she is expected to sign them, Michigan schools will begin the 2026–27 school year under a new law that requires local school boards to adopt policies restricting the use of wireless communications devices during instructional time and tweak their emergency operations plans to account for wireless devices. MASSP supported this legislation because it provides principals…