This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
The Legislature has passed HB 4141 and SB 495, establishing Michigan’s first statewide framework restricting student cell phone use during instructional time—a law MASSP supported for setting clear statewide expectations, providing school leaders with a backstop, and creating leverage for deeper conversations about school culture, attention, and learning (see our longer article for full details). The House Education Committee took testimony on a controversial package of school choice bills that would create…
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…
This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
While the House passed HB 5154 requiring schools to accept cash for "interscholastic athletic activity event" tickets, the Senate passed the long-debated school cell phone ban bills—HB 4141 and tie-barred SB 495—with near-unanimous support, clearing the way for final House passage (expected next week) and a quick signature from the Governor…MASSP will have a full detailed article for members once these bills hit the Governor's desk and will host a planning webinar…
This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
On Wednesday, the Legislature officially returned to Lansing to begin the 2026 session, and the House wasted no time in passing HB 4141 on a 99–10 vote, moving forward a bill to establish a statewide requirement for districts to ban student use of wireless communication devices (cell phones, tablets, watches, etc.) during instructional time, with defined exemptions for things like medically necessary devices and instructional technology. The bill now heads to the…
January CREC: Revenues Stable, But Challenges Loom
Michigan’s January 2026 Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference (CREC) offered a mixed message for K–12 education. The short version: state revenues remain stable, but key trends – particularly a weakening General Fund, shrinking pupil counts, and revenue growth lagging inflation – set the stage for a challenging budget year either now or soon if policymakers once again kick the can down the road. The CREC is the twice-yearly process where state economists from…
Update & Next Steps on 31aa Lawsuit
The following article is reprinted with permission from MASA. On Wednesday, December 17, the Michigan Court of Claims ruled against the school district and school official plaintiffs’ motion for summary disposition. In response, the plaintiffs intend to file an appeal with the Michigan Court of Appeals, asserting that Judge Patel misapplied the law in issuing the decision. The plaintiffs will request that the Court of Appeals vacate the order and rule that the waiver…
This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
In response to the House’s abrupt move last week to cancel $645 million in work project funds—including money already committed to long-term, locally impactful programs—the Senate swiftly passed bipartisan supplemental budget bills to restore $634 million of that funding and formally requested an opinion from Attorney General Nessel on the legality of the House’s action, though the House left town without taking them up, leaving the issue unresolved. The House Education Committee…
Opt-Out for Work Skills Test Headed to Governor: What It Means for Schools
This week, the Michigan Legislature gave final approval to a pair of bills—HB 4836 and SB 349—that will allow students to opt out of taking the work skills portion of the MME (now the WIN Work Readiness Assessment, formerly ACT WorkKeys). The bills now head to Governor Whitmer’s desk, where she is expected to sign them into law. While this legislation represents a significant shift in state assessment policy, it does not…
This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
The Legislature returned to Lansing this week after an extended Thanksgiving and hunting season recess and the House Education and Workforce Development Committee wasted no time in kicking off the week's action with a hearing and vote Wednesday morning on HB 4836 and SB 349, a pair of bills that would create an opt-out process for the state's work skills assessment (formerly the ACT WorkKeys and now the WIN Work Readiness Assessment)…
Budget Update: Three Problematic Line Items and Where Things Stand
As districts across the state continue the work of adjusting practice mid-year to meet the requirements of this year’s School Aid budget, we know that principals are still facing real uncertainty around several line items. In particular, three provisions seem to be generating the most confusion or concern at the building level: Section 31aa (mental health and safety funding), Section 21f (virtual instruction), and Section 164k (student surveys and compliance penalties). MASSP…