This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
The full House this week took up HB 4024 (the “Student Restroom Privacy Act”) which would mandate that schools restrict access to multi-occupancy bathrooms and locker rooms strictly by sex as listed on a student's birth certificates—the bill (which is DOA in the Democratically controlled Senate) sparked fierce debate on the House floor and despite both ideological and practical concerns (e.g. enforcement, conflict with other state and federal laws, liability, etc.) it…
New Assessment Replacing WorkKeys in the Michigan Merit Exam
Beginning in Spring 2026, Michigan schools will be administering a new work skills assessment as part of the Michigan Merit Exam (MME): the WIN Work Readiness Assessment. This assessment was recently selected through the state's competitive bidding process and will replace the ACT WorkKeys. This is the same sort of rebidding process that resulted in Michigan's switch from the ACT to the SAT as our statewide college entrance exam a decade ago.…
Worry Now, Worry Later, Who Knows: A Back-to-School Legislative Update
As you gear up for the 2025–26 school year, there are a couple of new laws that require action. A couple others merit a careful review to ensure they are part of your regular practices, and a few more are coming in future years that you can plan for without urgency. As of yet, the state budget remains unresolved, forcing districts across the state to start the year without knowing the outcome…
MASSP Joins Statewide Push to End Budget Delay, Warns of Harm to Schools
This week, MASSP joined education leaders from across Michigan in a media roundtable hosted by the Michigan Alliance for Student Opportunity (MASO) to demand immediate action from the Legislature on the overdue K-12 budget. Representing MASSP were Executive Director Wendy Zdeb and MASSP Past President JoLynn Clark (Principal, Frankenmuth High School), who joined voices from MASO, the Michigan Association of Superintendents & Administrators (MASA), Michigan Association of School Board, and local district…
House K-12 Budget Proposal Draws Broad Backlash from Education Leaders
The House K-12 budget proposal, HB 4577, was released and passed on the same day this past week. The proposal is a radical departure from the traditional budget process and comes far later than is normal in the year, which leaves in doubt whether the Legislature will have budgets in place by the end of June. More concerning, the House budget proposal strips away vital student supports, inflates funding numbers through one-time…
May CREC Highlights a School Aid Boost—but Budget Pressures Mount
The State Treasurer and directors of the House and Senate Fiscal Agencies met Friday to agree on the updated revenue estimates that will guide the final stages of the 2025-26 state budget process. The topline story: revenue projections for the School Aid Fund continue to improve modestly, but a significant drop in projected general fund revenue has added new tension to the budget process. The state is now expected to carry a…
This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
On Tuesday, the House K-12 Appropriations subcommittee heard testimony focused on rethinking special education in Michigan (in particular the challenges of categorical and one-time funding) while the full House passed HB 4345 in a unanimous vote to give ice storm-impacted districts the option to waive up to 15 instructional days. Meanwhile, the full Senate advanced SB 234 (Polehanki), requiring local school boards to implement student cell phone use policies and the Senate…
Recapping the Flurry of Federal Court Activity Related to Title VI
On April 24, three different federal courts issued preliminary injunctions blocking the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) from enforcing a recertification requirement related to federal civil rights law. The requirement, which USDOE announced in early April, asked school districts to formally certify their compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, based on a substantial reinterpretation of the decades old law. The sudden rollout, legal uncertainty, and potential consequences for federal…
This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
The Michigan Legislature returns from spring recess this coming week, with lawmakers expected to resume work on the state budget and the House Education and Workforce Committee likely to pick up where it left off before the break, having been busy moving and hearing several education bills. Just before recess, the Committee approved a series of bills including HB 4155 (requiring MDE to create a vetted list of curriculum and assessment vendors),…
This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
Almost all the education news was in the House this week, with both the House Appropriations Subcommittee on School Aid and MDE and the House Committee on Education and Workforce holding hearings; the former heard a presentation on charter school and cyber charter school funding, while the latter took testimony on and passed the next set of legislation in a broad House Republican education package (HB 4147-HB 4159 and HJR E) that…