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)…
From Broad Goals to Targeted Action: How Member Feedback Shaped MASSP’s Refined Policy Priorities
Over the past year, MASSP has worked closely with members to clarify how best to reduce state mandates and regulatory barriers facing Michigan’s secondary schools. This effort directly supports MASSP’s broader strategic plan by centering policy advocacy on enabling school leaders to focus on students and learning while fostering innovation. And with your help we have identified four refined policy priorities that will guide our work through the remainder of the 2025–26…
This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
Most of the political news happened outside the state legislature this week, though the House Education Committee did hold a hearing Wednesday morning to continue discussion of HB 5044, a bill that would require districts to allow private healthcare providers into schools to deliver medically necessary services (the bill is nominally targeted at behavioral health services in schools, though the language of the bill is much broader), and the Senate Regulatory Affairs…
This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
The Michigan Department of Education issued a memo this week reminding districts that the 15-day virtual learning flexibility under former Section 21f(14) was repealed in October—meaning schools can no longer count virtual instructional time under that provision, even for planned state testing days, and must adjust their calendars to remain in compliance. With roughly one-third of districts surveyed by the Michigan Pupil Accounting and Attendance Association reporting plans to use this flexibility,…
Federal Shutdown to Disrupt Food Assistance Beginning Nov. 3
By Colin Ripmaster, Deputy Executive Director and Bob Kefgen, Associate Director of Government Relations As the federal government shutdown enters its fifth week, the USDA has instructed all states, including Michigan, to pause the issuance of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits starting November 1. SNAP helps nearly 1.4 million Michiganders, including about 492,000 children, put food on the table each month. In Michigan, benefits are automatically issued directly to recipients' EBT…
This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
The House K-12 Appropriations Subcommittee turned its post-budget focus to systemic barriers facing schools, as five superintendents detailed how competitive grants, unfunded mandates, and excessive reporting requirements distract from educating students and undermine educational equity—especially for rural districts where administrators often do double or triple duty and don't have time to also be grant writers—and urged lawmakers to focus on predictable, formula-based funding. Meanwhile, the House Education Committee heard testimony on HB…