Legislature (Finally) Adopts 2025-26 K-12 Budget
After months of delay, the Michigan Legislature has reported out the 2025-26 School Aid Budget. The budget provides a number of positives including a $10,050 per pupil foundation allowance (a 4.6% increase), 25% increases to At Risk and ELL funding, 4.6% increases to other weighted funding line items (CTE, rural/isolated, GSRP, ISD general operations). Also notably absent are problematic elements from previous budget proposals like Governor Whitmer's so-called SMART school accountability proposal…
This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
On Wednesday morning, the House Education Committee kicked of what turned out to be a banger of a week when they passed HB 4556-7, legislation that would eliminate the SAT Essay and remove the statutory requirement that schools include student MME scores on their transcripts (those bills now move to the House floor for hopefully swift passage). On Thursday morning, the Senate passed SB 382-83 (bills that would codify the Michigan Achievement…
Gov, House, Senate Announce Deal In Concept on Budget, Roads
On Thursday evening, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Speaker Matt Hall, and Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks announced that they had "reached an agreement to pass the School Aid budget and state budget, including long-term road funding, before the end of the fiscal year," thus averting a state government shut down. What they did not announce was any details about what the budget portion of that deal included or how the road funding proposal…
This Week in Politics in 5 Sentences (or Fewer)
Budget talks remain stalled and this week MASSP joined MASA and superintendents from around the state at a press conference warning that districts are already making difficult budget cuts and that without action districts could face staff layoffs (especially among support staff), program closures, and a cashflow crunch that would force districts to take out high interest loans because School Aid payments take weeks to process even after a budget is passed…
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)
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),…