Implementing Threat Reporting & Response Systems Under HB 5549
By Tom Lietz, MASSP Associate Director for Training and Development, and Bob Kefgen, MASSP Associate Director for Government Relations. Michigan’s new Behavior Threat Assessment and Management Team (BTAM Team) requirements, established under HB 5549 (Public Act 272 of 2024), go beyond simply forming a team—they require clear systems for identifying, reporting, and responding to potential threats. In our previous article, we defined the statutory requirements of HB 5549 and suggested some first steps districts…
What Schools Need to Know About HB 5549 and Threat Assessment Teams
By Tom Lietz, MASSP Associate Director for Training and Development, and Bob Kefgen, MASSP Associate Director for Government Relations. A package of school safety laws that passed during the 2024 lame duck session are going to require some advanced planning and implementation work from Michigan's school leaders. Over the next several weeks, MASSP will be doing a deep dive into the details of these new requirements from a principal's perspective and covering…
Governor Whitmer’s State of the State: Key Education Takeaways
Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s 2025 State of the State Address touched on several issues that impact Michigan’s secondary schools, including student mental health and wellness, school accountability, and postsecondary opportunities. Proposed incentives for limiting cell phone use, a call for additional vaping regulations, and a focus on engaging young men with the state's scholarship programs all found a place in Wednesday's speech and all could have direct implications for high school administrators. With…
Navigating New Requirements: A Principal’s Guide to Native American Regalia Policies
By Joe Esper, Principal, Traverse City West Senior High School House Bill 4854, sponsored by state Representative Helena Scott, establishes new protections for Native American students participating in school ceremonies of honor. Beginning April 2, 2025, all Michigan schools must allow Native American students to wear traditional regalia and carry culturally significant objects at events such as graduation and honor society inductions. This law affirms the rights of Native American students to…
Gov’s Budget Increases Core Funding, Creates New Accountability Program
Governor Whitmer has released her Executive Budget Proposal for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The proposal includes a 4.1% increase in the foundation allowance, which would bump the amount to $10,000 per pupil. The budget continues significant investments in student mental health, early literacy, and career readiness while also expanding free preschool access for all four-year-olds. A major new initiative in this year’s budget is the so-called SMART (Students, Metrics, and Results with…
January CREC Shows Revenues, Balances Growing
The State Treasurer and directors of the House and Senate Fiscal Agencies met Friday to come to consensus on the revenue estimates that will be used to begin the state budget process for 2025-26 fiscal year. The short story: state revenues for last year and this year have been robust and higher than expected, exceeding projections from the May 2024 estimates by hundreds of millions. That means that the state is projected…
MASSP’s 2025-26 Policy Priorities
This past December, 319 principals—representing about 20% of MASSP's membership—participated in our biennial priority survey to identify the top policy priorities MASSP members want us to focus on for the upcoming legislative session. While the results show that all seven issues presented in the survey were viewed as important, three stood out as the clear front-runners. These top-ranked priorities will provide the focus for MASSP’s proactive advocacy efforts over the next two…
2023-24 Legislature Ends Session with House Stagnation, Marathon Senate Session
The 2023-24 came to a close mid-afternoon on Friday, December 20, when the Michigan Senate finally adjourned after a record-setting session that lasted nearly 30 hours. In contrast, the House failed to get enough members in attendance to meet a single additional day during the final week of the legislative calendar after adjourning in disarray last week. The lack of session was despite action by Speaker Joe Tate to impose a Call…
2024 Lame Duck Preview
With the election in the books, the Michigan Legislature returned to Lansing this week and dove headfirst into what could become a busy lame duck session. Both chambers seem determined, at least for now, to finish out the 2023-24 legislative session with a bang (all three remaining weeks of it…tick tock). The House and Senate Education Committees both met, though they were far from the only committees that had school-related legislation on…
MPSERS Reforms Signed Into Law Marks Big Win for Students, Schools
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed HB 5803 into law, making the changes to district MPSERS contribution rates and employee contribution reductions official, marking a significant win for Michigan’s public schools and educators. The new law will: Permanently reduce the contribution rate that traditional public school districts must pay into the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System (MPSERS) by 5.75%, from 20.96% to 15.21%. Eliminate the 3% contribution to retiree health insurance for…