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The State Board of Education kicked off last week with a full-day special meeting to discuss the state's preliminary ESSA plan. The meeting was, at times, contentious as some of the more strident members pushed back against elements of the plan (a…
For members who did not join us but want a rundown on the latest political happenings in Lansing, MASSP Government Relations Department hosted a Legislative Update webinar earlier this morning, which you can watch a recording of by clicking here or…
The Governor's budget presentation is two weeks away, no education committees have met yet, and only a handful of education bills have been introduced, but the House finally announced committees this week and the Senate is already gearing up for…
The 2016 lame duck legislative session saw the passage of a significant package of bills aimed at overhauling Michigan's laws regarding the use of restraint and seclusion in schools. The changes DO NOT TAKE EFFECT UNTIL 2017-18, but it's important…
The legislature returned to Lansing this week to officially begin their 2017-2018 legislative session and while there were no votes, both chambers showed us some early indication of their priorities for the coming two years by way of the bills that…
A rather tame lame duck session wrapped on Thursday evening after two late nights, including one that went into the wee hours of Thursday morning. The legislature passed a flurry of bills, as is typical for lame duck, but the final picture looks…
Lame duck lesson #1: just because something has been declared dead doesn't mean it can't get up and start walking again, so it's too soon to celebrate despite some good news this week. We learned that lesson this week when seclusion/restraint…
Legislation to close the MPSERS system for new hires and move them into a 401k-style system passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee this past Wednesday by a one-vote margin and has yet to see a floor vote, though that could change quickly…
Week one of lame duck is in the books and while MPSERS is certainly foremost in many people's minds, there are plenty of other issues at stake as the legislature wraps up its 2015-2016 session. An income tax proposal has surfaced that could end up…
Last week, we walked through the pre-Lame Duck rumors about a possible MPSERS reform bill. This past Wednesday, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported out a three bill package that would close the MPSERS pension system for new hires and…
Back in early October, I told attendees at the MASSP Principal's Summit that, depending on the outcome of the election, MPSERS reform was one possible issue that could come up during this year's lame duck session. Since then, I've lost track of the…
On Thursday, the Senate passed long-awaited legislation (HB 4388) that expands the allowable uses of sinking funds to include school security improvements and technology. This legislation has already passed the House and, because there were no…