Chalkbeat

Back to school in Michigan: New cellphone rules, a fitness test, and more

2026-08-21T17:32:58+00:00

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Michigan students may be planning to head back to school with their cell phones in tow, but parents should know that new rules will restrict how much they can use those devices.

The 2026-27 school year begins Monday in the Detroit Public Schools Community District and many others across Michigan. Other districts begin Aug. 31, while the bulk of districts will begin Sept. 8.

The new academic year will mean new beginnings, new programs, new everything. It also means new state rules. One of them requires school districts to adopt policies that restrict the use of wireless devices — such as cellphones, smart watches, and smart glasses — during instruction.

How the law plays out locally will vary between school districts.

For more on that, and four other things parents, students, and teachers and others should know heading into the new school year, read below.

School leaders see positive results from cellphone restrictions

Michigan’s new law gives schools a fair amount of leeway regarding cellphone restrictions, and most have established different restrictions for different grade levels.

District policies provide exemptions for things such as medically necessary devices, district-owned devices including laptops and tablets, and devices used by schools for instructional purposes.

In Westwood Community Schools in Wayne County, if elementary students bring wireless devices to school, they must leave them in the main office lock box, or in a secured classroom locker, for the entire school day, Superintendent Stiles Simmons said.

In a practice that has been in place for several years, middle school students in Stiles’ district drop their devices off in the morning in the office, where they’ll be locked away, and pick them up at the end of the day. High school students can keep their devices with them, but they must be locked in Yondr pouches once they enter the school. The fabric pouches can only be unlocked at the end of the day.

Stiles said the district went with a more restrictive policy because the experiment at the middle school had positive results.

“Far fewer distractions, less drama, more social interaction, healthy social interaction,” Stiles said. “We want to replicate that across the district.”

Some districts enacted cellphone restrictions last year, after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called for them in her 2025 State of the State address.

In Ferndale Public Schools, for example, high school students can bring wireless devices, but they can only use them before and after school, and in the cafeteria during lunch. During classes, phones must be locked away in a box that holds devices for all students in the class.

Ferndale Superintendent Camille Hibbler was skeptical about whether students would freely place their phones in a box. While some students have been caught placing an old phone in the box, while keeping the phone they use with them, most have followed the rules.

“It’s a part of their routine now,” Hibbler said.

Time for Michigan kids to get fit

Parents of a certain age may remember slogging their way through push-ups, sit-ups, and running as part of the Presidential Fitness Test. The program ended during the Obama administration, but last year President Donald Trump brought it back. This year, he established awards students can earn by excelling on the test.

And the state budget lawmakers approved July 3 requires all public school students enrolled in physical education classes to take the fitness test.

Michigan lawmaker approved a new rule that kicks in for the 2026-27 school year that requires students take the Presidential Fitness Test.

Students who have an individualized education plan aren’t required to participate, unless their plan requires it. And it would only be required in schools that offer P.E. classes.

The presidential test requires varying fitness feats, depending on the age and gender of the student. The target for a 13-year-old boy: 53 curl-ups in one minute, run one mile in six minutes and 30 seconds, and 39 right-angle push-ups. To win the fitness test award, a student must meet all of the targets.

One fewer essay for high school students

Here’s something high school juniors in Michigan will appreciate: They’ll no longer have to write an SAT essay as part of the Michigan Merit Exam. But they’ll have to wait until the state assessment season begins next spring to benefit.

Whitmer in May signed legislation into law that eliminates that essay from the exam. It also eliminates a requirement that students’ scores on the state exam be placed on their transcripts.

Advocates said the latter requirement was unfair because many colleges have made testing optional, and because Michigan students are competing for college admissions against students whose state test scores don’t appear on their transcripts.

More team teaching on tap in Michigan schools

Team teaching — when two or more teachers share the same students and work as a team, often by dividing up which subjects they’ll teach — is growing in popularity in Michigan.

The Michigan Educator Workforce Initiative, an effort aimed at strengthening educator pipelines in the state, first started taking Michigan educators on trips to Arizona, where Arizona State University researchers have done extensive research on team teaching, a few years ago. Last year, 15 Michigan schools were experimenting with the concept. For the 2026-27 school year, 16 more schools will join.

Teachers have been team teaching for years. But many of the districts that have joined the team teaching program do so because they have teachers already trying team teaching but need help.

“What we do is bring in the structures, the process, the data, the tools, that help those teachers,” said Jack Elsey, the founding partner and CEO of the workforce initiative.

The upside? Effective team teaching can improve student achievement and teacher retention, Elsey said.

Public can track progress of teachers’ literacy training

New rules this school year require school districts to report how many of their K-5 educators have received mandatory training in literacy.

The reporting requirement is part of newly enacted legislation that makes this literacy training a mandate for all K-5 educators who teach reading or language arts, as well as anyone who provides, supports, or oversees such instruction in K-5. However, current educators will have until the 2031-32 school year to complete the training.

School districts will also have to report how many and what percentage of their K-5 educators have received the training to the state, which will publish the data. That will allow the public to track districts’ progress.

This data is part of a broader effort in Michigan to improve literacy instruction. Test scores show a majority of students are struggling with reading.

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan lawmakers OK increased student funding and investments in literacy

2026-07-03T18:09:44+00:00

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Michigan schools would receive a 2.5% increase in per-pupil funding in a $22.9 billion state education budget lawmakers pulled an all-nighter to finally approve Friday morning.

The increase means the minimum amount a school would receive is $10,300 per student. That’s up from $10,050 schools got during the school year that just ended.

The budget was approved two days after the July 1 deadline. In 2025, the budget wasn’t approved until early October.

In a news release Friday morning, Whitmer applauded the budget, saying that for education in particular, the budget is strengthening literacy and “setting our students up for success.” It still needs her signature.

The budget includes a significant investment in efforts to improve literacy in order to reverse Michigan students’ years-long struggle in reading, with more money going toward teacher training in science of reading methods, hiring literacy coaches, and tutoring. The budget also continues an investment into a weighted funding formula that provides additional funding for at-risk students and English language learners.

It also includes money that would allow some districts to increase educator compensation, increases funding for students with disabilities and career and technical education students, and increases funding for after-school programs and early childhood education.

State Superintendent Glenn Maleyko said in a statement that students stand to benefit from the literacy investment. He also highlighted the budget’s continued investment in free school meals for all students, regardless of income.

“The budget also includes important investments in our ongoing efforts to address the teacher shortage so students are taught by highly qualified, certified educators,” Maleyko said. “It increases support for students with the greatest needs, including children who are economically disadvantaged, English learners, and students with disabilities. It also provides additional investments in Career and Technical Education, rural and isolated school districts, student transportation, and dual enrollment opportunities that expand college access.”

The increase in funding for students from low-income homes and English learners means that on top of the $250 per student increase, districts will get even more for such students, acknowledging that those with greater needs require more money to educate. Lawmakers first approved a shift toward a weighted system in 2023. This year’s investment represents a substantial step forward and establishes the system into law.

“Today’s school budget is a big win for all Michigan students, especially students with the greatest needs,” Brian L. Love, state director for EdTrust-Midwest, said in a statement from the education research and advocacy organization.

“For Michigan to become a top ten state for education, we have to ensure all students have the opportunity to succeed,” Love said. “While there’s more work to do to ensure schools and educators have the support they need to improve outcomes for all students, this budget continues to put Michigan on the right path.”

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

How should Michigan’s next governor improve education? We want to hear from you.

2026-06-23T13:21:31+00:00

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Education has become a critical issue in the race for Michigan’s next governor, an election that will determine who has the power to shape policies that improve learning for the state’s 1.3 million public school students.

But how should the winner do it? That’s a question we have for Michigan residents.

Chalkbeat Detroit and the Detroit Free Press are collaborating this election season to cover education issues that are key in the gubernatorial contest. To help shape our coverage, we’re asking you to take a few minutes to fill out the survey below. Your feedback is critical to ensuring we understand what issues are important.

This is a difficult time for education in Michigan. On the National Assessment of Educational Progress, just 24% of Michigan fourth graders who took the exam were considered proficient in reading, compared to 30% nationally.

Meanwhile, in 2025, just 38.9% of Michigan’s third graders were proficient in English language arts on the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress.

Math performance has been just as troubling.

Gubernatorial candidates have their own ideas about what it will take to improve Michigan schools, ranging from paying teachers more to replicating what other, more successful, states like Mississippi have done.

What do you think Michigan should do?

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan bills aimed at improving student literacy clear House committee

2026-06-10T19:03:28+00:00

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A Michigan House committee approved several bills Wednesday that are aimed at improving literacy in Michigan schools, including one that would require specialized training for all K-5 teachers.

The full House will now have to weigh the legislation.

Literacy has been a top education priority in the Michigan Legislature and for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, as state and national exams show significant challenges for students in reading. On the National Assessment of Educational Progress, just 24% of Michigan fourth graders who took the exam were considered proficient in reading, compared to 30% nationally.

Meanwhile, in 2025, just 38.9% of Michigan’s third graders were proficient in English language arts on the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress.

Rep. Nancy DeBoer, a Republican from Holland who chairs the House Education and Workforce Committee, said the bills’ advancement is a significant step for the state.

DeBoer said she is excited that the people who attended the hearing “care about the students in the state of Michigan — that they can learn to read, that we can diagnose them if they have issues with dyslexia, that our colleges can train them to be prepared with the phonetic method of reading.”

Here are the three literacy bills the committee passed Wednesday.

House Bill 5646, sponsored by Rep. Tim Kelly, a Republican from Saginaw Township, would require that beginning Sept. 30, 2027, people seeking a teaching certificate in Michigan — whether through a traditional higher education program or an alternative pathway — must have completed a teacher preparation program that included training in the science of reading. The bill also has some specific literacy requirements teacher prep programs would need to meet.
House Bill 5697, sponsored by DeBoer, would require that all Michigan K-5 teachers as well as certified staff who provide, support, or oversee instruction in K-5 receive literacy training in high-quality reading instruction methods.
House Bill 5081, sponsored by Kathy Schmalz, a Republican from Jackson, would require at least one teacher in each school to work with students with dyslexia and be trained in Orton-Gillingham approach principles.” Orton-Gillingham is a highly structured multisensory literacy program.

The committee previously heard testimony on the teacher preparation and mandated training for K-5 teachers legislation. No testimony was heard on those bills Wednesday, but lawmakers did hear testimony on the dyslexia legislation.

Schmalz noted that Michigan has a law that requires schools to test students for dyslexia, but doesn’t have a law mandating teachers be trained to teach kids with dyslexia.

“I’ve seen too many young people with dyslexia pass through school not getting the help they need,” Schmalz said.

Rebecca Hutchinson, superintendent of the Concord Community Schools, said the district integrated Orton-Gillingham with a reading intervention this school year. She said some of the most struggling readers showed dramatic improvement as a result.

Hutchinson also spoke from the perspective of a mother whose son has dyslexia. She said staff at his school had not received training in Orton-Gillingham, so his teacher had significant concerns about his literacy skills, but he is now excelling at reading.

“My son is very, very lucky that we have the resources to do that. If a school district doesn’t have or offer a program like Orton-Gillingham, then these children lose that advantage in being able to access all learning through reading,” Hutchinson said. “The power of this is clear, not only to reach those kids that are struggling to read, really all readers, but also to lift them up to reach their fullest potential and remove a barrier for our families who don’t have the ability to seek this outside literacy support.”

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Lawmakers push bills that would waive key state rules to give schools freedom to innovate

2026-05-20T22:38:16+00:00

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Michigan school districts would be able to bypass some state requirements to launch innovative programs that would otherwise be impossible to create, under legislation discussed Wednesday in Lansing.

The legislation, House Bill 5983 and House Bill 5984, would allow districts to waive seat-time rules that establish how much time students must spend in school to receive state funding, as well as some graduation requirements.

Such rules can stifle innovation, speakers told lawmakers during a hearing Wednesday of the House Education & Workforce Committee.

“Some of the innovations that we want to try are at risk of going against existing state rules and regulations that can jeopardize our state aid, and none of us can afford to do that,” said Alena Zachery-Ross, superintendent of the Ypsilanti Community Schools. Zachery-Ross is among nearly 90 school district leaders who are part of the Future Learning Council, which meets monthly to discuss innovation.

The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Nancy DeBoer, who chairs the committee and is a Republican from Holland, and Rep. Jimmie Wilson, a Democrat from Ypsilanti who is a vice chair of the committee.

DeBoer said examples of the type of programming the legislation would encourage include career and technical education, work-based learning programs, internships, apprenticeships, job shadows, and competency-based education.

“The legislation would create an incubator type environment for developing and incrementally improving instructional options that are needed for our students’ future and our state’s economy,” she said.

“Our educators want to do this work,” said Dan Behm, executive director of Education Advocates of West Michigan, an organization that represents dozens of school districts in Kent, Ottawa, and Muskegon counties. “They want to innovate, and I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

But schools are dealing with a student engagement problem, Behm said. Students are excited to learn as young children, but the joy is diminished by the time they reach high school, he said. His organization randomly asked 28 students attending 28 different high schools in Kent, Ottawa, and Muskegon counties to describe high school in one word. Without hearing each other’s answers, he said, 22 of them responded: “Boring.”

To make school less boring and more relevant, schools need to provide the prerequisite knowledge students need and teach skills that will serve students after graduation, he said.

“Schools should be about providing a safe place to learn and practice what it is that adults actually do, and when we provide those opportunities in school, students are highly engaged,” Behm said. “We see this in the fine arts. Why? Because students are actually practicing with the tools that adults use. They’re practicing with the scores and the playbooks and everything that adults use.”

Former Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, testified in support of the legislation, and DeBoer said former Gov. John Engler, also a Republican, attended the hearing and supported the legislation. In addition to Zachery-Ross, lawmakers heard support from several other superintendents, all of whom discussed their current efforts to innovate to try to meet students’ changing learning needs.

Supporters pointed out that the legislation would provide flexibility to traditional school districts, intermediate school districts, and charter schools that volunteer to implement innovative ideas. Wilson said one of the features that was important to him was that innovation plans would need to be approved by both the local teachers union and school board.

Two Democrats on the committee said that while they support the idea of innovation, they are concerned about equity and whether less-resourced districts, those who struggle to pass bond proposals, and those with heavy turnover of staff would be able to innovate in the same ways as their more well-resourced peers.

“How can that challenge be met when a school district has to deal with those challenges versus a school district that’s on more stable ground?” asked Rep. Matt Koleszar, a Democrat from Plymouth.

The goals are laudable, Koleszar said. But, “I want to make sure we are not accidentally or inadvertently creating groups of haves and have nots.”

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

As Michigan lawmakers push their ideas for funding schools, district leaders urge inflationary increases

2026-04-28T21:45:41+00:00

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Michigan superintendents say they’re not asking for much from lawmakers in this year’s state budget.

They would like to see school districts get funding increases that account for inflation. They want lawmakers to stop the years-long practice of diverting money from the state School Aid Fund and using it to fund higher education. And they want lawmakers to approve a state budget by the July 1 deadline to avoid what happened last year when lawmakers weren’t able to compromise on a final budget until October.

“We’re not asking for the moon,” said Steven Tunnicliff, superintendent for the Genesee Intermediate School District.

He and nine other superintendents from intermediate school districts — agencies that provide varied services to local schools within their borders — spoke last week during a virtual media roundtable. Earlier that week, the Michigan House passed its version of the state budget, including how schools would be funded. The Michigan Senate unveiled its K-12 school budget proposal, which cleared an appropriations subcommittee before being moved to the full Senate.

In recent years, lawmakers and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have touted record increases in funding for schools, because the amount allocated has consistently increased. But Angie McArthur, superintendent for the Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District, said funding increases in the last two years have fallen below the rate of inflation.

“That means that while the number on paper gets a little bigger, the real purchasing power or what schools can actually provide with that money goes down,” she said. “Energy costs have risen, health insurance premiums have gone up, transportation costs have gone up, and supplies cost more. The funding increase doesn’t cover any of that.”

The superintendents argued the School Aid Fund was created to fund K-12 schools. But for years, lawmakers have paid for higher education with money from the fund. They cited a recent poll commissioned by the K-12 Alliance of Michigan, an advocacy group for public schools, that showed a large majority of residents who were polled oppose diverting the money. (The K-12 Alliance hosted Thursday’s media roundtable.)

The budget proposals show lawmakers are far apart on critical issues such as whether districts should receive more funding for some of the most vulnerable students in the state. The Michigan House is controlled by Republicans, while the Michigan Senate is controlled by Democrats.

Below are some highlights of the proposals.

There is agreement on per-pupil funding

Michigan schools would receive a minimum grant of $10,300 per pupil. That’s up from $10,050 for the current fiscal year. The grant is the lowest amount a school district or charter school can receive.

A big debate this budget session: whether to expand weighted funding

Michigan has been moving toward a weighted funding system through a formula called the opportunity index. The index has allowed the state to provide additional funding for school districts for students from low-income families and students who speak little or no English.

The Senate’s proposal would establish that system into law for the next 15 years, giving school districts stability and ensuring there would be annual increases in funding for students from low-income homes and English language learners over that 15-year period. This is how it would work: For the coming school year, a district with the highest proportion of students from low-income families would receive a base amount of $10,300 for all students. For each student identified as economically disadvantaged, a district would receive nearly 27% above that base amount for the 2026-27 school year and 47% above it for the 2040-41 school year.

Whitmer had a similar recommendation in her budget proposal. But the House budget would maintain the current system.

School meals would be available to all again

Both the House and Senate have continued funding to provide free meals for students, regardless of income. Both versions would extend the program to include private schools. Last year, nonpublic schools were included as a one-time expenditure.

The House budget goes further, banning the sale of soda or candy in schools that participate in the universal meals program. It also bans schools from serving food that includes such chemical additives as brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, titanium dioxide, and multiple food dyes.

Additional money for tutoring, literacy proposed

Both budget proposals include money for tutoring providers to apply for and receive state grants to provide high-impact tutoring for students.

The House budget also includes a new program that would reimburse parents of at-risk students for the costs of private tutoring.

Both budgets invest more in efforts to improve literacy, given the poor academic performance of Michigan students on state and national exams. The House budget also provides $100 million to improve math performance, another area of concern for Michigan students.

School safety and mental health

Lawmakers would increase funding for school safety and mental health. What’s interesting here is that the Senate version strikes some of the controversial language that prompted dozens of school districts to sue the state last year. This happened after the budget approved in October included a new requirement that in order to get the money, district and school leaders had to agree to waive privilege to disclose information that would otherwise be legally protected if a school shooting or other mass casualty event occurs. They also had to agree to allow a comprehensive state investigation of such incidents. Both the Michigan Court of Claims and the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled the language did not violate the state Constitution.

The Senate proposal would only require districts to agree to be subject to a comprehensive investigation after a mass casualty event. It removes mention of waiving privilege.

The House version keeps most of the language intact, but it adds wording that says “the waiver of any privilege by a recipient of funds under this section does not waive any privilege or rights held by any individual, including employees of the recipient.”

Meanwhile, the Senate proposal provides funding for community violence intervention programs that prevent youth violence.

House proposal would penalize districts for DEI, curriculum featuring race and gender stereotyping

The House budget seeks to impose financial penalties if a district uses state money to fund diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, programs; if a district’s curriculum includes race or gender stereotyping, and if a district allows transgender girls to participate in girls’ sports or provides multistall unisex bathrooms for students. Finally, the proposal would require districts to notify parents or legal guardians if a child requests to use a different name or pronoun in school.

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Detroit district’s safety funding more than doubles after other Michigan schools reject it

2026-04-17T18:06:22+00:00

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The Detroit district’s state mental health and school safety grant funding has more than doubled after hundreds of other school systems rejected the money, Michigan Department of Education records show.

The district will receive an additional $10.3 million for the two-year grant period, on top of the $8 million the state originally allocated for Detroit schools.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District is one of 512 districts to share in $321 million for mental health and safety after agreeing to new controversial conditions for the money by the end of last year. In order to get the grant funding, district and school leaders had to consent to disclosing information that would otherwise be legally protected if a school shooting or other mass casualty event occurs. They also had to agree to allow a comprehensive state investigation of such incidents.

DPSCD’s board voted to agree to the waiver in November in order to get its original $8 million allocation for 2025-26. At the time, Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said the district “could not afford to walk away” from the funding, which it uses to contract mental health services at all schools and cover some security guard and officer salaries.

Some of the $10.3 million in additional funding Detroit received in February can cover expenses next school year, district administrators said.

The district did not respond to questions about how it will recommend spending the extra dollars. The board will vote to make the final decision on where the funding will be allocated. The board must approve a budget for next school year by June 30.

The state funding can be used by the district on mental health screening tools, firearm detection software, cameras, and mental health training for staff, among other purposes.

The state funding allocated by districts to pay the salaries of school resource officers and mental health support staff may carry over into 2026-27, according to state law.

School security has been top of mind for many Detroit parents this school year, following two incidents in which students brought weapons into classrooms.

After the incidents, DPSCD approved spending $1.7 million to hire 38 additional security guards. Another $490,000 was approved by the board to pay for a pilot of new metal detectors at seven schools.

The push to require school districts to sign waivers in exchange for the funding came after the 2021 Oxford High School shooting. Several districts’ challenge to the requirement is making its way through the courts.

Hannah Dellinger covers Detroit schools for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

U.S. Education Secretary McMahon says Michigan should join Trump’s school tax-credit plan

2026-03-27T22:46:27+00:00

This story was originally published by Bridge Michigan, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. To get regular coverage from Bridge Michigan, sign up for a free newsletter here.

HAMTRAMCK — U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon urged Michigan to “unleash educational excellence for every child” by participating in a new federal school choice program.

On Friday, McMahon called on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to opt the state into a program that would give donors tax credits for contributing to scholarship funds for K-12 students, including those attending public schools, religious schools, other private schools and home-schools.

Students could use the money for tuition or other educational expenses. Whitmer has previously said the program is a “high-level talking point” and that she needs more information before making a decision.

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“The Education Freedom Tax Credit isn’t some distant idea, it’s a homegrown solution that puts Michigan families in charge,” McMahon said at Hamtramck Academy, a charter school that enrolls about 550 students.

Under the program approved by Congress last year, people can donate to scholarship-granting organizations and receive up to $1,700 in tax credits. There’s no cap on how much scholarship money a student can receive, according to a fact sheet from the federal Treasury and Education departments. The scholarship organization will determine the amount “based on the mission” of the organization, the fact sheet states.

The tax credit is available starting in 2027. Proponents of the program emphasize that if Michigan does not join, donations from Michigan taxpayers would go toward students in other states.

Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, a Republican from Richland Township, and state Rep. Tim Kelly, a Republican from Saginaw, also spoke. Hall said he is working with Whitmer on efforts to improve literacy, and the federal program is another way to improve student achievement.

“If they’re in a failing school, this could be the lifeline for their family with these scholarships to go into another school that will help unlock their potential,” Hall said. “So this is another tool that Michigan needs, and I’m very hopeful that Gov. Whitmer will see that, to see what other governors have seen and opt us in.”

Shortly before she spoke, McMahon posted on social media urging the state to act and linking to a Detroit Free Press opinion piece she wrote about why the state should join.

Republican state Reps. Matt Maddock, of Milford, Alicia St. Germaine of Harrison Township, Joseph Pavlov of Kimball, and Mike Harris of Clarkston also attended McMahon’s event.

Kelly said the only reason to not opt into the program would be “spite.”

Previously, Whitmer has vetoed similar state efforts to pass a tax-credit scholarship program.

A Whitmer spokesperson said Friday she had nothing to add from Whitmer’s previous comments about the program. State Superintendent Glenn Maleyko did not directly answer whether he wants the state to opt in.

“My priority is adequate and equitable funding for public schools in Michigan,” Maleyko said in a statement to Bridge Friday. “I believe federal resources should be devoted to those priorities.”

School choice in Michigan

Critics liken the federal program to school vouchers.

Katherine Nitz, media relations coordinator for the Michigan Education Justice Coalition, told Bridge the program would “weaken public schools” and “sets the stage for privatization.”

“This would wind up gutting public school funding, which is already tenuous in Michigan,” Nitz said.

The Michigan Constitution prohibits using public funds for private school attendance.

So far, 27 states have opted in, McMahon said Friday.

Support for the program has largely been from Republicans. Only two Democratic governors — in Colorado and North Carolina — have said their states will likely join, according to Chalkbeat.

There are income restrictions for which children could benefit from the program.“Students eligible to enroll in a public elementary or secondary school and from a household with income not greater than 300% of the area’s median gross income qualify for a scholarship through the Education Freedom Tax Credit,” the fact sheet says.

While Michigan does not have a state private school choice program, roughly 1 in 4 Michigan public K-12 students attend a charter school or use the state’s choice program to attend a school outside their local district, according to a previous Bridge analysis.

Michigan families are also allowed to home-school their children and do not have to notify the local district or state about this choice. Last September, McMahon visited public charter schools in Detroit and nearby Redford, Renaissance High School in Detroit, and Hillsdale College, a private college that does not accept federal funding. That evening, she touted the benefits of the tax-credit scholarship program at an event hosted by the Midland County Republican Party.

Isabel Lohman is a reporter for Bridge Michigan. You can reach her at ilohman@bridgemi.com.

Michigan lawmakers take aim at fixing the state’s K-12 school literacy crisis

2026-03-18T21:11:48+00:00

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Lawmakers in Lansing are moving aggressively to address Michigan’s K-12 literacy crisis with multiple pieces of legislation that target training for teachers, retention for struggling third graders, and consequences for teacher preparation programs.

The legislative action comes as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has made addressing literacy a priority for 2026, her last year in office. During her State of the State address last month, Whitmer detailed steps already underway to improve literacy and recommendations in her budget proposal for the coming fiscal year. Among them is additional money she wants to invest in high-impact literacy tutoring, high-quality curriculum, literacy training for teachers, and hiring of literacy coaches.

“This is a serious problem,” Whitmer said in the address. “Our kids deserve better.”

Just 38.9% of third graders were proficient on the English language arts portion of the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress last year. It was the lowest performance of third graders in the exam’s 11-year history, Chalkbeat and Bridge Michigan reported.

On the national front, just 24% of Michigan fourth graders were proficient in 2024 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, an exam known as the “nation’s report card.” That compares to 30% being proficient nationally. Michigan students’ performance has been stagnant and declining even as other states that have invested heavily in early literacy have improved. Michigan now ranks 44th in the nation for fourth-grade reading on the NAEP.

This isn’t the first time Michigan lawmakers have taken aim at the state’s challenges with literacy. In 2016, fueled by similarly troubling test results in reading, lawmakers passed a Read by Grade 3 law that required early intervention, the hiring of literacy coaches, and the retention of third graders struggling to reade. The retention rule has since been rescinded. Ten years since that broad effort, Michigan’s student literacy problem continues.

Here are the literacy initiatives being considered in Michigan

House Bill 5697 would require that by the 2031-32 school year, all K-5 educators who provide, support, or oversee instruction, including in literacy, must have been trained in the science of reading, which refers to a body of knowledge that emphasizes phonics along with building vocabulary and background knowledge. The bill doesn’t specify a specific training program, but a legislative analysis by the House Fiscal Agency says the current training being encouraged for Michigan teachers — Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, or LETRS — meets the requirements of the legislation.

House Bill 5646 would require that, beginning Sept. 30, 2027, an individual seeking a teaching certificate in Michigan must have completed a teacher preparation program that included training in the science of reading.

House Bill 5520 would bring back the third-grade retention policy Michigan previously had in place. The bill would require struggling third graders, who would be identified based on their state test scores, repeat the grade. There would be some “good cause” exemptions, such as for students with disabilities whose educational plan team leader exempts them from the requirement. Michigan’s previous third-grade retention law, which went into effect during the 2020-21 school year, was rescinded in 2023 when Democrats controlled the legislature and the governor’s office. They argued the law was punitive and wasn’t working.

During a Wednesday hearing of the House Education and Workforce committee, Rep. Nancy DeBoer, a Republican from Holland who chairs the committee, said reading gives children the independence to pick up a book and go anywhere.

“Unless you’re in the state of Michigan and you’re three-quarters of the students in eighth grade who can’t read or do math in a competent manner,” she said. “That is a tragedy we are responsible for.”

DeBoer introduced the bipartisan bill that would make training in the science of reading a requirement for K-5 teachers.

The state has funded LETRS training, but thus far hasn’t made it a requirement. In September, the State Board of Education urged that it become a mandate for all K-5 teachers, saying the lack of one “has led to inconsistent participation of Michigan educators and inconsistent access to instruction based on the science of reading for Michigan’s students.”

The science of reading also figures prominently in a bipartisan bill introduced by Rep. Tim Kelly, a Republican from Saginaw Township. He described the bill as “a long overdue rescue mission for the next generation of Michigan’s workers, citizens, and leaders.”

Kelly said Wednesday that teacher preparation programs that don’t equip teachers with the tools needed to teach children to read have forfeited their right to operate in Michigan.

“We must stop subsidizing failure,” Kelly said.

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Whitmer’s budget plan for schools sets $10,300 in per-pupil funding

2026-02-11T22:29:50+00:00

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In her $21.4 billion school aid fund budget, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is proposing at least $10,300 in state funding per student and hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for literacy tutoring, curriculum, and training for teachers.

The total budget of $88 billion also includes a new initiative that will likely please parents and teachers who shell out money during the back-to-school season. Whitmer is proposing a sales tax holiday for back-to-school shopping, exempting clothing and supplies purchased during a weekend in August.

The $10,300 increase in the base per-pupil amount, which is the lowest amount a school district or charter school can receive, represents a 2.5% increase in funding over the current budget. The governor’s office said the per-pupil grant, under this proposal, will have increased 31% since Whitmer took office nearly eight years ago. The budget proposal released Wednesday is her last as governor. A November governor’s race will decide the next state leader.

State Budget Office officials presented the budget to lawmakers Wednesday during a joint hearing of the House and Senate appropriations committee.

Jen Flood, the state budget office director, told lawmakers that federal revenue declines, rising health care costs, high tariffs, and changing national policy made development of the overall state budget challenging. It’s why the budget includes some tax increases that might be tough sells to some lawmakers. For instance, the budget calls for increasing the tax on a pack of cigarettes from $2 to $3. Whitmer also proposes a new tax on vaping products, while also increasing the internet tax rate on casinos.

As she previewed early this week, Whitmer’s education budget is focused on early literacy to address how much Michigan students are struggling with literacy, especially in the early grades.

“Strong literacy skills are one of those clearest predictors of long term success in school, in the workforce and in life. That’s why this budget keeps a clear focus on helping students read proficiently by the end of third grade and stay on track from there,” Kyle Guerrant, the deputy director of the State Budget Office, told lawmakers during the Wednesday hearing.

Here are some of the specifics related to literacy, according to state budget documents:

$100 million for a new high-impact tutoring program over two years. The funding will be awarded on a competitive basis to tutoring partners with a track record in Michigan.
$100 million in funding over two years for grants that help districts purchase and implement a high quality literacy curriculum.
$50 million to continue Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, or LETRS, training over a five-year period. LETRS is a professional development program based on the science of reading. The science of reading refers to a body of knowledge that emphasizes phonics along with building vocabulary and background knowledge.
A $10.5 million increase in funding for additional literacy coaches at intermediate districts. Coaches help teachers develop and implement instructional strategies for pupils in grades pre-K to 5. The increase brings total funding for literacy coaches to $52.5 million.

“Widespread support for efforts to improve early literacy are needed more than ever as Michigan’s students continue to lag the nation in reading,” Jennifer Mrozowski, spokesperson for the Education Trust-Midwest, an education research organization based in Royal Oak, said in a statement. “Investments in research-backed practices based in the science of reading are particularly important in districts that serve high concentrations of poverty, students of color, English learners and students with disabilities.”

At the hearing on Wednesday, the state officials were called out by one lawmaker who objected to cyber charter schools receiving 20% less in per pupil funding than brick-and-mortar traditional public schools and charter schools.

“Who does that help?” asked Rep. Tim Kelly, a Republican from Saginaw Township..

Flood replied that cyber schools don’t have the same costs as brick-and-mortar-schools.

““It reflects the cost of educating a child,” Flood said.

Kelly accused the state of lowering funding for cyber schools because their teachers aren’t unionized, a claim state officials said was false. In reality, most brick-and-mortar charter schools are not unionized.

Here are some other features of the education budget proposal:

The third weekend in August would be a sales tax holiday for people shopping for school supplies. Purchases that would be exempt from the state’s 6% sales tax include clothing under $100 per item, school supplies under $20 per item, and computers for personal use under $1,000 an item. Sixteen states already have such sales tax holidays for the back-to-school season.
A 6%, or $128 million, increase to the state’s weighted funding formula that provides additional money for some groups of students, including academically at-risk students, students who are English language learners, career and technical education students, those enrolled in rural and isolated districts, students with developmental delays, and intermediate school districts.
A continuation of a $200 million program that provides free breakfasts and lunches for all students, regardless of income.
An expansion of the state’s PreK for All program, which provides free preschool to Michigan four-year-olds, regardless of income. The budget would include a 6% increase in the per-child allocation for the state’s Great State Readiness Program, from $10,650 to $11,290.

The state budget process now turns to the Michigan legislature, which has until July 1 to deliver a budget back to Whitmer for a signature. The legislature blew through that deadline last year, and didn’t approve a budget until Oct. 3.

Democratic Sen. Sarah Anthony of Lansing, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Wednesday she doesn’t want a repeat of what happened last year.

“We left school districts, we left nonprofits and the business community with uncertainty, with chaos, with unprofessionalism,” Anthony said.

She urged her colleagues in the legislature to “work with each other, regardless of political party, to get things done for the people of Michigan.”

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Whitmer aims to boost literacy as Michigan students struggle with reading

2026-02-10T10:00:00+00:00

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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, in her final budget proposal this week, is set to unveil a budget proposal for funding schools that invests $625 million in programs aimed at addressing the state’s K-12 literacy crisis.

The literacy investment would come at a time of increased focus on the troubling performance of Michigan students in literacy in the early grades. Just 38.9% of third graders were proficient on the English language arts portion of the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress last year. It was the lowest performance of third graders in the exam’s 11-year history, Chalkbeat and Bridge Michigan reported last year.

On the national front, just 24% of Michigan fourth graders were proficient in 2024 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, an exam known as the “nation’s report card.” That compares to 30% being proficient nationally. More concerning is that Michigan student performance has been stagnant and declining as other states that have invested heavily in early literacy have improved.

Whitmer, during her State of the State address last year, called for urgency in addressing the low performance, noting that Michigan spends more than most states.

“It’s not acceptable,” Whitmer said. “For our kids, let’s do better. Let’s face our literacy crisis with fierce urgency.”

“When every child reads, Michigan wins,” Whitmer said in a statement provided by the governor’s office. “As we face a nationwide literacy crisis, my education budget proposal includes big investments to build on the work we’ve done to help kids read.”

For the budget proposal she will deliver to the Michigan Legislature Wednesday, Whitmer’s Every Child Reads plan notes that investing in preschool and wraparound programs is just as important as improving curriculum and ensuring teachers are trained.

Here are some specifics of the plan the governor’s office shared with Chalkbeat this week:

Part of the $625 million investment includes expansion of the state’s PreK for All initiative, which aims to provide free preschool to children regardless of income. “It starts with high-quality early learning, because the sooner kids start learning to read, the better they become,” the governor’s office said in a media advisory.
The budget would also invest more in Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (or LETRS) training. LETRS is a professional development program based on the science of reading. The science of reading refers to a body of knowledge that emphasizes phonics along with building vocabulary and background knowledge.
The budget will include funding that helps districts implement new science of reading-aligned curriculum. The Michigan Department of Education recently published a list of curriculums aligned with the science of reading. School districts aren’t required to adopt from the list. However, the current state budget has language requiring schools to send letters home to parents if they are using a curriculum that is not on the list or risk losing a small percentage of their state funding.
The budget proposes additional funding to expand summer, before-school, and after-school programming.

Additional details, such as information on how the additional funding would help districts implement curriculum aligned to the science of reading, weren’t available.

State Superintendent Glenn Maleyko, in a statement included in the governor’s advisory, said Whitmer’s focus on literacy is one shared by the Michigan Department of Education, which he oversees, and the State Board of Education, the elected board that hired him last year.

“Nothing is more important to our students and our state than improving literacy,” Maleyko said. “Reading and writing are the foundation for long-term success, and I look forward to working with the Legislature through strong teamwork and shared responsibility to advance these priorities and continue improving student outcomes statewide.”

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan governor candidates talk ICE and ways to stop the state’s academic slide

2026-02-06T21:38:26+00:00

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Four Michigan gubernatorial candidates tried Friday to convince a group of educators from across Michigan that their plans for increasing accountability for schools, improving curriculum with teacher input, investing in educators, and reversing the state’s academic slide were the best options.

The candidates gathered at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center for an education forum hosted by the Michigan Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union. The event was moderated by Zoe Clark, political director at Michigan Public, and the candidates answered questions submitted by MEA members.

Participating were Democrat Jocelyn Benson, Michigan’s secretary of state; Republican Mike Cox, former state attorney general; Independent Mike Duggan, former Detroit mayor; and Democrat Chris Swanson, Genesee County sheriff. The MEA invited all the major party candidates in December.

The forum gave the educators an opportunity to gauge how those who want to be the next governor would put a stamp on education and potentially affect their jobs. They heartily applauded as Benson, a former teacher whose parents were also teachers, was introduced. Cox faced laughter during his remarks when he suggested that the average teacher with 20 years of experience is likely making $90,000, with benefits bringing their total compensation to $150,000.

His comment was a response to a question about how each candidate plans to increase starting pay for teachers and retain quality educators.

Benson replied that she would push to ensure the average starting salary is at least $60,000, about $20,000 more than the average starting salary in the state. She said it’s a sign of respect for the important work educators do daily.

“You will have a voice … and I will reflect my commitment to that by ensuring that your compensation reflects the respect, the professional respect, that you all have earned. To me, that is a critical component of attracting and retaining talented people,” Benson said.

Cox, who said that as a Republican, he doesn’t expect the union’s endorsement, took a different approach, saying that when Michigan fourth graders near the bottom in the nation in reading proficiency,”it’s hard to tell the people of Michigan that you need more money.

“You may not want to hear it, but that’s the truth. Accountability brings results. Results bring more money for teachers.”

Michigan Education Association members from across the state heard from four of the candidates for governor during an education forum Friday, Feb. 6 at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center.

Candidates were asked what they would do as governor to ensure the safety and stability of students in the midst of stepped up federal immigration actions.

Duggan said the pain of having ICE in your community is “very real, and I dealt with it for 12 years as mayor of Detroit.”

He encouraged people to look at how the city has approached immigration enforcement, noting that the Detroit Police Department has not signed agreements with ICE that he said would make the local department an arm of the federal agency. However, he said, if ICE learns that someone the department has arrested is wanted by the federal agency, that person will be turned over to ICE. The alternative, Duggan said, is “ICE goes into the neighborhood and creates more distress.”

Swanson, a 33-year law enforcement officer, was emphatic in his response, saying “schools are off limits” and criticizing ICE for the way it is carrying out immigration actions.

“ICE is doing it wrong. I’ve worked with the FBI, Secret Service, ATF, DEA for 33 years. We work with the most dangerous of cases. We don’t have people protesting us. We don’t have people scared,” Swanson said.

The candidates had varied responses when asked how they would improve education in Michigan.

Cox said he would opt into the federal tax credit program that was part of the Trump administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which would fund scholarships for parents to send their children to private school. He said he would be focused on accountability for schools and would adopt the policies in place in Mississippi that have helped improve student achievement.

Among Benson’s priorities: Ensuring equitable funding for schools, ensuring educators have the “compensation and wraparound services and support needed to do their job, and investing in postsecondary support.

Duggan said he would stop the practice that’s been in place for years of lawmakers dipping into the School Aid Fund that was meant to provide funding for K-12 schools to use it for higher education. He said he wants educators to be chiefly involved in deciding curriculum issues, rather than lawmakers. “Do you want the legislators deciding whether algebra II or art should be in the school?” he asked the educators.

Swanson, replying to Cox’s remarks about Mississippi, said, “I’m not interested in the Mississippi model. I’m interested in the Michigan model.”

He said Michigan needs to focus on fixing its problems. Programs like free school meals for all and free preschool for all (both regardless of income) are “the baseline to get them set up for an algorithm of success.” He talked about the importance of setting students up for postsecondary success whether they’re going to college or not.

“I’m not interested in making a decision as a governor for the next election. I’m interested in making decisions for education that have generational impact,” Swanson said.

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Revised school cellphone ban legislation passes Michigan House

2026-01-14T23:49:32+00:00

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This story was originally published by Bridge Michigan, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. To get regular coverage from Bridge Michigan, sign up for a free Bridge Michigan newsletter here.

LANSING — Michigan may soon ban students from using smartphones in traditional public and charter schools under a bill that passed the state House on Wednesday in a broad and bipartisan vote.

The approval marks a breakthrough on a drawn-out school cellphone policy debate. House lawmakers failed to pass an earlier version of the bill last year despite calls for action on both sides of the aisle.

Under the revised legislation, approved by the House in a 99-10 vote and now headed to the Senate, Michigan districts will be required to adopt policies banning cellphones during instruction time.

The proposal does not apply to private and parochial schools. And students will still be able to use “dumb phones,” medically necessary devices, and district-owned devices designated for instructional use.

The legislation stems from a growing body of research that indicates constant cellphone use impacts student learning, sponsoring Rep. Mark Tisdel, a Republican from Rochester Hills, told reporters after the vote.

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The bill must still make it through the Democratic-led Senate, which is not expected to be in session this week.

But the upper chamber expects to take final votes on the legislation “soon,” according to a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, a Democrat from Grand Rapids, who called the revised plan a “good bipartisan step forward on an important issue.”

Tisdel said the goal is to have Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sign the bill into law before her 2026 State of the State address, which has not yet been announced but is expected by late February.

During last year’s address, Whitmer called on lawmakers to “pass bipartisan legislation to limit the use of phones in class.”

“Other states — red and blue — have taken action. So has most of Europe and Canada,” Whitmer said in prepared remarks. “I understand the need to be connected to your child. But we can do better.”

At the time of Whitmer’s speech, nine states had adopted school cellphones bans. Now, about three dozen states have similar policies in place.

A previous iteration of Tisdel’s legislation would have allowed high school students to use smartphones during non-instructional time.

That flexibility was dropped from the bill midday Wednesday. Instead, under the revised plan, students may carry what Tisdel called a “basic” phone that would allow them to send texts or make calls but not access TikTok, Snapchat, or other potential distractions.

If signed into law as written, the smartphone ban would take effect this fall for the start of the 2026-27 school year.

Many schools in the state have already adopted cellphone policies on their own. The legislation seeks to create baseline regulations for all districts in the state. But it does not propose penalties for schools that choose not to follow the law, and districts could enact stricter policies if desired.

House Speaker Matt Hall, a Republican from Richland Township, criticized Democrats who voted against the prior version of the legislation but told reporters he put the revised bill up for a vote on Wednesday to start the legislative year off “on a fresh foot.”

“We see this as a growing problem in Michigan, where kids are having their cellphones in the classroom,” Hall said ahead of the vote. “They’re distracted, they’re not paying attention to their teachers, and they’re not doing well in their scores in reading and math.”

As revised Wednesday, House lawmakers also voted to tie the phone ban to pending Senate legislation that would allow student cellphone use during school instructional time in cases of emergency, such as a fire or school shooting.

Jordyn Hermani is a reporter for Bridge Michigan. You can reach Jordyn at jhermani@bridgemi.com.

These are the Michigan education issues we’re watching in 2026

2026-01-06T22:18:23+00:00

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2026 could be a pivotal year for education in Michigan.

The state’s education system has produced lackluster academic results on state and national exams for years, raising questions about whether the system is properly preparing students for success after high school. That’s critical since many other states are showing academic improvement while Michigan has been stagnant.

With a wide open governor’s race in 2026, we expect to hear plenty of ideas about what it will take to get Michigan’s kids on track. Already, candidates have floated ideas ranging from strengthening accountability for schools to expansion of school choice so parents can more easily send their children to the public or private school that best meets their needs.

Meanwhile, in the city of Detroit, a new mayor could bring energy to efforts to help city students succeed against a number of societal odds, including high poverty rates.

Below, we highlight some of the key education issues we’ll be watching in 2026.

What’s missing? Email us at detroit.tips@chalkbeat.org with your ideas about what you want to see take center stage and why.

Governor’s race could drive conversation about schools

During the 2024-25 school year, test results for Michigan students raised alarms because they showed that not only have students continued to lose ground compared to their peers in other states, but that recovery from the pandemic has been slow.

On the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the Nation’s Report Card, just 24% of fourth graders were proficient in reading in 2024. In math, just 37% of fourth graders were proficient. The rigorous national exam is given to a representative sample of students in every state in the U.S.

Closer to home, on the Michigan Student Test of Educational Performance, students didn’t do much better, with third graders recording their lowest performance in English language arts in the 11-year history of the exam.

The results will almost surely be used by gubernatorial candidates to suggest a range of reforms, as well as to attack the record of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, whose second term ends this year. But it’s important to note that Michigan students began losing ground long before Whitmer took office.

Michigan lawmakers have tried and abandoned a number of reforms – some of which were required by federal law – including grading schools, holding back third graders who struggle on the state reading exam, holding teachers accountable for student test scores, and potentially closing failing schools.

There are a number of people running for governor. Some have been vocal about what Michigan must do to improve schools. Mike Duggan, who just wrapped a dozen years as Detroit mayor, has proposed getting tougher on school accountability, with a plan that could lead to the firings of principals and superintendents if struggling schools continue to fail. He is running as an independent. Meanwhile, Mike Cox, a Republican candidate for governor, has proposed a universal school choice program that allows parents to “select the schooling option that best fits their child’s needs.”

Will Detroit Mayor Sheffield deliver on her education promises?

Detroit’s mayor doesn’t have any control of the public school systems in the city. But the mayor does have a role to play in addressing societal issues that make it difficult for students to learn. Newly elected Mayor Mary Sheffield, who was sworn in last week, has said she will do just that.

What did Sheffield promise? In her election night acceptance speech, she said she would address transportation issues that make it difficult for students to get to and from school and invest in after-school programs and wraparound services. It’s an ambitious plan, given the city has dozens of education governance structures between the Detroit Public Schools Community District and the many charter schools that educate students.

The big question will be whether Sheffield can deliver on her promises. There’s much at stake, given low academic performance across the city and high rates of chronic absenteeism – issues that are fueled by difficult to solve problems like high rates of poverty, housing instability, and transportation woes.

Detroit school board race could result in dramatic shift

With five of the seven seats on the ballot this November, the race for seats on the Detroit Public Schools Community District’s school board could be a defining one for the district.

With so many seats open, new faces on the board can bring new priorities and affect Superintendent Nikolai Vitti’s reform efforts.

Board members LaTrice McClendon, Iris Taylor, and Corletta Vaughn are up for reelection. In addition, seats currently filled by board members Bessie Harris and Steve Bland – who were recently appointed to fill seats left open due to resignations – would also be up for reelection.

Will legislative initiatives improve reading, parent transparency?

The state budget lawmakers approved in October included new rules for Michigan that require parents be informed about reading curriculum and how at-risk funding is spent. Districts receive at-risk funding for students identified for one of 10 factors, including being from low-income homes, being English language learners, or being a victim of child abuse.

One provision, aimed at putting the focus on low literacy rates in the state, requires school districts this school year to notify parents if their schools use a K-5 reading curriculum that isn’t on the state’s list of evidence-based curriculum, or that isn’t aligned with state standards.

An evidence-based curriculum is one that research has shown to be effective. As part of that notification, schools must tell parents that the curriculum they’re using “could negatively impact student academic outcomes.”

Another parent transparency effort: Schools also provide parents with a report showing how much state at-risk funding they receive, how the money was distributed, and what evidence-based interventions were used with the funding. Districts must also provide parents with a method for providing feedback on how the at-risk money is used.

School districts continue fight against school safety funding conditions

Another budget provision placed conditions on districts receiving school safety and mental health funding.

In order to receive that funding from the state, districts must agree to waive privilege, which means they must disclose information that would otherwise be legally protected if there is a mass casualty event. Districts had to agree to a comprehensive investigation of such an event.

Dozens of school districts and school officials filed a lawsuit challenging the language, saying it violates the Michigan Constitution. A state judge rejected their argument in a December ruling. But plaintiffs are appealing the ruling.

The big issues to watch here are: How many districts agreed to the conditions to receive the funding and if a mass casualty event occurs in a district that agreed to the conditions, how will a state investigation play out?

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan school districts appeal judge’s ruling in dispute over safety, mental health funding

2025-12-23T18:03:01+00:00

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Dozens of Michigan school districts and officials are appealing a judge’s ruling that upholds state budget language putting conditions on the distribution of funding for school safety and mental health.

The lawsuit stemmed from a new rule in the budget stating that in order to receive that funding from the state, districts must agree to waive privilege, which means they must disclose information that would otherwise be legally protected if there is a mass casualty event. Districts must also agree to a comprehensive investigation of such an event.

Judge Sima Patel granted the state’s motion for a summary disposition, essentially ending the case in the Michigan Court of Claims. But the plaintiffs are appealing Patel’s ruling to the Michigan Court of Appeals.

Patel, who listened to oral arguments during a hearing earlier this month, issued her ruling Dec. 17 rejecting the plaintiffs’ arguments. Here is what she had to say about two of the key claims in the school districts’ lawsuit.

Districts claimed budget language violates Michigan Constitution

The budget says that to receive the $321 million in safety and mental health funds, districts “must agree to be subject to a comprehensive investigation, must affirmatively agree to waive any privilege that may otherwise protect information from disclosure in the event of a mass casualty event, and must agree to comply with a comprehensive investigation.”

A mass casualty event is defined in the state budget in part as an incident “resulting in significant injuries to not fewer than 3 individuals” or an incident resulting in fatalities.

But the plaintiffs’ attorney, Scott Eldridge, argued in court that some of the budget language violates the Michigan Constitution because it is “exceedingly vague.” Specifically, Eldridge said the “waive any privilege” language is overly broad. He also said the definitions of a mass casualty event are too broad and vague.

“Vagueness means it’s limitless and unbound because it gives zero guideposts or direction as to what’s legal versus what’s illegal conduct,” Eldridge said.

Eldridge urged Patel to “use a scalpel instead of a machete” and declare those phrases unconstitutional.

But Patel noted in her ruling that the plaintiffs faced an “extremely steep hurdle” in proving those claims.

The “waive any privilege,” language, she said, “is clear and not vague,” and means what it says.

“Any and all privileges that may otherwise protect information from disclosure by the district are included,” Patel said in the ruling. “The breadth of the phrase does not render it ambiguous.”

At the hearing earlier this month, Eldridge questioned whether incidents like a bus accident on the way to school, concussions on a football field, a fight in the stands of an athletic event, food poisoning in the cafeteria, or a gas leak would be considered a mass casualty event.

“A significant injury is one that is severe enough to be noticed and have an effect on the injured person,” Patel responded in her ruling. She also said that the budget’s definition of a mass casualty event “may be broad, but it is understandable.”

Districts had until Dec. 4 to agree to waive their privilege. They have until Dec. 30 to rescind that agreement. The plaintiffs sought to extend that deadline to rescind even longer, asking Patel that if she rules against them in the lawsuit, that she set that deadline to 30 days after the appeals process is resolved. Patel said no in her ruling.

“There is no way for this Court or the interested parties to know how long the appellate process will take,” Patel said. “The distribution of funds cannot be delayed that long.”

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Detroit district stands to lose $2.2 million in state funding for low daily attendance last year

2025-12-19T22:23:14+00:00

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Detroit’s school superintendent wants legislators to change a state law that mandates penalties for not meeting daily attendance requirements as the district faces millions in fines.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District will lose $2.2 million in state funding for not reaching a 75% attendance threshold multiple days last year, according to the Michigan Department of Education. Superintendent Nikolai Vitti told Chalkbeat the law disproportionately punishes schools in communities with high concentrations of poverty and creates more funding inequities.

He said the fines punish the district for attendance issues rooted in systemic challenges, such as housing instability, lack of transportation, health concerns. Ultimately, it takes away money that could be used to support students in need, he said.

Many school building closures also have been caused by the city’s aging infrastructure, which are beyond the district’s control or ability to fix, the superintendent added.

“It’s a policy that punishes the symptoms while making the underlying condition worse,” said Vitti.

Under the State School Aid Act, districts can lose state funding if less than 75% of enrolled students attend school on any day of instruction. The state superintendent can waive the fines in some situations, such as severe storms or epidemics.

The MDE calculates the fines based on the amount of annual state funding allocated to each district and the percentage school systems fall short of reaching 75% attendance per day. Districts that receive more state funding stand to lose more in fines.

Bob Wheaton, the MDE’s director of public and governmental affairs, said the agency and its auditors are obligated to enforce the daily attendance penalties. All districts in the state are subject to the fines, regardless of student demographics, he added.

When asked if the law is intended to address chronic absenteeism, Wheaton said the percentage of students in attendance on a school day is a different data point than chronic absenteeism rates, which represent how many students miss 10% or more of all days in a school year.

“While chronic absenteeism remains a serious concern for the state, the calculation of chronic absenteeism originates from federal and accountability reporting requirements and is monitored through separate data systems and processes,” he said.

State records show DPSCD fell below the attendance threshold 11 days last school year. Initially, the district faced more than $6.8 million in fines. However, the number was reduced to $2.2 million, according to the MDE, because the district reported absences at one school that went beyond the state’s 180 instructional day requirement.

“We were fortunate; the reduction was only possible only due to a unique circumstance at the specific building that was affected,” said Vitti. “Had the same situation occurred at nearly any other school in our district, we’d still be facing the full $6.8 million.”

So far this year, Vitti said DPSCD has fallen below 75% daily attendance twice.

But, “our challenges typically accrue throughout the year; during the winter months when students face additional barriers getting to school due to weather, and at the end of the year when attendance drops,” he said.

State records showed 142 traditional public school districts and charter schools were initially identified as facing potential fines for last school year’s attendance rates. A final tally was not immediately available from the MDE this week.

The Detroit district, where 84% of students come from low-income families, has long had high rates of chronic absenteeism.

In recent years, the district has significantly reduced the rate with a multilayered approach.

“We’re investing heavily in attendance agents, health hubs, home visits, parent engagement, mental health services; all the wraparound supports that actually move the needle on attendance,” said Vitti.

Last year was the first time students in the district were chronically absent at a lower rate compared to pre-pandemic years. Still, more than 60% of students missed too much school.

The statewide absenteeism rate was higher in 2024-25 than before the COVID pandemic, at nearly 28%.

As Michigan struggles to reduce absenteeism, recent data suggests districts with the most to overcome, like DPSCD, are outpacing the rest of the state in improving attendance.

At a November policy committee meeting, Vitti said this year was the first since he became superintendent in 2017 that the attendance penalty has been enforced for the district.

According to Wheaton, 2020-21 was the only year the penalty was not implemented in the state due to COVID.

In 2023-24, Wheaton said only one district faced a fine, but it was waived once it was verified there was an error in the attendance data.

“That said, it’s common for somewhere between 35 and 50 districts to be initially identified,” said Wheaton.

Vitti told board members at the November committee meeting that the district should begin lobbying legislators to change the law.

“Taking millions from schools doesn’t get a single additional child to school,” he told Chalkbeat “It just means we have that much less to help them get there.”

Hannah Dellinger covers Detroit schools for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Oral arguments begin in school safety and mental health mandate case

2025-12-12T20:01:12+00:00

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A lawyer for dozens of Michigan school districts that have sued the state asked a judge Thursday to use a “scalpel as opposed to a machete” to remove language in the state budget he says violates the Michigan constitution.

The budget stipulates that in order to receive school safety and mental health funding from the state, districts must agree to disclose information that would otherwise be legally protected if there is a mass casualty event. Districts must also agree to a comprehensive investigation.

Districts had until Dec. 4 to agree to waive their privilege. They have until Dec. 30 to rescind that agreement.

The case is before the Michigan Court of Claims, and Judge Sima Patel held a hearing Thursday to hear oral arguments from lawyers in the case.

The lawsuit comes a little over four years after the deadly shooting at Oxford High School that prompted a wave of legislation and investigations to address school safety and student mental health. One independent investigation found multiple failures by some school officials, and some did not cooperate with the investigation.

Scott Eldridge, the attorney representing the school districts, argued that the “waive any privilege” language as well as the definition of a mass casualty event is “eye-poppingly bad language.”

“This was rushed legislation, and rushed legislation often results in bad legislation,” Eldridge told Patel.

Eldridge said the language regarding both is “exceedingly vague” and broad. The budget doesn’t define what it means by waiving any privilege. But it does define a mass casualty event in part as an incident “resulting in significant injuries to not fewer than 3 individuals” or an incident with fatalities.

Adam de Bear, an assistant attorney general defending the state in the lawsuit, said the overall purpose of the budget provision is to support student safety and get to the bottom of any mass casualty event.

“The only way for students to be able to grow in school is if they’re in a safe environment,” de Bear said.

The provision prevents school districts from denying document requests by citing attorney-client privilege or refusing to answer questions if they’re being interviewed or deposed.

“It assures that the state gets more information, because in past experiences, investigations haven’t gone as well as they could have,” de Bear said.

Vague language leaves school officials confused, attorney says

Eldridge told Patel that the lawsuit doesn’t challenge the entire provision in the budget, just the language requiring districts to waive any privilege and the definitions of a mass casualty event. That’s why he asked her “just take that provision, declare it unconstitutional, leaving the rest to operate as it perhaps was intended.”

The privilege provision requires district administrators to “waive any privilege in any limitless number of contexts,” Eldridge said.

“And they’re not really knowing what they’re getting themselves into if they agree to opt in under these conditions and receive this money.”

Patel asked Eldridge to respond to the state’s written argument that “the privilege waiver isn’t vague as much as it is broad.”

“Something is broad means it could encompass a lot of things, but it has limits,” Eldridge responded. “Vagueness means it’s limitless and unbound because it gives zero guideposts or direction as to what’s legal versus what’s illegal conduct.”

He noted it is unclear whether the language refers only to waiving a district’s privilege or whether it also includes the individual privilege of school officials.

The definitions of a mass casualty event are vague, Eldridge said, including one that defines it as one that involves significant injuries at a school or a school-sponsored event. It’s unclear how “significant” or “injuries” would be defined, he said.

“We could be here all day coming up with ideas of what could trigger this language,” Eldridge said, questioning whether incidents like a bus accident on the way to school, concussions on a football field, a fight in the stands of an athletic event, food poisoning in the cafeteria, or a gas leak would apply.

De Bear responded in his oral arguments that all of the examples of potential circumstances “are all things that probably warrant investigations for school safety purposes. How are students at a cafeteria all being subjected to food poisoning? It makes sense to … for the betterment of school safety to get to the bottom of it,”

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan districts have more time to agree to controversial waiver to get safety funding

2025-12-01T21:42:44+00:00

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A court order gives Michigan school districts until the end of the day Thursday to decide whether to accept conditions attached to millions in state school safety and mental health funding.

The state budget Michigan lawmakers approved in October requires school districts to agree that if there is a mass casualty event in their schools, they will disclose information that would otherwise be legally protected in deadly emergencies such as school shootings. Districts must also agree to comprehensive state investigations.

A mass casualty event is defined in the state budget in part as an incident “resulting in significant injuries to not fewer than 3 individuals” or an incident resulting in fatalities.

Such agreements are required this year in order to share in the $321 million in funding that school districts can use for functions including the hiring of mental health professionals, training for school staff on threat assessment and crisis communication, and the purchase of safety infrastructure such as cameras, door blocks, hardened vestibules, and window screening.

While some school boards, including in Detroit, Dearborn, and Rochester, agreed to the conditions despite reservations, dozens of other districts and school officials filed a lawsuit against the state last month saying that while they believe in transparency, the wording in the budget is vague and potentially illegal.

“We’re not about resisting accountability or transparency, but at the same time, the vague waiving of privilege puts not only our school district but individuals’ and professionals’ rights at risk,” said Mark Greathead, superintendent of the Woodhaven-Brownstown School District in Wayne County. Both the district and Greathead are plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit is now before the Michigan Court of Claims. Judge Sima Patel issued an order last week that extended the deadline for districts to agree to the condition and receive the funding from Nov. 30 to 11:59 p.m. Dec. 4.

Patel’s order allows districts that have already agreed to the condition the ability to rescind that agreement by 11:59 p.m. Dec. 30. For any school or district that rescinds their agreement, the Michigan Department of Education can recoup all funds paid, from the school safety and mental health fund “by deducting the amount from future state school aid payments,” Patel said in the order.

The waiver comes after parents of Oxford High School students killed in 2021 pushed for a state investigation of the district’s alleged failure to prevent the shootings. Though an independent investigation found multiple failures by school officials, many employees did not participate in the review.

Michigan’s government immunity laws shield educational institutions from liability in lawsuits unless a high threshold of gross negligence can be proven. The laws can also protect institutions’ employees. Without immunity, school employees could be held legally and financially liable for failing to prevent deaths.

Dearborn Public Schools would receive $3.2 million in safety/mental health funding. David Mustonen, spokesman for the district, said most of it will go toward mental health, social emotional learning, and school culture and climate.

The Dearborn school board has already approved accepting the condition to receive the money.

“Like most districts, we too are waiting to hear how this will all play out in the courts,” Mustonen said in an email response to Chalkbeat. “Again, like many others, the concern is about the precedent this type of legislation may have on future funding and the concern with districts losing the attorney/client privilege during the investigation of a mass casualty incident.”

The Woodhaven-Brownstown district’s board last week approved a resolution agreeing to the condition but will carefully weigh whether to rescind the agreement before the Dec. 30 deadline, Greathead said.

His district would receive an estimated $800,000 to $900,000, Greathead said. The money could be used to cover positions such as social workers, counselors, and resource officers, as well as programs for mental health that are currently funded via the district’s general fund budget.

“We will certainly put the money to good use if we are able to receive it,” Greathead said. “Heaven forbid we have the need for an investigation in the school district. But we also have to make sure we have clarity and are not putting ourselves at a disadvantage by waiving rights.”

Oral arguments in the court case are scheduled for 10 a.m. Dec. 11.

Reporter Hannah Dellinger contributed to this report.

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Detroit school district agrees to controversial waiver to get state mental health and safety funding

2025-11-14T23:12:03+00:00

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The Detroit school district’s board voted this week to share privileged information with the state if a mass casualty event occurs in order to receive $7.2 million in state funding – a move many other Michigan school leaders are objecting to.

This year’s state education budget added a condition to dollars local districts can use to pay for mental health support, intervention for at-risk students, and school safety measures. In order to get the money, districts must agree to disclose information that would otherwise be legally protected in deadly emergencies, such as school shootings. Districts must also agree to comprehensive state investigations.

Districts have until Nov. 30 to approve the waiver and apply for the per-pupil funds.

Michigan’s government immunity laws shield educational institutions from liability in lawsuits, unless a high threshold of gross negligence can be proven. The laws can also protect institutions’ employees. Without immunity, school employees could be held legally and financially liable for failing to prevent deaths.

There has been a movement in Michigan to lower the threshold for negligence and take away immunity from schools that do not properly follow emergency operations plans.

In addition to the Detroit Public Schools Community District, the Lansing School District also approved the waiver.

DPSCD Superintendent Nikolai Vitti told Chalkbeat in an email that the district had concerns about the conditions, but it “could not afford to walk away from $7.2M dollars that assist in funding our contracted nurses and mental health for students, and full time security employees at schools.”

He added that “losing that funding would have had a direct negative impact on our students.”

Twenty-two districts and 11 regional educational service agencies sued the state this week, challenging the constitutionality of the waiver attached to the funding.

The complaints, filed in federal and state courts, request emergency relief by the end of the month. The plaintiffs argue the law could force schools to give up funding for counselors, social workers, and security infrastructure.

“The provision imposes an unconstitutional condition by leveraging essential public funds in exchange for the waiver of fundamental individual rights,” the complaint reads.

Seven education organizations, including the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators, asked the legislature in a letter last month to change the language of the bill to require districts to cooperate with investigations but allow them to preserve legal privileges.

The groups argued the waiver could prevent districts from discussing crisis responses in closed sessions and protecting records from being released to the public.

Leaders in other districts, such as Southfield Public Schools and Hazel Park Schools, opted to take more time to consult with attorneys at recent board meetings.

The state’s historic mental health and safety grants, created in 2022-23, were praised as a step to address school security issues in the aftermath of the Oxford shootings.

In DPSCD, the grants are used to continue nursing services that had been funded by now-expired federal COVID relief dollars. The dollars are also used to pay for contracted mental health support at all of its schools and to partially fund security guards and officers.

According to a fiscal analysis, the district would lose $5.5 million in grants this school year and an additional $2 million carrying over into 2026-27.

The Detroit school board voted unanimously at Tuesday night’s meeting to comply with the waiver and share all information with a governor-appointed investigator if there is a mass casualty event.

The board did not publicly discuss the waiver before the vote at the meeting.

Hannah Dellinger covers Detroit schools for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

‘Broken’ and inequitable Michigan special education funding needs an overhaul, report says

2025-10-30T18:32:37+00:00

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A new report out Thursday calls for a huge shift in the way Michigan funds special education, including introducing a tiered system that funds students with disabilities based on how much support they need, with amounts ranging from $11,000 to $39,000 per student.

The recommendation is the work of a team that was created after the Michigan Legislature ordered a report in 2024 that designed a new way of funding special education in the state. More than a year of work went into the study, and more than 1,000 people, including parents, educators, advocates, and others provided feedback.

Advocates said there is an urgent need to reform the system, with the report citing low graduation rates for students with disabilities, low academic achievement, and growing needs as the population increases. Students with disabilities make up 15% of the school population in Michigan.

“For decades, our special education system has been stretched thin,” Heather Eckner, director of statewide education for the Autism Alliance of Michigan, said during a virtual news conference Thursday. “It’s underfunded, overly complex, and deeply unfair in how resources are distributed on special education funding in the state.

The recommended system would put the focus on the students’ specific educational needs. Schools would receive about $11,000, for instance, for students with “lower-intensity needs,” such as those with a speech or language disability or a specific learning disability.

Schools would receive about $39,000 for students who require full-time or intensive daily support. That includes students who have autism, a traumatic brain injury, an early childhood developmental delay, a visual disability, or an emotional disability.

Those per-pupil amounts would be on top of the $10,421 minimum amount the state provides to schools on a per student basis.

The report also calls for the creation of a high-cost fund that would reimburse 80% of any expenses schools spend above $57,615 per student. A news release accompanying the report said this fund would safeguard “districts that serve students with exceptionally high or complex needs.”

If the legislature adopts the recommendations, it would represent a huge shift in how students with disabilities are funded. Currently, districts must use general fund dollars if the cost of educating a student with a disability is higher than the $10,421 per-pupil grant. The state reimburses schools at a rate of just 28.6%.

That’s one of the lowest reimbursement rates in the country, Eckner said.

“It’s a question of fairness and opportunity. It means a child’s access to appropriate supports depends far too much on where they live and the wealth of their local tax base, and it means educators are constantly asked to do more with less, while families are asked to fight harder for services that should never be in question.”

The legislature didn’t ask the team to identify how the recommended funding structure for special education should be rolled out. But the report recommends phasing it in over six years, with full implementation estimated at $4.55 billion. The report offers two approaches, one in which the state assumes the full cost of eliminating inequities and the second being a shared model between the state and local districts.

Funding students based on their needs isn’t a new idea in Michigan. For the last few years, the state has used what it calls an opportunity index to provide additional funding for schools based on how many at-risk students they educate. A student is considered at risk based on multiple factors, including if they come from low-income homes.

Former Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, a parent of a child with autism and a longtime advocate for students with disabilities, called Michigan’s current system “broken.”

“When you have a funding system that doesn’t recognize the differences between what students need, it requires that parents fight for their services and puts them in kind of a defensive or an adversarial relationship with their school, which is exactly the opposite of what we would want,” said Calley, who currently is the president and CEO of the Small Business Association of Michigan.

Adequate funding for students with disabilities would be a boon for classroom teachers, said Alexandra Stamm, the education policy analyst for the Michigan League for Public Policy. Stamm and Eckner are former teachers. Stamm said she always had students with disabilities integrated within her general education classroom.

“I always felt like, ‘I wish that there was more of me. I wish that I could split myself into four so that my kids could get the services that are required and that they need per their IEPs (individualized education program).’ “

She said this amount of additional funding would mean “more supports for kids in terms of more paraprofessionals, more special education teachers, more speech and language pathologists, more help providing resources to the kids.”

Michigan schools have faced challenges in hiring enough special education teachers and related staff who provide critical services to students. That can cause delays in ensuring students are evaluated and receive the services they need. Whether additional funding would address those problems isn’t known, but Calley said Thursday that the money could help schools attract the staff they need by paying them more than they are now.

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

As CTE programs expand in Michigan, not all students are getting opportunities

2025-10-29T15:51:47+00:00

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Small drones buzzed all around the small gymnasium at Ypsilanti Community High School, controlled by students competing to get them through an obstacle course fastest.

In this yearlong drone and aviation technology class, a new career and technical education offering at the high school, students who master flying the machines will earn an industry-level certification and potentially a career advantage. Those are big pluses in a state where officials have prioritized boosting skilled trades.

Kayden Ross, a senior, quickly took to the drone course and sees career potential.

“People are definitely starting to use it a lot more, especially for real world things like fires or scoping out things, or checking structures to see if there’s any damage,” Kayden said. “So I feel like people are going to pay a lot of money for people that really know how to do that.”

The class is providing a unique opportunity to the students who are enrolled, but it is one the few Career and Technical Education, or CTE, courses available to local students. By the state’s definition, Ypsilanti Community Schools is a CTE desert — an area where data show participation in career tech programs is lower than expected.

Kayden Ross, a senior at Ypsilanti Community High School, sees career potential in a new drone and aviation career and technical education program that he's enrolled in. Voters in Washtenaw County on Nov. 4 will consider a tax measure that would raise money to pay for CTE programs like the drone aviation class operating in Ypsilanti.

CTE programs are gaining traction in Michigan and nationwide, in part because of student demand but also as advocates promote them as a way for students to explore careers and gain important skills in emerging fields. But high costs, a lack of funding, and other barriers like transportation are creating significant inequities along not just geographic but racial lines.

The CTE outlook in Ypsilanti and across the rest of Washtenaw County could brighten come Nov. 4 if voters in the county approve a special millage, a kind of property tax measure, that would create new revenue to fund pre-kindergarten-12th grade CTE programs. The measure would raise approximately $25 million annually for 10 years, benefitting each of the county’s nine districts.

Such millages can help turn a CTE desert into an oasis because they provide sustained funding to create new programs and maintain funding for existing programs. That’s important not just here in Washtenaw County but across Michigan — 41% of Michigan school districts are CTE deserts.

The drone aviation program at the Ypsilanti high school is one of five state-approved CTE programs offered to students, with the others being in collision repair, automotive, culinary, cosmetology, said Ypsilanti Superintendent Alena Zachery-Ross. The school also has some career-focused electives.

The drone aviation class was able to launch this year thanks to a temporary grant that will expire in June 2026, Zachery-Ross said.

That’s why the tax proposal is so important.

If it passes, Principal Chelsea Harris-Hugan said, the school would look to add programs in hospitality, entrepreneurship, HVAC, and law enforcement.

“The millage is incredibly important to our students and to our community,” she said. “It provides a bigger pathway and a better opportunity for our students.”

Research finds career tech access problems across Michigan

If you look at CTE enrollment numbers in Michigan, the overall picture looks deceptively good. During the 2024-25 school year, 114,495 students were enrolled in CTE programs, and a record 55,431 completed a CTE program.

The enrollment number has consistently risen since the 2011-12 school year, when the state first began collecting the data, except for a pandemic-caused dip during the 2020-21 school year. Meanwhile, the number of completers is higher than it’s ever been.

But not all students are getting the opportunity. Not only are nearly half of all districts considered CTE deserts, but a 2022 report from the University of Michigan Youth Policy Lab found students from low-income homes, Black, and Hispanic students have less overall access to CTE.

A separate Youth Policy Lab report on CTE access in Washtenaw County, home to the Ypsilanti district, found similar gaps. The report said access is inequitable, and that the same groups mentioned above “have less overall access to CTE programming compared” to more affluent and white students.

When they aren’t being used, drones sit inside these cases in the drone and aviation technology classroom at Ypsilanti Community High School.

The data prompted the State Board of Education in January to adopt a resolution that called on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Legislature to provide additional funding for districts to open new CTE programs. State lawmakers did exactly that in the budget that was adopted Oct. 3, though the $70 million in funding to CTE desert districts was less than the $125 million Whitmer proposed earlier this year.

Celena Mills, director of the office of career and technical education at the Michigan Department of Education, told Chalkbeat earlier this year that CTE programs give students an opportunity to explore careers and in many cases get a jumpstart on a career in which they have interest. Or they could learn that a career isn’t a good fit, she said. In general, CTE programs are focused on careers that are growing and are expected to grow.

“We have such a need in our economy for more of those jobs to be filled,” Mills said. “We need a workforce, and so we’re starting to think about how we can train students sooner to be able to do that, to fill those positions.”

When students lack that access, they lose out because they can’t start that career exploration early and often must wait until they graduate high school.

“They’re not able to have that competitive advantage and to move as far as fast as the rest of their peers,” Mills said.

Career and technical education millages are under the purview of intermediate school districts in Michigan, which distribute revenue from the millage to local schools and are responsible for monitoring the career tech programs. There are 56 such districts in Michigan, and they exist to provide a range of services to the local school districts within their borders. Many of these districts, 41, already have CTE millages. The Washtenaw Intermediate School District, which serves the nine local districts in the county, is one of 15 that don’t.

While Washtenaw County has been identified as having broad access issues, that doesn’t mean CTE programs don’t exist. Three districts — Ann Arbor, Whitmore Lake, and Ypsilanti — provide their own programs. The remaining five districts are part of the South West Consortium, a CTE program operated by the intermediate school district that allows students to take career tech classes outside of their districts, with most of the classes offered in Saline, which is in the southern portion of the county.

Even with this consortium, access problems exist. There are only so many openings each year in each program. Distance can be a barrier for some students. And some popular programs have a number of students on waiting lists, officials say.

“I hate telling students no when it’s something you know they can be good at or are passionate about,” said Michael Kapolka, superintendent of the Chelsea School District, which is part of the consortium.

“Students want these opportunities because they know what they can provide for them,” Kapolka said.

Ayden Sisson, a senior at Ypsilanti Community High School, is enrolled in a drone and aviation technology class but would love to see his school expand its career and technical high school options to include performing arts classes.

If the millage passes, the consortium programs, as well as the programs in districts that aren’t part of the consortium, would continue to operate as they do today. But the county schools would adopt a more centralized system “to sustain existing programs and expand those with waitlists, while also creating new regional programs in areas of need,” said Ashley Kryscynski, spokeswoman for the Washtenaw ISD.

Meanwhile, she said, while every district would receive money from the millage, “because some districts, such as Ypsilanti and Whitmore Lake, have significantly fewer CTE opportunities than other districts in our county, much of our initial efforts will be to increase access for these districts.

Drone aviation class opens up opportunities for Ypsilanti students

Even in the CTE deserts, school officials have found some resources to launch new programs like the drone aviation class at Ypsilanti Community High.

Last year, Michael Cushman taught fourth grade in West Bloomfield. But he has extensive aviation training, so he jumped at the opportunity to teach the new drone and aviation technology class at Ypsilanti Community High School.

Last year, Michael Cushman taught fourth grade in West Bloomfield. This year, he’s teaching the drone aviation class. It’s not as odd a shift as you might think. Cushman has a degree in aviation flight science from Western Michigan University. He has a commercial pilot’s license, was a certified flight instructor, and most recently earned the remote pilot certificate required to fly drones.

That’s also the same certificate he expects students to test for in the spring. They’ll need it if they plan to fly drones for commercial purposes, Cushman said.

For now, though, they’re still learning about the intricacies of flying drones and the coding that’s required to do it. When they first started flying the drones through the obstacle course in the gymnasium, it took about 50 seconds to navigate the course. On the day Chalkbeat visited Oct. 9, the students were down to 27 to 28 seconds.

“We get competitive with the obstacle course, and I’m competitive too,” Cushman said. “So I picked up the drone to see if I could beat some of their times, and some of these kids that had just picked up a drone for the first time were going through the obstacle course faster than I was.”

When junior Camari Vawters was around eight years old, his older brother had a drone. He remembers constantly crashing the drone when he would play with it. Now, he drives a drone with focus.

“I love it.”

Kayden Ross, a senior, wasted no time signing up for the class after seeing a demonstration during an assembly last school year. Cushman said Kayden, in particular, “has a knack for it,” and has “really taken to it very quickly.”

Kayden says it’s “definitely” a career option for himself.

Drone aviation classes are an example of how CTE programs have evolved over the years to keep up with changing technology and with burgeoning careers. What’s also changed is the CTE programs of years ago were mostly geared towards students who either had no desire or need to go to college. Now, Mills said, that mindset has shifted.

“Now we know that almost every student in almost every career requires some sort of post-secondary training,” Mills said. “What that looks like depends on the career that the student is interested in.”

Ayden Sisson illustrates how that strain affects students. The Ypsilanti senior is having a ball in the drone aviation class, which he signed up for because he’s always been fascinated by the drone shows he’s seen while watching sports events. But as much fun as he’s having, he still wishes his school had a performing arts CTE program — which the state of Michigan recognizes as a CTE field.

“We do have drama classes, we have musical theater and stuff like that,” Ayden said. But a single drama class doesn’t compare to a CTE program that might last one or two years. “If it was a CTE that would have made much more impact.”

Junior India Smith holds the drone and the device students use to control the drone during a class earlier this month.

India Smith, a junior at Ypsilanti Community High and a student in the drone aviation class, said she was inspired to enroll after attending an assembly during her sophomore year.

“I wanted to try something new,” India said.

Like Ayden, though, she has other career aspirations. She wants to be an artist, and is interested in animation. When the conversation turned to some of the potential new CTE programs that would benefit Ypsilanti students, said she was interested in learning how to use animation to draw. She’s seen people doing so on YouTube, Pinterest, and TikTok and has been intrigued.

“I’ve always wanted to do it.”

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

This story is part of an occasional look at career and technical education programs in Michigan. The reporting is supported with an Institute for Citizens & Scholars Higher Education Media Fellowship from the ECMC Foundation, a grantmaking partner of Educational Credit Management Corp. focused on improving higher education and career success among underserved populations.

Correction: Oct. 29, 2025: A previous version of this story said there are eight school districts in Washtenaw County. The story has been updated to say there are nine districts.

State education board urged to reject proposed health and sex education standards

2025-10-14T23:01:11+00:00

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Some Michigan parents and community members sharply criticized the State Board of Education Tuesday about a proposed health education standards update they say will strip parents of their rights to opt their children out of lessons that don’t align with their children’s religious upbringing.

But officials at the Michigan Department of Education said parents can continue to opt their children out of sex education lessons. That opt-out provision is in state law.

This is the first update to Michigan’s health education standards since 2007, and people who spoke against it were most concerned with the addition of standards on gender identity for students in grades 6-8.

“This is not biology; it’s ideology,” John Grossenbacher of Clinton Township said of the proposed sex education standards. “These lessons promote gender theory and sexual identity discussions that belong in the homes guided by parents’ faith and values, not in classrooms.

But state education officials say the updated standards maintain a parent’s rights to opt their children out of sex education lessons.

Education officials also noted that local school districts can make individual decisions about how they incorporate the standards once they’re adopted. That means districts don’t have to align their curriculum on health and sex education with the standards.

These are among the standards speakers took issue with:

Define gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, and explain that they are distinct components of every individual’s identity.
Explain how biological sex, gender identity, and gender expression are distinct concepts and how they interact with each other.
Explain that romantic, emotional, and/or sexual attractions can be toward an individual of the same gender and/or different gender(s), and that attractions can change over time.
Analyze the similarities and differences between friendships, romantic relationships, and sexual relationships and discuss various ways to show affection within different relationships.
Describe how sexual health values and priorities may change with age, maturity, knowledge, and responsibilities.

Pamela Pugh, the president of the elected eight-member state board, said in a statement that politicians, media, and advocacy groups “have spread falsehoods to scare parents into thinking that schools would teach sex education to their children without giving parents a chance to opt out from the instruction. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

She reiterated that at the state board meeting Tuesday afternoon.

The update includes standards for both health education and sex education, which has led to concern from some about weaving the two together. An MDE official said that the two were part of the same package of standards in 2007.

The board first heard a presentation on the proposed update during a September meeting. Friday was the deadline for the public to provide feedback. Interim State Superintendent Sue Carnell, answering a question at the end of the lengthy meeting about the timeline, said the intent had been to bring the standards to the board for a vote in the next two months, but she said she will now “meet with the team” to reassess.

Grossenbacher was one of dozens of people who spoke in person at the monthly meeting of the State Board of Education in Lansing. The public comment period lasted more than two hours, and about 20 more people were in line to speak virtually, but the board voted to delay those comments until later in the meeting.

Some invoked the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Mahmoud vs. Taylor case, in which the court sided with religious parents who sought the right to opt their children out of LGBTQ+ inclusive instruction. Their district in Montgomery County, Maryland, had prevented such an opt-out for LGBTQ+ inclusive storybooks. Chalkbeat reported earlier this year that the court said preventing opt-outs interfered with a parent’s right to direct the religious upbringing of their children.

Matt Wilk, a former school board member in Northville, said if the standards are adopted, teachers would have to justify them to parents.

“What this does is it puts the teachers in the unfortunate position of trying to come between the parents and the kids. Rank and file teachers do not want to have to have this fight which you are going to force them to have.”

Taryn Gal was one of a few people who spoke in favor of the proposed updates. Gal is executive director of the Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health.

Misinformation about the standards, Gal said, “is doing harm not only to our trust in public education, but to the health and safety of Michigan students. We should not be fearing the adoption of these standards. We should all be fearing what will happen if they are not adopted.

“Michigan’s current health education standards have not been updated since 2007. This means that an entire generation of students has gone through school using outdated guidance that does not reflect what we now know about mental health, technology, vaping, healthy relationships, consent, among many other topics.”

State board member Nikki Snyder, a Republican from Goodrich, proposed the board approve a resolution that declared the proposed standards violate the U.S. Constitution and the precedent set in the Mahmoud v. Taylor case and should be stopped. The resolution failed on a 5-2 vote along party lines, with five Democrats rejecting it.

Tom McMillin of Oakland Township, the other Republican member of the board, supported the resolution and said “we should stop here and reevaluate.”

McMillin warned that if the board approves the standards, “Immense amounts of money will be spent on litigation.”

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

New state budget bars Count Day financial incentives, requires curriculum transparency for parents

2025-10-08T22:18:20+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Detroit’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system and Michigan education policy.

The state budget Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed this week included transparency requirements — one would give parents more insight into what reading curriculum their school uses — and a new rule to bar schools from using financial incentives to encourage students to attend school on Count Day.

These were among some of the lesser known parts of the budget, with much of the attention going to record levels of per-pupil funding, a big increase in at-risk funding, and the protection of an initiative that provides free breakfasts and lunches to students regardless of income.

The budget also included more money for schools to lower class sizes in the lower grade levels, eliminated flexibility that allowed districts to hold up to 15 days of virtual instruction, and created a new funding source to provide additional pay for teachers.

The budget was approved after months of stalled negotiations, and after the legislature blew two budget adoption deadlines.

Some of the new provisions are puzzling because there was little to no discussion about them, said Robert McCann, executive director of the K-12 Alliance of Michigan, a group that represents the interests of dozens of school districts in the state. He raised concerns that the budget includes new curriculum requirements well over a month into the school year.

“This is just another example of how broken this budget process was,” McCann said.

Here are some details about the budget:

Parents to get a heads up if their child’s school uses a reading curriculum that isn’t recommended

New language in the budget requires districts to notify parents if their schools use a K-5 reading curriculum that isn’t on the state’s list of evidence-based curriculum, or that isn’t aligned with state standards. An evidence-based curriculum is one that research has shown to be effective. As part of that notification, schools must tell parents that the curriculum they’re using “could negatively impact student academic outcomes.”

Whitmer proposed such a transparency measure when she presented her budget proposal earlier this year.

The new requirement comes in the midst of disappointing student performance on state and national exams. On the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the Nation’s Report Card, just 24% of Michigan fourth graders were considered proficient, and results overall showed little improvement even as other states showed gains. On the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, performance in many grades and subjects went up slightly, but third graders posted their worst reading scores in the 11-year history of the exam.

In addition to informing parents that the curriculum doesn’t meet state guidelines, school leaders must also let parents know why they’re using a curriculum that isn’t evidence-based and share a plan for when such a curriculum will be adopted.

If schools fail to notify parents, they risk losing up to 5% of their state aid.

No more financial incentives for Count Day

Another way schools can lose up to 5% of their state aid: by offering financial incentives to students to attend on Count Day.

Some schools have offered gift cards or other incentives for students who show up. But it’s unclear how widespread those practices are across the state.

There are two count days in Michigan: One on the first Wednesday in October and another on the first Wednesday in February. Student enrollment counts on those days largely determine how much state aid a school district receives.

And because schools are funded on a per-student basis, getting kids to school has been vitally important on those days. (Schools can still count some students who are absent on Count Day as long as they attend school within a certain time period afterward.) It’s why some enrollment-challenged schools entice students to attend by offering things like pizza parties for the classroom with the highest attendance, extra classroom credits, and fun activities.

Additional funding to lower class sizes

The budget sets aside $65 million, to be paid in grants, to allow school districts to maintain or establish lower class sizes in grades K-3.

School districts with large percentages of students from low-income homes would be eligible to receive the grants.

Class sizes would be capped at 19 students per class.

The budget identifies several school districts (Muskegon Heights Public School Academy System, Benton Harbor Area Schools, Flint School District, and Wayne-Westland

Community School District) to automatically receive these class size grants.

The budget also allows all districts to use up to 30% of their at-risk funding to reduce class sizes.

No more virtual instruction days

The budget eliminates language that allowed school districts to hold up to 15 virtual instruction days.

Michael Rice, who retired Friday as state superintendent, has pushed the legislature to remove that language, as well as flexibility that allows up to seven professional development days to count as instructional days. During professional development days, teachers spend the day training, and students stay home and receive no instruction.

The virtual hours provision was struck, but schools can continue to count the professional development days as instructional days.

New teacher pay fund

The budget includes $350 million in one-time grants to increase educator compensation, though details are still scarce about how the money can be spent.

Districts must report to parents on how at-risk grant money is spent

The budget increases funding for at-risk students by 25%, but it also adds a new reporting requirement for school districts.

Districts receiving the at-risk money must now provide a report to parents that shows how much funding they received, how the money was distributed, and what evidence-based interventions were used with the funding.

Districts must also provide a method for which parents can provide feedback on how the money is used.

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org

Michigan schools budget includes free meals and a big bump in funding for at-risk students

2025-10-03T15:49:44+00:00

This story was originally published by Bridge Michigan, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. To get regular coverage from Bridge Michigan, sign up for a free Bridge Michigan newsletter here.

Michigan approved a $24.12 billion education budget early Friday morning, agreeing to record high per-pupil funding, no-cost lunch and breakfast for K-12 students, and a small bump for colleges and universities.

The deal, part of an $81 billion budget agreement to fund state government operations, was approved two days after the politically divided Legislature missed the constitutional deadline to approve a spending plan but passed a stopgap bill to avoid a state government shutdown.

A general government spending bill passed the Republican-led House 101-8 and the Senate 31-5. A separate education spending bill cleared the chambers in 104-5 and 31-5 votes, respectively. Both were heading to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for her expected signature.

The school aid budget will “feed every child free meals at school, help our students succeed academically, and ensure Michiganders are safe in their communities,” Whitmer said in a 4:24 a.m. statement.

Supporters of the plan said the new budget would help close opportunity gaps for at-risk students and other kids who need additional support, as well as give educational leaders more flexibility to address local needs.

“This budget makes sure every young Michigander has a fair shot to thrive and build a future right here at home,” said Sen. Darrin Camilleri, a Trenton Democrat who chairs the Senate’s K-12 appropriations subcommittee.

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But some critics say the spending should have included policies to encourage better results.

“We already invest more per student than most states with below-average results,” said Sen. Thomas Albert, R-Lowell. “We should tie spending increases to policy changes that will truly improve student achievement.”

School groups slammed state leaders for not reaching bipartisan consensus sooner.

“To be clear, Michigan’s schools have been harmed throughout every step of this unnecessary, Lansing-made crisis and the lack of accountability as lawmakers continued to obstruct a budget from moving forward will not be forgotten,” said Robert McCann, executive director of the K-12 Alliance of Michigan, a group representing 123 school districts.

Here are highlights of the budget:

Foundation allowance

Public schools will receive $10,050 per student, up 5% from $9,608 per student.

Virtual cyber schools will receive the same amount as other public schools after previously receiving less.

School districts have wide flexibility for how they spend the per-pupil grants.

But school leaders criticized other changes in the budget, including continued diversion of School Aid Fund money to cover higher education.

Universal school meals

Leaders allocated $201.6 million for free breakfast and lunch for all public school students and private school students. It’s the third school year of the Michigan School Meals program, which covers the cost of meals for students who otherwise don’t qualify for federal meals benefits.

The funding is up slightly from the $200 million the Legislature put aside last year.

Many school districts warned parents they would need to start paying for meals again if a budget was not in place by Tuesday.

At-risk funding

The deal includes a 25% bump in at-risk funding for students. Districts received these funds based on the number of economically disadvantaged students and the concentration of poverty within their district.

School leaders will be able to use up to 30% of their funds to reduce class sizes.

School safety and mental health

Leaders agreed to $321million for school safety and mental health funding. Two years ago, leaders agreed to $328 million, with private schools being eligible for a small portion of the funds.

But last year, leaders initially only put $26.5 million for the program which school leaders decried as cuts. A few months later, leaders passed an additional spending measure to provide $125 million more toward the program. In that deal, leaders also provided $1 million toward a tipline for students to anonymously report guns in violation of the state’s safe storage law.

Higher education

Michigan universities will see funding boosts ranging from 1.9% to 4.8%, an overall $2.34 billion spend.

An effort by Republicans to slash funding for the University of Michigan and Michigan State University was dropped from the final bill.

The plan diverts about $1.3 billion from the state’s School Aid Fund, the main funding mechanism for K-12 schools, to community colleges and universities, an increase from the last budget cycle.

Lauren Gibbons is a reporter for Bridge Michigan. You can reach her at lgibbons@bridgemi.com.

Isabel Lohman is a reporter for Bridge Michigan. You can reach her at ilohman@bridgemi.com.

GOP bill would force Michigan school board candidates to state their party affiliation

2025-10-02T15:07:27+00:00

This story was originally published by Votebeat. Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for Votebeat Michigan’s free newsletter here.

A proposed bill from House Republicans would make Michigan’s school board candidates declare a party affiliation, a change that’s drawing criticism from local election officials and school board members.

Under state law, school board positions are explicitly nonpartisan. House Bill 4588, introduced by Rep. Jason Woolford, would tweak the law to require candidates for local school boards to declare a party affiliation.

That requirement could force the races to have primary elections in August, in addition to the November general election when school board seats are typically voted on, officials said.

Michigan clerks warn that the bill could create a range of problems for local election offices, including longer ballots, voter confusion, and thousands of extra dollars in expenses.

For one thing, it would require changing the layout of primary ballots to include school board candidates in the partisan section, which could be confusing for voters and expensive to implement, Hillsdale County Clerk Abe Dane told Votebeat.

Woolford, a Republican from Howell, said Tuesday before the House Election Integrity Committee that his proposal would improve transparency around a candidate’s values and improve voter turnout.

“Party labels create policy consistency,” Woolford said. “Boards with clear ideological balances, whether conservative, progressive or mixed, can avoid gridlock and deliver on promises from better budgets to safer schools. Without labels, we risk surprises or recalls when candidates’ true colors show up too late.”

Education policy is largely determined by the state, but school boards have increasingly become a battleground for groups trying to influence policy at the most local level. In some communities, conservative groups have focused on school boards as a place to assert “parental rights” on everything from COVID vaccine requirements to LGBTQ inclusion.

A small number of states already use party labels on ballots for school board candidates, while others allow for it but don’t require it. In Michigan, candidates for the three public-university boards that are elected statewide are listed on ballots with their party affiliation. But these candidates are selected during party conventions, not through primaries.

It’s the prospect of partisan primaries for local school boards that has some election officials worried. Dane, in Hillsdale County, said that in counties like his where a single party dominates most offices, adding another race to the partisan section of the primary ballot could make ballots longer and costlier.

“If you throw in a second piece of paper for every single voter? God, help us,” Dane said. “You’re going to create nightmares for balancing, tabulator issues. Voters are going to drop off and give up after a while of filling out the ballot.”

He said the cost could easily run a clerk’s office thousands of dollars.

He dismissed the idea that a switch to partisan elections would improve voter turnout. “Anyone that is interested in a school board election is probably going to be voting in an August primary regardless,” he said.

School board members at the hearing overwhelmingly testified against the bill as well, arguing that requiring candidates to declare a party affiliation goes against the mandate for school board members to support students and schools.

Jennifer Smith, director of government relations for the Michigan Association of School Boards, said “the vast majority” of MASB members opposed the bill, because they don’t see themselves as political people. Such a change could discourage people from running for school board — at a time when many school board seats are already going unfilled — because candidates would have to be prepared to campaign in both a primary and a general election, she said.

In emailed testimony, Tom Buffett, president of the Okemos Public Schools board, wrote: “Frankly, in an increasingly polarized and politicized society, I view the prospect of having party-affiliated Trustees as a divisive distraction of what Boards of Education need.”

Democrats on the committee appeared opposed to the bill. Rep. Stephen Wooden, D-Grand Rapids, discussed the risk that partisan elections could lead to significant policy changes from one election to the next, to the detriment of students.

Even Republicans didn’t seem convinced. Rep. Pat Outman, a Republican from Six Lakes, said he wished “we could get the politics out of school,” citing President George Washington’s farewell address in which he warned against partisan factions. Outman said he hadn’t solidified his opinion yet but had concerns about the bill.

The committee did not vote on the bill Tuesday. Even if the bill were to make it to the House floor and through the chamber, it is unlikely to win favor in the Democratic-controlled Michigan Senate.

Hayley Harding is a reporter for Votebeat based in Michigan. Contact Hayley at hharding@votebeat.org.

Outgoing state schools chief: Students need more, not fewer, instructional days

2025-10-01T19:38:49+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Detroit’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system and Michigan education policy.

On Friday, Michigan’s State Superintendent Michael Rice closes the book on a decades-long career as an educator.

Rice, who has been the state’s top education leader since 2019, is retiring and paving the way for new leadership.

Glenn Maleyko, the current Dearborn Public Schools superintendent, takes over Dec. 8. Until Maleyko starts, Sue Carnell, the chief deputy superintendent at the Michigan Department of Education, will serve as interim state superintendent.

Rice led during a difficult time, with the pandemic upending education not even a year into his tenure. Students performed worse on state and national exams, chronic absenteeism surged, and student mental health concerns increased. Academic recovery has been slow, and despite small gains across the board on the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress this year, third graders posted their worst reading scores in the 11-year history of the exam.

In a recent Chalkbeat interview, Rice talked about some key issues that are critical to improved outcomes for students, including his insistence that Michigan lawmakers must act to stop schools from being able to count seven professional development days as instructional days. He said that flexibility, and others, mean students across Michigan could be receiving far less than the 180 days of instruction that are required by law.

Here are four takeaways from that interview:

The state gives schools too much flexibility to reduce the number of instructional days

Rice has repeatedly asked Michigan lawmakers to change state law to ensure students are receiving 180 days of instruction.

Rice is concerned because in recent years, state lawmakers have added flexibility in the law that allows schools to count up to seven professional development days — days when teachers are training and students are not in school — as instructional days.

Professional development, Rice said, “is immensely important.”

“But prior to the 2019-20 school year, professional development did not compete with instructional time,” he said. “It now does. Children shouldn’t have to pay for professional development of staff with lost instructional days.”

Schools also can shift to online instruction — meaning students are taught virtually — for up to 15 days. While those are technically instructional days, pandemic experience demonstrated that many students struggle with virtual learning.

Meanwhile, classes can be cancelled for reasons beyond the control of administrators, such as snow days and emergencies that close buildings.

It’s unclear to what extent Michigan schools are taking advantage of the flexibility lawmakers have given them for counting professional development as instructional days or going online. There is no requirement schools indicate how many of their instructional days include this flexibility.

But Rice is convinced it’s a problem in part because “we wouldn’t have the challenges of getting it rectified in the state legislature.”

Michigan has some deep educational challenges, but there have been some wins

Michigan student performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the Nation’s Report Card, has been flat, with little improvement while other states are making significant progress. Literacy, particularly in the early grades, has been a challenge on state and national exams.

There have been some encouraging signs, which Rice easily rattled off during the interview as he discussed progress on the Michigan Department of Education’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan. That initiative outlines eight ambitious goals to improve education in the state and includes expanding early childhood learning, improving early literacy achievement, expanding postsecondary learning opportunities, increasing the percentage of students who graduate from high school, increasing the number of certified teachers in areas of shortages, and providing adequate and equitable school funding.

Rice cited examples of progress toward those goals: Lawmakers have allocated additional funding for some of the most vulnerable children — students from low-income homes, students with disabilities, students who are English language learners — to provide more equitable school funding. Substantially more children are enrolled in Michigan’s free preschool program, and the graduation rate of 82% for high school students is the highest it’s ever been.

But challenges persist, and the state hasn’t fully achieved any of the goals.

“If I could paraphrase Frost, and I like my poets, we have miles to go before we sleep on all of the issues. There’s been progress made … on every goal area, arrival on none,” Rice said.

Michigan can learn from Mississippi’s policies that led to big reading gains

A lot has been said about how the state of Mississippi has seen significant improvement in fourth grade reading on the NAEP, while Michigan’s performance has been flat. Mississippi was ranked ninth in the nation in fourth grade reading this year, up from 49th in 2013.

In Mississippi beginning in 2014, Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (or LETRS) training was required for teachers in some state schools. LETRS is a professional development program based on the science of reading. The science of reading refers to a body of knowledge that emphasizes phonics along with building vocabulary and background knowledge. (Since 2022, Mississippi has used AIM Pathways as its science of reading training.) Those schools were also required to hire literacy coaches.

Michigan has provided some funding in the state budget for the LETRS training, and more than 5,000 teachers have completed the training and another 7,000 have begun it, but Rice and the State Board of Education wants Michigan to make it mandatory for K-5 teachers. He has pointed to Mississippi as an example of why that’s important.

“The training was a priority, and it was a fundamental part in our progress toward understanding how our students learn to read through instruction aligned to structured literacy,” said Jean Cook, a spokesperson for the department.

Mississippi paid for training for general education teachers, special education teachers, administrators, speech-language pathologists, and other speech-related personnel, Cook said. As the state efforts grew, Cook said, “the training became strongly suggested rather than required.”

Rice said Mississippi “has been more focused than Michigan has,” and has “leaned into high quality, research based early literacy materials long before Michigan did.” He said they also recognized the value of low class sizes in high-poverty schools in grades K-3.

And just as important, Mississippi hasn’t allowed the incursions into student instructional time that Michigan has.

Michigan, to be sure, has focused efforts on literacy. In 2016, lawmakers passed legislation — the Read by Grade 3 law — that required schools to identify and intervene with struggling readers. The law also required schools retain struggling third-grade readers based on their performance on the M-STEP, though the law allowed a number of exemptions. The retention part of the law was rescinded in 2024.

Last fall, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed K-12 Literacy and Dyslexia Laws that require the Michigan Department of Education to identify reading curriculum that align with the science of reading, require schools to screen children to identify those who are struggling with dyslexia, and require teacher preparation programs to include instruction on identifying and addressing dyslexia.

Teacher shortages improving, but it’s not over yet

Michigan investments are paying off in reducing teacher shortages. Rice said that when he became state superintendent, there wasn’t any money in the state budget to address shortages. Since then, the state has invested millions of dollars in a number of efforts, including stipends for student teachers, scholarships for those going into teaching, and funding for “grow your own” programs. There has also been growth in programs aimed at strengthening the current workforce.

Teacher shortages “really had gotten quite acute immediately prior to the pandemic, and then exacerbated during the pandemic. We’re coming out of this,” Rice said.

He said the state went from having 23,000 people preparing for the profession in 2011 down to 9,500 in 2017. But now, he said, “we’re up to 18,000 preparing for the profession annually.”

But shortages are still a problem.

“When you go into the communities that are the most challenged, and you look in the classrooms and when they don’t have shortages, when they don’t have openings, when they have fully credentialed, strong teachers in every classroom, then we can say the shortage is over.”

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Free school meals will be limited beginning Wednesday in some Michigan schools

2025-09-30T22:46:47+00:00

Some parents of Michigan public school students will have to start paying for student breakfast and lunch on Wednesday as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and lawmakers continue to negotiate a state budget.

Because the budget is not yet done, “school meals will no longer be free for all students starting tomorrow,” Bloomfield Hills Schools told parents in a Tuesday afternoon email.

The message came shortly after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told state employees they will be paid and the government will continue to run Wednesday even if officials miss a midnight deadline to pass a state budget.

While a temporary spending bill could potentially help keep state government open, school officials said Tuesday they do not yet have any certainty how that process might affect them.

Without a finalized budget, Midland Public Schools will continue to offer free breakfast for all students but will start charging students who do not qualify for free lunches through federal programs, said Katie Guyer, director of communications and community relations.

Guyer said two of the six elementary schools in the district will continue to offer free school meals because of eligibility for a federal program. The district announced possible changes to the meal program in early August.

In the absence of a state budget that funds the program, it’s up to individual districts if they want to use other funds to pay for the cost of meals.

RJ Webber, superintendent of Northville Public Schools, said his district will pay for school meals for all students for a month even if there is no state budget. It’s estimated that will cost the district $400,000.

Webber said his district has a healthy amount in savings, and his “heart breaks” for districts that have to ask parents to start paying for meals.

‘No right or wrong answer’ for Michigan schools

Whitmer has championed the universal free meal program, which removed income restrictions and cost the state $200 million last year. But some conservatives have questioned free meals for affluent families.

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It’s not yet clear if the state budget for next fiscal year — which starts Wednesday — will include continued funding for the meals.

Whitmer “wants to continue this program and is working with the Legislature to finalize the budget over the next few days, so parents and kids can keep getting this benefit,” spokesperson Stacey LaRouche told Bridge on Monday.

Absent a late Tuesday budget deal, Whitmer and lawmakers could attempt to pass a continuing resolution by midnight that would maintain current funding levels for state departments and avoid a government shutdown.

Peter Spadafore, executive director of the Michigan Alliance for Student Opportunity, which represents a group of school districts, said Tuesday afternoon that he is not sure what might be in a continuing budget resolution or how long an agreement would fund the government.

If lawmakers include universal school meal funding in some sort of agreement that passed with immediate effect and was quickly signed by Whitmer, then it would make sense for schools to continue universal school meals, he said.

“There’s no right or wrong answer for a superintendent for how to continue,” said Robert McCann, executive director of The K-12 Alliance of Michigan, a group of 123 school districts.

“They are simply trying to do what’s best for their students given all this uncertainty forced on them by this continued legislative failure to get a budget done.”

Previous warnings

School leaders have been warning parents of the potential change for weeks while also advocating for the Legislature to pass a budget. Parents can still fill out an education benefits form with their local district that may allow their child to qualify for free meals and other discounts on testing and extracurricular sports.

In recent weeks, Ann Arbor Public Schools has said it will start charging families for meals in October if a budget deal with universal meals is not approved.

But Holt Public Schools recently announced it would continue to offer all students free meals during the 2025-26 school year.

Huron Valley Schools said in a Sept. 12 notice it would use its “Food Service Fund surplus to continue offering free breakfast and lunch to all students for as long as possible.”

Okemos Public Schools officials previously announced the district would not offer free school meals to all students this year, in a move the superintendent blamed on a lack of guaranteed funding from the state.

Crestwood School District in Dearborn Heights said on its website last week it would continue to provide free meals to all students for the entire school year.

Ferndale Public Schools will also continue to provide free school meals for all students this school year.

“This ensures that every child has access to healthy meals, removes barriers for families and helps students stay focused on learning rather than worrying about food,” Superintendent Camille Hibbler told families in a message Tuesday afternoon.

Isabel Lohman is a reporter for BridgeMichigan. You can reach her at ilohman@bridgemichigan.com.

Michigan schools face uncertainty as government shutdown looms

2025-09-25T20:06:57+00:00

LANSING — Some Michigan schools are taking out loans, warning of food service cuts and possible preschool closures as lawmakers struggle to finalize a state budget by an Oct. 1 constitutional deadline.

Without a deal in the next week, the state government will shut down. Schools would stay open, but an extended impasse would jeopardize critical state funding, and educators are already preparing for that possibility.

If there is a shutdown, “the shorter the better” for Michigan schools, said Craig Thiel, research director at the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council. “The longer, the more uncertainty, the more work.”

For most of the past decade, lawmakers and the governor have finalized an education budget by July 1 to align with when the fiscal year begins for K-12 schools. That didn’t happen this year despite a deadline written into state law.

Now, a Republican-led House, Democratic-led Senate, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have just seven days left to agree on a state budget expected to include $21 to $22 billion for public K-12 schools and pre-K programming.

Whitmer on Monday criticized what she called “shortcomings” with a House GOP budget, but said she still believes a shutdown is avoidable.

“I think we can write a budget that checks off things on my list, checks off things that are on House Republicans’ list and the Senate Democrats,” she told reporters at an event in Kentwood.

State payments loom

The state budget funds schools on a per-pupil basis — $9,608 this year.

Districts receive that funding in 11 monthly state payments. The next is due Oct. 20 but would not go out if the state government is closed, which officials say could jeopardize bus service, after school programs, free meals, and more.

“In a shutdown, no state school aid flows,” the Michigan Department of Education warned in a Sept. 2 memo.

Education leaders warn a state government shutdown could impact some community child care providers even sooner — in early October, leaving them unable to make payroll.

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The uncertainty is prompting moves from educators that could have a lasting impact on the financial health of some Michigan school districts, including high-interest loans and delayed hiring decisions.

“There are school districts like mine that are borrowing way more money than we should ever have to because of all these uncertainties being created in Lansing,” said Laingsburg Community Schools Superintendent Matt Shastal.

Already one in 10 school districts say they’ve made classroom personnel cuts ahead of this academic year, according to a survey of school district leaders, though not all cuts are necessarily because of budget uncertainty.

Some, like House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, say they’re still “optimistic” leaders can avoid a government shutdown despite recent state budgets taking weeks to negotiate.

Any cuts schools are already making are “performative,” Hall recently argued, noting proposed budgets would each raise the per-pupil rate — to $10,008 in the Senate-proposed budget to up to $12,000 in the House-backed plan.

“If I was a school superintendent … and I saw that all parties wanted to increase my funding, I wouldn’t be making all of these crazy decisions,” Hall told reporters last month.

This weekend, Hall said that even if lawmakers can’t finalize a full budget by Oct. 1, he’s “hopeful” they can at least agree on an education spending plan “before there’s a shutdown, if there is one.”

Universal meals program at risk

With the potential government shutdown looming, several Michigan school districts are warning parents that school meals may not be free for all for long. They’re urging parents to fill out forms to assess whether their kids qualify for free or reduced price meals under federal programs instead.

“Students not qualifying for federal free or reduced benefits will not be eligible for free meals ” beginning Oct. 1 if there’s no funding certainty from the state, Bloomfield Hills Schools told parents last week.

Backed by Whitmer, Michigan’s universal free meals program covers costs for students who do not otherwise qualify for free meals through federal programs because their families earn too much money.

All students have qualified for free meals for the last two school years, and state funding currently goes through September.

The Michigan Department of Education has called on the Legislature to continue funding universal meals through a dedicated pot of funds. A budget plan approved by the Republican-led House did not include that funding, but it would give schools more discretionary money, allowing them to continue the universal meal program if they choose.

Whitmer said Monday she opposed the GOP approach, arguing it’s “important that we designate dollars for lunch and breakfast” in the budget. “If we don’t do that, we run the risk of some kids having access to meals and others not.”

In the meantime, Ann Arbor Public Schools has said it will start charging families for meals in October if a budget deal with universal meals is not approved. Midland Public Schools said it will offer free breakfast for the full school year but start charging for lunch in October if a deal is not reached.

Huron Valley Schools said in a Sept. 12 notice it would use its “Food Service Fund surplus to continue offering free breakfast and lunch to all students for as long as possible.”

A child care crunch

Paula Martin, director and teacher at Kidtime Child Development Center, in Lansing, said if lawmakers do not finalize a state budget soon, she may need to close her preschool for 4-year-olds in early October.

“How does it affect these children if we have to shut down and then later in a couple weeks say ‘come back?’ It’s going to be like starting school all over again from day one,” she told Bridge.

Martin operates her pre-K through the state’s Great Start Readiness Program, which provides funding for local schools, nonprofits, and businesses to provide no-cost preschool for 4-year-olds.

In Ingham County, that funding is first distributed by the intermediate school district, typically before the Oct. 20 state payment comes through so that those businesses make cash flow, according to Superintendent Jason Mellema.The first of those payments would typically go out Oct. 3.

Kidtime would normally get its payment Oct. 10, according to Martin.

“Where would we get those funds from? That’s a lot of money,” Martin told Bridge, noting about 80% of her operational funding is at risk.

It’s not clear if other intermediate school districts normally distribute funds earlier in the month. Thiel said he is not aware of others, and leaders in Oakland County and Midland County said they were not aware of pre-K providers saying they may shut down soon.

Emily Brewer, associate superintendent of early childhood at the intermediate district, told Bridge that the district works with 13 community based providers for pre-K. About half of them would likely be “in danger of not being able to make their payroll payments without a state aid payment” in October.

The tuition-free pre-K program used to be limited to the state’s neediest students, but the Whitmer administration is working toward making pre-K free for all 4-year-olds, regardless of income.

Brewer said Ingham County is also prepared to open up more classrooms and has a waitlist of students. But without budget certainty, parents are in a waiting period.

“Unfortunately I worry people are going to lose faith in the system because we have a lot of people on the waitlist,” Brewer said.

The director of the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential said in a statement last week that the House Republican budget would lead to fewer students in the pre-K program and fewer new classrooms.

The uncertainty could trickle down to child care for younger children too.

Providing infant and toddler care is costly and centers must staff those at a higher adult-to-child ratio than 4-year-olds.

Centers use the state pre-K program to help recoup some of the costs of caring for younger children. Brewer said she thinks it’s a “possibility” that care for younger kids is cut back in the meantime.

High-interest loans

Taking out loans to cover operating expenses isn’t out of the ordinary for Michigan schools, but some districts are opting to take out more than they may need just in case a state budget isn’t signed into law by Oct. 1.

That’s the case in Laingsburg, which opted to take out a $1.7 million loan earlier this month, according to Shastal, the superintendent.

That money will mostly go toward paying teacher salaries and other instructional expenditures, which account for nearly 60% of the district’s spending, according to the most recent publicly available data.

Interest and fee payments on the loan, which will total $65,000, are enough to pay for one teachers’ salary.

The lack of a state budget has also prompted the district to hold off on replacing two newly retired teachers and reduce one educator’s workload from full- to part-time, Shastal added.

While not uncommon for the district to take out yearly loans, Shastal said the district this year borrowed “way more than we would have” in order to “make sure we could keep the lights on, the doors open and keep kids educated.”

The state has a program allowing districts to borrow funds at lower interest rates because of the state’s strong credit rating, Thiel said. But the deadline for that has passed, so districts may incur more costs when borrowing.

In a recent survey conducted by the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators, 42 of 241 district leaders who responded said they have had to take out loans already.

More than a dozen districts said they would “have to consider closing down schools” at some point in October if a state budget isn’t done, said Tina Kerr, executive director of the association.

“After a certain period of time, you have to pay these loans back,” Kerr said. “You can’t borrow your way out of a hole like this.”

The Michigan government last shut down in 2007 and 2009 — but only a few hours. Those budget delays were quickly resolved without major disruptions to state operations — and long before any state school aid payments went out.

What about after-school programming, sports?

After-school programming could eventually be affected if lawmakers fail to strike a budget deal, according to officials.

The current state budget includes $57 million in grants for before-, after-, and summer-school programs.

That’s helped serve about 69,000 children across the state, providing homework help, tutoring, workforce development, and snacks, said Erin Skene-Pratt, executive director of the Michigan Afterschool Partnership.

Her group surveyed current grant recipients, and nearly 73% of respondents said they would have to reduce the number of children served if the funding was eliminated. Also, half said they have already “reduced enrichment activities” due to state budget uncertainty.

Major sporting events are not at risk, according to the Michigan High School Athletic Association.

“As far as anything we run, like Regionals or other postseason events, we will be playing as scheduled,” Geoff Kimmerly, MHSAA communications director, told Bridge Michigan in an email last week.

“While yes, the majority of our schools are public, we do not receive any money from the state government and our budget is instead derived primarily from ticket sales to our tournament events and then sponsorships.”

Isabel Lohman is a reporter for Bridge Michigan. You can reach her at ilohman@bridgemichigan.com.

Jordyn Hermani is a reporter for Bridge Michigan. You can reach her at jhermani@bridgemichigan.com.

Detroit school district leaders ask Education Secretary Linda McMahon to preserve Title I funding

2025-09-09T19:36:31+00:00

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Detroit school district leaders expressed the need to protect federal assistance for schools serving students from low-income homes during a private meeting with Education Secretary Linda McMahon at Renaissance High School on Monday, Superintendent Nikolai Vitti told Chalkbeat.

The brief sit-down with McMahon, which included Vitti and two Detroit Public Schools Community District board members, was part of the education secretary’s nationwide “Returning Education to the States Tour,” which is focused on defending her plans to dismantle the Department of Education. Critics say the stop is the most recent example of the education secretary publicly touting the services the federal government provides to vulnerable students while at the same time working to cut the programs that offer support.

McMahon also visited Pembroke Academy, Washington Parks Academy, and Hillsdale Academy charter schools, and gave a speech at Hillsdale College, where she criticized university diversity efforts. Only the Pembroke Academy visit was open to members of the media, the Detroit News reported.

State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, a Democrat from Royal Oak, told Chalkbeat McMahon’s stops at Michigan schools should have been open to the public so community members could ask questions about federal education policy.

“You don’t have to hold a secret meeting if you’re doing something good,” she said of McMahon’s sit-down with leaders from DPSCD.

McMorrow added that the education secretary chose a school in a district that serves a predominantly Black student body and stands to lose crucial federal assistance for a photo opportunity.

“They are using kids as pawns for a photo opportunity and then turning around and slashing funding,” said McMorrow.

Since McMahon was confirmed as education secretary in March, the department has slashed staff that enforced student civil rights, rescinded guidance on English learners’ rights, proposed cuts to competitive grants aimed at improving literacy, and wiped out dollars for education research.

Detroit Federation of Teachers President Lakia Wilson-Lumpkins said in a prepared statement that she was “deeply disappointed” by McMahon’s visit given her support of the Trump administration’s proposals to cut billions from the federal K-12 education budget.

“These visits are nothing more than staged photo opportunities designed to sell policies that will hurt our students and our schools ... at a time when Detroit children need smaller class sizes, better resources, and stronger supports,” she said.

Jennifer Mrozowski, senior director of strategic communications and external relations for the research and advocacy group Education Trust-Midwest, said in a prepared statement the Education Department’s focus on “returning education to the states” raises “serious concerns.”

“Shifting core responsibilities—such as civil rights enforcement, Title I funding, and student loan protections—entirely to the states risks widening opportunity gaps and undermining consistent standards, particularly for students from low-income backgrounds, students of color, English learners, and students with disabilities,” she said in the statement.

At Renaissance High School, McMahon’s stop included “a walkthrough of classrooms and then a conversation in a separate room where Secretary McMahon asked ways that the federal government can better assist schools and districts,” Vitti said in an email.

The superintendent and the board members also discussed the need for more flexibility of funding to allow the district to increase teacher salaries and make improvements to school buildings, Vitti said.

State Rep. Matt Hall, the Republican speaker of the House, was also in attendance for McMahon’s visit to Renaissance.

Photos of the visit released by the Education Department show DPSCD board members Ida Carol Simmons-Short and Steve Bland Jr. there as well.

Bland told Chalkbeat in an email the work McMahon and Hall saw students doing in Renaissance classrooms highlighted the opportunities state and federal funding can provide children.

The board member said he used the visit to tell the education secretary and Hall that both the federal government and the state have a responsibility to ensure equity for Black students.

Simmons-Short did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the visit.

The Department of Education released this image of a private meeting between DPSCD Superintendent Nikolai Vitti, two board members, Education Secretary Linda McMahon, and State Rep. Matt Hall on Monday.

Board member Sherry Gay-Dagnogo told Chalkbeat that though she supports the idea of communicating and compromising across the aisle, she chose to skip the visit to Renaissance.

“Due to the lack of a concrete agenda to include concerns from our district, I felt it best to respect our Detroit Caucus Members, many of which were protesting the fact that they have struggled to lock in a budget that doesn’t adversely impact our students,” Gay-Dagnogo said in a text message.

The board member said representatives had contacted her to express the challenges they’ve had with Hall in negotiating a state education budget.

The Michigan legislature missed the July 1 deadline to adopt a state budget, leaving local districts to adopt their own budgets without knowing if they will have to make later cuts. Republicans and Democrats each blame each other for the delay, saying negotiations have stalled.

In May, the Democratic-controlled Senate approved a proposed education budget that would increase per-pupil, as well as at-risk funding, and would continue programs like free school meals.

The Republican-controlled House proposed a plan that would give one lump sum to districts to use as they see fit instead of allocating dollars to specific programs. Democrats argue the House proposal would risk programs that benefit the state’s most vulnerable children.

According to Vitti, during McMahon’s visit, Hall told a board member the state budget would be completed “in time to ensure school districts had their funding.”

Hall did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the status of budget negotiations.

Typically, state education funds are distributed starting in October each year. State lawmakers must adopt a budget by Oct. 1 to prevent a government shutdown.

Hannah Dellinger covers Detroit schools for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan introduces new requirements for teaching English learners as federal support is rolled back

2025-09-04T22:03:40+00:00

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As the Trump administration pulls back support for English language learners, Michigan is rolling out new requirements for schools to educate such students.

Starting this school year, Michigan districts will be required to meet minimums of specialized instructional time for English learners. Districts will risk losing state funding allocated for those students if they do not comply.

State Superintendent Michael Rice also reminded local school leaders in a recent memo that the Trump administration’s revocation last month of guidance that spelled out the rights of more than 5 million English learners in the U.S. does not “alter the rights of students under Michigan law.”

Even without the guidance, federal legal protections for English learners remain.

In Michigan, there are more than 104,000 English learners, which make up about 7.3% of the total student population.

“Although federal protections may seem fragile, Michigan’s commitment to fairness and access in education remains steadfast,” he said in the memo to school leaders. “The legal protections afforded by our state have not changed, and Michigan continues to uphold the principles of inclusion and non-discrimination for all students.”

Still, some advocates fear the rescission of the guidance will cause confusion for local schools and weaken federal oversight of students’ rights. Educators say the guidance was a key part of determining what schools are required to do for students – without it, they fear English learners across the state will see a reduction in services or go without.

Jennifer Mrozowski, senior director of strategic communications and external relations at the research and advocacy group Education Trust-Midwest, said the rollback of the guidance “is a step backwards.”

“It builds upon the Trump administration’s ongoing and immoral attacks on not only public education but on our most vulnerable students,” she said.

An Education Department spokesperson told Chalkbeat it rescinded the 2015 Dear Colleague letter “because it is not aligned with Administration priorities.”

The rollback of the guidance comes as the Education Department considers winding down an online toolkit for helping English learners and the Trump administration proposed phasing out Title III funding for English language education, among other measures.

Earlier this year, the federal government ended the decades-old practice of treating schools and child care centers as “protected” locations where immigration arrests would not occur. The policy change left many families in Michigan in fear of dropping off and picking up their kids from school.

Immigration crackdowns have affected Michigan students in recent months, including the deportation of a Western International High School student in Detroit.

Samantha Magdaleno, executive director of youth-led immigrant rights organization One Michigan, said President Donald Trump’s actions send the message that immigrant students are not welcome in schools.

“We should be focused on helping children and giving them an education,” she said. “This is a basic human right.”

Michigan schools have four years to meet staffing needs for educating English learners

In addition to Michigan’s existing laws protecting language access for students, this year will be the first that local districts will have to follow specific requirements for educating English learners.

Last year, the Democrat-controlled Michigan legislature amended the state school aide act to require schools to provide English learners with a mandatory number of minutes in language instruction.

Federal law and precedent do not require schools to provide any particular kind or amount of service, nor did the rescinded guidance.

The Michigan Department of Education, or MDE, and Michigan’s English Learner Advisory Committee created the framework for the new requirements. Their recommendations were based on a review of settlements and agreements from 24 federal civil rights complaints over the last 20 years in multiple states. One of the cases was a 2014 complaint against the Crestwood School District in Dearborn Heights.

Settlements made between all of the school districts and the federal Education Department included plans to implement appropriate hours of language instruction from teachers with additional training in multilingual education.

Michigan’s new requirements for students with lower proficiency in English include at least 150 minutes of language acquisition instruction, provided separately from other classes with a teacher with multilingual or bilingual education credentials. Another 150 minutes can be integrated into general education classrooms, and it may include working with a second teacher endorsed in English as a second language education.

Students with higher proficiency levels are only required to receive 150 minutes a week in either type of classroom setting.

Those who are phased out of English language programs after reaching proficiency must be monitored for four years after fully integrating into general education classrooms.

Students’ English language proficiency is based on results from annual assessments given to newcomers to the U.S., students who change districts, and those who are identified by educators as potential English learners.

The new required minimums likely mean some districts will have to hire or train more multilingual teachers. School systems without enough teachers to meet the requirements must have a plan to hire more staff in four years or less, according to the MDE.

Districts will be required to submit reports on how they use state funding for English learners to the MDE each year. If districts do not comply, the MDE may withhold the state funding.

Marcie Lipsitt, a Michigan education advocate who helps families with civil rights complaints, said she is skeptical that the state will be able to enforce the new requirements.

English learners have long been underserved in the state, said Lipsitt. Language barriers and immigration fears often prevent families from filing formal civil rights complaints when students don’t receive the education to which they are entitled, she added.

“As an advocate, you can’t file a complaint on behalf of someone else in Michigan like you can at the federal level,” said Lipsitt. “That’s a huge roadblock because I can’t even help protect a family by filing for them.”

Magdaleno said some of the youth she works with struggle to learn English in Michigan schools, despite existing protections.

English learners can still file federal or state complaints

English learners’ rights are not found in any one law. Instead, they come from a culmination of federal laws and court cases.

The 40-page Obama-era Dear Colleague letter listed those protections in one document.

It provided educators with examples of how schools should serve students in order to comply with the legal precedent, case law, and federal requirements it cited.

Among the framework the document laid out were common areas of noncompliance in schools, such as failing to identify and assess potential English learners, inadequate staffing, and unnecessary segregation of students. The letter also provided fixes to ensure programs’ effectiveness.

For example, the document offered a solution that many school districts found to streamline evaluating potential English learners. The guidance suggested asking parents to complete a home language survey to help assess students’ needs before school starts and testing those identified as possibly needing services within the first week of class to minimize disruptions.

English learners may still file complaints about their education because the legal protections cited in the letter remain in place.

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights handles such cases, but many parents and advocates report their complaints have been stagnant since the Trump administration laid off the staff of seven of its 12 civil rights enforcement offices in March. One of those closed was the Cleveland office, which handled cases for Michigan and Ohio.

Also in March, the Trump administration laid off nearly every staff member tasked with ensuring states and schools properly spent hundreds of millions of federal dollars earmarked to help educate the more than 5 million English learners in the U.S.

English learners may also file complaints of discrimination based on race or country of origin with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, which enforces the state’s civil rights laws.

Michigan’s 1977 Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race and national origin in educational institutions. Michigan’s 2023 Meaningful Language Access to State Services Act also requires state agencies make services accessible to non-English speakers.

“Ensuring meaningful access is not only a legal issue,” Rice said in his memo to school district leaders. “It is a reflection of our shared values and our collective responsibility to the students, parents, and communities that we serve.”

Bob Wheaton, the Michigan Department of Education’s director of public and governmental affairs, told Chalkbeat the agency will review the need for any additional guidance in light of the federal changes and will “continue to provide guidance, monitoring, and technical assistance to districts to ensure clarity around compliance.”

Lipsitt said parents and community members should also take complaints to local school leaders.

“Go to your elected school boards,” she said. “Hold them accountable.”

Hannah Dellinger covers Detroit schools for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

First day excitement as metro Detroit students return to school

2025-08-25T14:44:29+00:00

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It was a nippy August morning outside Richards Middle School in Fraser, but the arrival of the fall-like chill didn’t stop the back-to-school fashion show on the first day.

Girls wore their jean shorts, tinsel glittering in their hair, and boys donned their basketball shorts, artfully paired with socks and sandals. Several clutched Alani Nu energy drinks as they hurried to the school gymnasium for a quick introductory assembly.

For half of the students sitting in the gym, the eighth graders, middle school is the last stop on the way to high school. And for the seventh graders, it’s the next stop after elementary school.

For the 30 minutes before the assembly started, the gym was a cacophony of student voices. In the tweenager stage of their lives, the middle-schoolers lived up to some of the stereotypes of their age: Boys and girls mostly sat in separate groups. Moms kissed stoic kids outside of school. Braces abounded. Someone shouted, “I have a boyfriend!” to teachers.

Shatara Johnson kisses her daughter, Katelyn Roney, on Monday at Richards Middle School. It was Katelyn's first day of seventh grade.

But eighth-grader Elijah, 12, excited for his first algebra class, said middle school is not all awkward or challenging.

“It’s not as hard as some people say,” he said.

These scenes of excitement and jitters played out across metro Detroit as students returned for the first day of school. But the first day also was clouded with concern as an ongoing impasse among lawmakers over the state budget has meant school district leaders are still uncertain about how their schools will be funded.

Michigan lawmakers have been unable to agree to a budget, with the House and Senate both far apart in their proposals for funding schools. As a result, some school district leaders have made staffing cuts, according to a recent survey of school officials.

The impasse is happening during a school year for which there is a growing chorus of people calling for change. High rates of chronic absenteeism and lackluster student performance on state and national exams, have led to renewed criticism of the state’s school system. Even Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, during an address earlier this year, said low literacy rates are “not acceptable.”

Richards Middle School seventh grader Nikola Bilbilovski, center, sits with classmates on the bleachers as their first day of school began.

Federal policies impact southwest Detroit schools

Meanwhile, fears about how Trump administration actions, from promised cuts to federal education funding to increased immigration enforcement, have further fueled uncertainty.

The crackdown was on the minds of some students filing into Western International High School in southwest Detroit Monday. In May, a junior at the school, Maykol Bogoya-Duarte, was detained by immigration officials. In June, he was deported to his native Colombia.

Students file into Western International High School before the first bell.

Natalia Quinomez, a junior, stood in front of the school about thirty minutes before the first bell rang as she looked for a friend. Her mind was also on Maykol.

“He was about to graduate, which makes it really sad,” said Natalia. “Like, he was so close, but he was detained.”

Natalia said people in her community don’t feel safe as federal immigration crackdowns continue in the city. The school, the student said, also could have done more to make her and others feel supported after Maykol’s arrest.

As cars lined up for blocks on Scotten Street on Monday, Maria Ruvalcaba walked her daughter Camila Gallardo to her first day of her freshman year.

Ruvalcaba said (her daughter translated) that she thought the school “more or less” did well in handling Maykol’s arrest. More security at the school would make the family feel more safe, she added.

For many, worrying about immigration enforcement is nothing new, said John Henriques, a senior at Western.

“I don’t really worry that much,” he said. “It’s just normal life.”

At the Southwest Detroit school Monday morning, students were greeted by a staff member on a bullhorn as they filed into the building.

“Good morning, good morning, good morning,” he said. “It’s going to be a great year.”

Detroit International Academy for Young Women seniors Assia Kaddoumi and Aysha Uddin hug.

Aiming for continued improvement in reading and writing

The pink-and-gray lined hallways at the Detroit International Academy for Young Women were full of excitement Monday morning as clusters of girls spilled out of their classrooms to head to their next class.

“Good morning! Have a good first day!” a male and female teacher called out to the students. One girl gave the female teacher a hug before heading down the hall.

Lakesha Spears, a fifth grade social studies and English teacher at Detroit International Academy of Young Women, in her classroom on the first day of school on Aug. 25, 2025 in Detroit.

Lakesha Spears, a fifth grade social studies and English teacher at the school in the Detroit Public Schools Community District, was going around to different classrooms to check on the new teachers at DIA. Spears is in her 25th year teaching and her second year at DIA.

She said her goals for the year are to continue improving reading and writing scores for her students. Some of the strategies she uses include having students read 20 minutes a day.

“They did wonderful last year. They continued to grow in both reading and writing,” Spears said. “Fifth grade in particular did wonderful on M-STEP and i-Ready. We’re looking forward to continuing showing them some positive strategies to continue with reading growth.”

Students sit in class on the first day of school at the International Academy for Young Women.

Spears said she is enjoying her time at DIA. As a mother of two sons, teaching boys was more familiar for her, but said teaching at an all-girls school has been rewarding.

“I’ve been teaching a long time, and I’ve been waiting a long time to find a place like this where you’re happy and willing to serve. The girls are really eager to learn here. I feel like I’m a better teacher now.”

Vitti begins his ninth year as superintendent with school visits

DIA was DPSCD Superintendent Nikolai Vitti’s first stop.

As he visited classrooms and walked the halls, Vitti said he is looking forward to starting his ninth school year leading the district. He decided to visit DIA on the first day because of the school’s improvement in English, math, and social studies. Vitti recalled that when he first became superintendent in 2017, the building where DIA is housed was closed. It got rebranded as the academy.

“I think DIA is a good example of what we’re doing differently in the district,” he said. “You have your neighborhood schools, you have exam schools, but also single gender opportunities for boys and girls, and it’s just a menu of options for parents in the city.” Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men is the district’s all-boys school.

One of Vitti’s goals for the school year is continuing to improve student attendance and achievement.

“By improving attendance, we’re going to accelerate student achievement,” he said. “We’re narrowing the gap between the district and the state, but we want to accelerate it.”

Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District, greets students in the cafeteria of Bates Academy on Monday.

As school districts wait for the state budget to be passed, Vitti said the holdup will not directly impact the district, specifically when it comes to free lunches, as those are funded through the federal government.

“I would say we’re not going to have any kind of impact unless the budget is not approved by the beginning of October,” he said. If the impasse continues beyond that, Vitti said, “we’ll have to start dipping into our reserves to fill the gap, to keep everyone employed, and to keep student programming.”

Meanwhile, when it comes to the search for Michigan’s next state superintendent, Vitti believes the three finalists–former Virginia state superintendent Lisa Coons, Dearborn Public Schools Superintendent Glenn Maleyko, or Harrison Community Schools Superintendent Judy Walton– will continue the work of current superintendent Michael Rice, who is retiring Oct. 3.

“I’m hopeful that the state superintendent, whoever he or she is, is going to advocate for equitable funding and improve statewide accountability structures throughout the state so the state can start improving academic performance,” Vitti said.

Practice makes perfect, unless you’re dealing with those tricky locks

In Fraser, nerves were on display in the seventh grade hallway as students traveled from the gym to Richards’ main seventh grade artery, a hallway flanked by narrow beige lockers. The new students were particularly bedeviled by the combination locks. One student told another that he’d practiced at home, but the twists and turns required by the elusive lock still tripped him up.

Students rose early to prepare for the 8:05 start at Richards.

Catalina Norberto, 11, woke up — though “woke up” is a stretch, as Norberto said she could barely sleep because she was “overthinking everything” — at 5 a.m. to prepare and call her friend Marley Franchi, 12. The pair said they are particularly nervous about learning how to switch classes.

“I have a class upstairs. I’m scared,” Marley said.

Fraser is a suburban school district of about 4,400 students down from nearly 5,300 in 2015, according to state data. Fewer students means less per-pupil funding, though overall funding levels have risen with recent state budgets. But a school bond approved by Fraser voters in 2023 means that Richards has a new HVAC system, roof, and cafeteria this year. The school bond money makes them fortunate, said Principal Huston Julian. (Not all districts can successfully persuade voters to approve bond money).

“Our community has always supported our schools,” he said.

But the unknowns around the state budget still concern the district, said Kristin Sommer, a district spokeswoman. The district is particularly interested in whether lawmakers will approve universal school meals again, as the proportion of Fraser students eating free breakfast and lunch has risen with the Michigan School Meals program.

Richards Middle School seventh grader Kayla Pittman, center, looks over a friend's class schedule during at Richards Middle School.

In Richards’ seventh grade hallways, students found their first period class, consulting adults eager to help them crack the school’s layout. About 30 students sat in Andy Brodi’s first hour science class as it began. When Brodi first began teaching in 1998, he said even 25 students in a class seemed like a lot. In 2025, around 30 is the norm, and “it’s not a big deal,” he said.

On Monday, Brodi acknowledged to his students that he probably felt the same way as many of them did: With 180 faces, of course he had some first day jitters.

“It’s such an overwhelming thing,” Brodi later said. “They’re seeing seven teachers for the first time, they’re seeing 300 different kids. … It’s more just a comfort level the first day, just to know that we want them here and we can’t wait to teach them.”

Lily Altavena is a reporter for the Detroit Free Press. You can reach her at laltavena@freepress.com.

Hannah Dellinger is a reporter for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org

Micah Walker is a reporter for BridgeDetroit. You can reach her at mwalker@bridgedetroit.com.

Michigan schools urged to provide free meals to all students despite budget stalemate

2025-08-11T16:02:54+00:00

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State Superintendent Michael Rice is urging Michigan school districts to continue offering free school meals at the start of the school year, despite uncertainty about whether the state will provide funding for the meals program.

School officials don’t yet know how much funding they’ll receive for school meals because the Michigan Legislature missed its July 1 deadline for passing a budget for the current fiscal year.

Part of the delay has been a divide among lawmakers about whether to continue paying for free school meals. The Democratic-controlled Senate passed an education budget in May that continues the funding for the meals program. The Republican-controlled House budget does not include the money.

In a memo sent last week, Rice urged lawmakers to pass a budget soon “so that schools and districts do not have to begin the new school year with uncertainty.”

Michigan began funding free meals for students, regardless of income, in the 2023-24 school year. The initiative also receives federal dollars through the Community Eligibility Provision run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Michigan funding runs out Sept. 30, Rice said.

“MDE strongly recommends that local districts offer free meals at the beginning of this school year to take advantage of the student health, attendance, and performance benefits of school meals,” Rice said in the memo.

Rice said the department cautions districts “from making too quick a decision” regarding participation in the meals program because the Agriculture Department has made it clear that if a district changes its participation, those changes “cannot be reversed within the same school year.”

Okemos Public Schools notified parents last week that it will no longer be providing free meals because of the budget stalemate, and students who wouldn’t otherwise qualify for a free or reduced-price meal because of their family’s low income will now be required to pay for their meals.

That decision in Okemos prompted Democrats and Republicans to blame each other for the budget stalemate.

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan House bill banning cellphones in schools will see a rewrite after failing to pass

2025-07-30T20:49:35+00:00

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The Republican sponsor behind the Michigan House of Representatives’ plan to ban cellphones in all K-12 schools said Monday that he is going back to the drawing board to rewrite the legislation, which died on the chamber’s floor last week.

Democratic lawmakers and some members of the GOP House caucus coalesced to defeat the bill July 24 after initial bipartisan support. The measure was even floated by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in her annual State of the State address earlier this year, showing a statewide appetite to ban phones in schools.

State Rep. Mark Tisdel, a Republican from Rochester, sponsored House Bill 4141, which would have prohibited cellphone use in schools during instructional hours only. The 53-43 vote on the House floor last Thursday saw nearly every House Democrat voting against the measure.

In an interview with Michigan Advance on Monday, Tisdel said that he plans to rewrite the bill before reintroducing it — this time with a strict bell-to-bell prohibition on cellular or wireless devices in K-12 schools.

The new bill will be based on New York state’s pending bell-to-bell cellphone ban mandating that devices must not be used for the entire school day. All public school districts there are required to publish new distraction-free cellphone use policies by Aug. 1.

Whitmer in February floated the idea of bringing a school cellphone ban to Michigan, but Tisdel said he has been working on the House’s version since 2023. A lot of that work sought to incorporate input from both sides of the aisle in the House and Senate and other stakeholders.

With the pending rewrite, Tisdel told the Advance that he was done with the “Mr. Nice Guy stuff.”

“We had it put together, incorporating the best language from all sides … and [House Democrats] played games,” Tisdel said. “If a Democratic legislature and a Democratic governor in New York, a very blue New York state, can see the value in a bell-to-bell prohibition in K-12, somehow that can’t work in Michigan? … If [Whitmer] wants a cellphone bill signed during her term, that’s what it’s going to be.”

Additional resources informing the rewrite include recommendations for the American Legislative Exchange Conference, the Manhattan Institute for Public Policy and Research, and the Brookings Institution, Tisdel said.

The conservative, nonpartisan American Legislative Conference leans toward more conservative ideals like limited government, support for free markets, and federalism.

The Manhattan Institute is generally perceived as a right-wing think tank, while the Brookings Institution is perceived to be more left-leaning.

Although he’s eying a strict bell-to-bell ban, Tisdel added that he would incorporate exemptions from federal law and would be open to allowances for “dumb” phone devices, like flip phones without broad and user-friendly access to the internet and social media applications.

“I don’t have a problem with that. That was in the last bill, and that was one of the concessions I put in,” Tisdel said. “When you’re using a flip phone, you make the phone call, you hang up, and you put the phone away, because there’s nothing else you can do with it. The problem with smartphones is you never put them away.”

Tisdel noted that he had good working relationships with two Democrats in crafting the original bill, including state Sen. Dayna Polehanki of Livonia and state Rep. Regina Weiss of Oak Park.

However, after the bill’s defeat, Tisdel blamed Democrats.

Tisdel said that some Democrats, like state Rep. Noah Arbit of West Bloomfield, publicly supported his legislation. Arbit told The Pulse on Fox 2 Detroit that he agreed with Tisdel that a ban was needed, that he supported the House legislation, championed it being passed by the Michigan Senate and then signed by Whitmer.

Arbit voted against the bill Thursday evening.

Tisdel said he received strong signals of support from Democrats in private conversations, and that he was working with some House Democrats on the legislation to make it a stronger bipartisan effort. He was also forging a deal with Polehanki to get it done in the Senate, even as the Senate was shopping its own school cellphone ban.

Tisdel was not alone in placing the blame on his Democratic colleagues: Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, a Republican from Richland Township, echoed some of Tisdel’s talking points when speaking to the Michigan Capitol press corps following Thursday’s session.

A message seeking comment from a House Democratic caucus spokesperson regarding those criticisms, and the alleged broken deals, was not returned at the time of publication.

Several key Republicans who could have moved the measure over the finish line either voted against the bill or were absent from session.

Notably, Republican state Reps. Steve Carra of Three Rivers, James DeSana of Carleton, Jaime Greene of Richmond, David Martin of Davison, and Pauline Wendzel of Watervliet were either absent or voted in opposition to House Bill 4141.

The Detroit News reported last week that DeSana was absent from Thursday’s session in protest of Hall not taking up his legislative priorities. Tisdel said he believed that DeSana would have been a likely yes vote.

Messages seeking comment from Carra, Greene and Wednezel were not returned at the time of publication.

When Tisdel was asked about those defections, he said the situation was unfortunate, but also represented just another day in Lansing with political games aplenty.

He was disappointed, however, in some of his more conservative colleagues who voted against the bill.

“It’s a 2-to-1 legislative layout, the governor and the [Democratic-controlled] Senate against us,” Tisdel said. “We don’t need any barrels inside the caucus pointing at us, as well. It’s just frustrating. I don’t know how this perception got to be that some of these individuals who vote no all the time are the most conservative members. They’re simply enablers.”

Ben Solis is a reporter for Michigan Advance. You can reach him at bsolis@michiganadvance.com.

Will Michigan pass new restrictions on student cellphone use before the school year starts?

2025-06-26T22:51:04+00:00

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At the beginning of the year, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer asked Michigan lawmakers for a bill that will limit students’ cellphone use to improve learning outcomes after the state ranked 44th in the nation for fourth grade reading.

With two months to go before school starts for many districts in the state, there are two proposals.

One – sponsored by Democrats in the Senate – would essentially continue to allow school systems to decide their own policies. The other – sponsored by Republicans in the House – would have more specific requirements for districts to prohibit cellphone use during instructional time in all grades.

“The governor will work with anyone to ensure our students can focus on learning, and we will closely review legislation as it makes its way to our desk,” Stacey LaRouche, Whitmer’s press secretary, said this week.

Republican State Rep. Mark Tisdel, who introduced the more prescriptive bill, told Chalkbeat his goal is for new cellphone rules to be in place before the start of the 2025-26 school year.

Tisdel said both Republicans and Democrats, as well as the governor, have similar objectives and are working on the details of what will be enacted into law.

“We’re all working in the same direction,” he said.

Here’s what the two bills propose

Senate Bill 234, introduced by Democratic State Sen. Dayna Polehanki, would only require school boards to adopt policies that “seek to limit” student cellphone use on school grounds, but would leave the specific rules to the districts.

“I believe that each school district should be able to devise a policy that is right for the school community it serves, which is why my legislation provides flexibility for schools to create plans that best suit their needs,” Polehanki said at an April 22 committee meeting when the bill was introduced.

A staff member from Polehanki’s office told Chalkbeat they could not comment on whether that is still Polehanki’s position.

The bill passed May 6 in the Senate. It has not yet been taken up in the House.

House Bill 4141 would require every district in the state to ban students from using electronic communication devices during instructional time, with some exceptions.

Additionally, elementary and middle schoolers would not be allowed to use cellphones during recess, breaks, or lunch.

The bill unanimously passed on May 14 in the House Education and Workforce Committee, including support from the three Democrats on the committee. The full House has not yet voted on the bill.

Tisdel said less restrictive laws similar to Polehanki’s were passed in states like California and Ohio. California has since replaced its law with a ban. The Ohio legislature is currently considering a ban as well.

“Why don’t we skip that part and go the direction most states end up going anyway?” he said.

At least eight states have enacted bans or restrictions on student cellphone use during class. Many local Michigan districts also have put restrictions in place.

Though supporters of the restrictions cite anecdotal evidence that they have positive results, there is limited empirical evidence and new research on outcomes vary.

Tisdel said he’s been working on his bill for two years.

“I’d like to see it implemented as quickly as possible,” he said.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan House GOP K-12 state budget proposes penalty for DEI programs, transgender rights

2025-06-11T22:31:00+00:00

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Michigan House Republicans on Wednesday proposed one of the largest increases to per-pupil funding for public schools in years, but their Democratic colleagues argued that many key costs for school meals and at-risk programs would come out of classroom funding.

It would also come with a 20% foundation allowance penalty if districts were noncomplaint with proposed boilerplate language prohibiting race, gender, and DEI instruction or initiatives. That includes any curriculum that includes supposed race or gender “stereotyping,” allowing transgender girls to participate in girls’ sports or providing multi-stall unisex bathrooms.

The school aid budget reported Wednesday by the House Appropriations Committee would allocate $21.9 billion with $69.9 million coming from the state’s general fund, a 5.5% increase from last year’s approved budget.

Per-pupil funding in the House version of the school aid budget would be increased by $558 million gross funding to provide a $417 per-pupil increase, moving it to $10,025 per student.

State Rep. Tim Kelly, a Republican from Saginaw Township and chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on School Aid and Department of Education, said his subcommittee’s budget aimed to redirect funds away from the “expansion and explosion of categoricals” and to provide funding that Lansing Republicans felt was a “more than adequate amount of money to provide a quality education to every Michigan student.”

“We are hoping to have the performance that our citizens demand,” Kelly said.

State Rep. Ann Bollin, a Republican from Brighton and chair of the House Appropriations Committee, said the House school aid budget proposed funding that was higher than the dollars proposed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in her executive recommendations released earlier this year and the Senate’s version of the school aid bills passed months ago.

The committee’s Democratic members, however, said they had several concerns.

State Rep. Natalie Price, a Democrat from Berkley, noted that the budget completely eliminates line item funding for the state’s universal school meal program. Price said that when kids are hungry, they can’t learn as well and do worse in school.

“I hear you saying that we want to improve education scores and we know this program has helped,” Price said.

Kelly turned and asked Price if she had proof on whether school meals actually helped student performance, noting his belief that student performance was better before the universal school meal program was introduced.

Price countered by noting that Kelly wanted to give districts the option on how they fund that program, but said that money will undoubtedly come out of classroom budgets, which she said would lead to lower test scores.

Bollin again noted that the decision on how districts move forward with school meals would go back to them as opposed to Lansing bureaucrats.

“Nobody wants to see anybody go hungry,” Bollin said.

State Rep. Donavan McKinney, a Democrat from Detroit, raised concerns about the cuts to at-risk funding. MKinney said without at-risk funding or after-school programs, some children in impoverished areas with high crime would not even be attending class because their lives would be cut short outside of school walls.

“These programs saved my life as a child,” McKinney said before noting that the House school aid budget represents a major cut and completely zeros out funding for programs to help at-risk students. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t hear a gunshot in my community. So what are we doing? And what are the considerations that you are taking to cut these programs?”

Kelly was adamant that the school aid budget doesn’t wrap up at-risk funding, but said House Republicans wanted to “eliminate excuses, to try and provide as much as much money up front as we can to the classroom, the student, for the schools, to deliver what with think is a quality education.”

“We think it’s adequately funded,” Kelly said.

State Rep. Regina Weiss, a Democrat from Oak Park, who does not sit on the appropriations committee but appeared to testify in opposition to the budget bill, said she was alarmed to see a $2.5 billion hit in the House proposal to the school aid fund to fund other purposes — and she said those are currently unknown because the House’s general fund and other government spending budgets haven’t been completed.

She mentioned the House Democrats school budget proposal released Tuesday as one that adjusts for inflation and offers stability.

The Michigan Alliance for Student Opportunity in a news release said the House budget proposal for K-12 schools ignores student needs.

“The House Republicans’ education budget proposal leaves behind the most vulnerable students in our state and underscores the urgent need for Michigan to prioritize true equity in funding for students with the greatest needs,” said Peter Spadafore, executive director of the Alliance. “While we’re encouraged to see the foundation allowance proposal reach $10,025, the highest of the three budgets this cycle, that’s unfortunately where the good news ends.”

Spadafore also questioned if the plan, which holds at-risk funding flat, is a functional cut when inflationary pressures are factored in. More concerning for the Alliance were the targeted eliminations of certain programs designed to address unique student needs.

“The new categorical introduced by the House – which provides about $1,975 per pupil – might seem like a step forward. But it comes at the expense of targeted funding for student supports,” Spadafore said. “Without any increase in the [School Finance Research Collaborative]-recommended weights for students in poverty, English learners, or special education, this proposal fails to recognize the higher costs of educating students with the greatest needs.”

The House budget would also erase the Michigan Public School Employee’s Retirement System, or MPSERS, savings achieved last year, and shift school aid funding for classrooms that comes from lottery proceeds to universities.

“We know that funding alone doesn’t close opportunity gaps, but it is the foundation for smaller class sizes, mental health supports, wraparound services, and other resources that help level the playing field,” Spadafore said. “This proposal misses the mark by ignoring the fundamental reality that it costs more to educate economically disadvantaged students because of what poverty means in real terms. Our students need more than a flat increase; they need a commitment to funding equity.”

Ben Solis is the senior reporter for Michigan Advance. He can be reached at bsolis@michiganadvance.com.

Advocates call on Michigan lawmakers to condemn ICE detention of Detroit student

2025-06-09T22:32:33+00:00

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Maykol Bogoya-Duarte, an 18-year-old undocumented immigrant, had planned to return to Colombia with his mother after he graduated from Western International High School.

With roughly one semester left in school, Maykol began making arrangements to leave the U.S.

But his plans and his education were upended last month when he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Instead of finishing out his junior year this week, the teen is in custody of the federal government and faces an “imminent” risk of deportation, according to his attorney.

Immigration advocates are now calling on Michigan’s governor, several Democratic members of the state’s congressional delegation, and Detroit school district leaders to fight for Maykol’s release so he can complete his schooling in the U.S.

“At this time of the year, students should be focused on graduation and summer,” said Ruby Robinson, senior managing attorney with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, who is representing Maykol. “And here we have a student on precious time who is being deported. He should be able to finish his studies.”

Maykol is only 3.5 credits away from graduating, Robinson said, and would likely be able to finish school around the end of the calendar year.

His attorney said he is asking to be released and granted a stay of deportation to see his studies through before returning to Colombia.

Maykol was arrested on May 20 after he attempted to join a school field trip to Lake Erie Metropark, about 25 miles from Detroit. While driving with three other students in the car, Maykol was pulled over for tailgating another vehicle, said Robinson.

The teen was asked to provide his driver’s license but only had a City of Detroit identification card. Michigan does not currently issue driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants.

The local police officers who pulled Maykol over could not speak Spanish and had trouble communicating with him, Robinson said, so they called Customs and Border Protection.

“An important aspect of this story is that local police, instead of relying on internal translation services, were relying on Border Patrol agents to interpret for them,” said Robinson.

The practice of calling on Border Protection for traffic stops with people who can’t speak English could be interpreted as racial profiling, the attorney said.

Randy Krause, chief of the Rockwood Police Department, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Maykol, who came to the U.S. at 16, received a final deportation order in 2024. After that, Maykol was working with ICE and the Colombian Consulate to obtain the travel documents he needed to depart the country, according to his attorney.

“We were in compliance with their order,” said Robinson, adding the documents are required in order to board an airplane out of the country. “It takes time for those documents to be generated.”

He was still in the process of arranging to return to Colombia with his mother when he was arrested. It’s unclear if he would have been able to graduate before leaving.

On Monday afternoon, Robinson and Maykol’s family didn’t know where he was. They believed he was being moved from the Chippewa County Correctional Facility to another location early Monday morning, the attorney said.

“We expect when he does reach where he will spend the night tonight, we will be able to find him, or he will be able to make a phone call to us or his mom,” said Robinson.

The attorney said because of the high number of people detained by ICE, the agency places them wherever bed space is available.

“We’re seeing people detained in far parts of Michigan,” he said. “We’re also seeing people being sent to Ohio and other places as well.”

Advocates want Michigan leaders to speak out

By Monday afternoon, nearly 900 people had signed a petition asking Michigan officials to condemn Maykol’s arrest, urge for him to be released to complete his high school education, and “to put preventative policies in place to better support immigrant students and families.”

Three advocacy groups — 482Forward, MI Students Dream, and the People’s Assembly — created the petition.

Lindsey Matson, the deputy director of 482Forward, said the advocacy effort is aimed at raising awareness of the issue and the petition, if it gains traction, will put pressure on those who have the power to intervene.

“Even a statement from the school board will be helpful,” Matson added.

The petition calls for action from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, U.S. Sens. Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin, U.S. House Reps. Shri Thanedar and Rashida Tlaib, and the Detroit Public Schools Community District.

Thanedar, in a Monday evening post on X, formerly Twitter, responded to the detention, saying: “ICE should not be detaining high schoolers! Maykol Bogoya-Duarte just needs 3 credits to graduate, but was put in detention by ICE. He should be released immediately and allowed to get his diploma.”

Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of the district, told Chalkbeat last week that the school system’s police department had advocated on the student’s behalf.

But the district did not notify students and families of the arrest because Maykol was not “under the protection and responsibility” of the school system when ICE detained him, said Vitti.

Robinson said notification about the incident or future instances like it would provide reassurances to families about how the district responds in these situations.

“I think people are looking for something like that from the school district,” said Robinson.

In addition to advocating for Maykol’s release to allow the teen to finish school, the attorney said the district should ensure its policies and practices support the needs of community members with immigration challenges.

That includes making sure students and staff understand their rights in interactions with law enforcement, he added.

In New York, the detention of a student has gained widespread attention and calls from advocates and political leaders for his release. (A second teen has since been detained.) Similarly, the detention of a teenager in Massachusetts prompted rallies.

Less attention has been paid to Maykol’s plight in comparison.

Matson said his case isn’t less important than what has happened in the other states.

“I feel like Democrats in Michigan have not really stood up for our immigrant population here,” she said.

The advocacy groups calling for Maykol’s release are asking community members to attend the Detroit Public Schools Community District board meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Martin Luther King Jr. High School to urge school leaders to make public statements.

Immigration advocates are also encouraging community members to call the offices of state and national lawmakers, as well as ICE.

Lori Higgins is the Detroit bureau chief. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan education officials on the hot seat over the state’s poor academic performance

2025-06-04T21:02:40+00:00

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Two top officials with the Michigan Department of Education on Tuesday defended the current state of Michigan schools amid House Republican calls for dismantling the department.

Board of Education President Pamela Pugh and Superintendent for Public Instruction Michael Rice appeared Tuesday before the Michigan House Oversight Committee, which included a lengthy presentation on the department’s goals, its latest budget requests, and some heavy back and forth between Republican lawmakers.

Several Republican members of the committee, including its chair, Rep. Jay DeBoyer, a Republican from Clay, lambasted Pugh and Rice over low literacy rates and flailing math scores. Eventually, the specter of tearing down the department and starting anew with a department controlled closely by the Michigan Legislature materialized from Rep. Jaime Green, a Republican from Richmond.

Before dismantling the department became a topic of conversation, Rice and Pugh attempted to show the committee that schools, students, and educators have been making progress in multiple ways to achieve Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Plan, which did include record achievement in several areas.

Part of that forward progress was seen in the passage of new literacy and dyslexia laws, some of which were spearheaded by Greene, who worked closely with Rice to make that reality. Rice and Pugh extolled how much of a difference those laws will make in the screening of all children for dyslexia, for example.

The pair also praised the Legislature for increasing funding to public schools over the last few years, but said those budgets did not make up for decades of underinvestment in public schools a decade earlier.

Pugh discussed some of the challenges currently facing schools and the effect disinvestment has had on public schools, not only on student needs and achievement but also the state’s teacher shortage.

“It is critical and crucial to understand that the challenges before us are not new,” Pugh said. “They are the result of longstanding policy decisions that prioritize cost-cutting over sustained investment in our children and our schools. Despite these challenges, the state Board of Education has remained resolute in our mission to reverse those harms and build an educational system that truly serves all Michigan students.”

Pugh said students, as well as teachers, parents, and administrators, were doing their best to provide a quality education in the face of crowded classrooms, aging buildings, limited access to mental health and special education services, and what she called an alarming shortage of adequately paid teachers.

“These issues are not anecdotal,” Pugh said. “They are symptoms of systemic neglect.”

Rice added that Michigan’s four-year graduation rate had improved to the highest level in state history, growing to about 83% in 2024, which is also the highest that figure has been in the last 10 years. The percentage of adults with a post-secondary certification (51.8%) was on track toward Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Sixty by 30 goal. The initiative aims to have 60% of Michigan adults between ages 25 and 64 holding some sort of postsecondary credential by 2030.

There were moments of seeming common ground between Rice and the Republicans who control the powerful House Oversight Committee, with Rice praising Public Act 146 and Public Act 147 of 2024 addressing literacy coaching and dyslexia screening assessments and interventions.

Progress was being made, but Rice noted that Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, or LETRS, training was needed for educators to keep up pace and do better on the literacy front. Rice called for mandatory LETRS training for kindergarten through fifth grade classroom teachers, and lower class sizes for kindergarten through third grade classrooms.

Rice said there was also a need for more in-person instructional time, as there had been cases of professional development days being treated as student instruction days in 2019, and 15 virtual days being counted as the same in 2023.

The meeting, however, was not one of the House Education Committee meant to discuss budgetary needs and goals, but rather one designed as a means to grill department officials over failures in public education.

That became clear in lines of questioning from Rep. Brad Paquette, a Republican from Niles, who engaged in a lengthy and at times testy tit-for-tat with Rice and Pugh.

Paquette, a former teacher, said he’s seen all the headlines showing the breadth of Michigan’s public schools struggles and that he has been on various House committees in the past that dealt with public education and the budget. In that vein, Paquette said he’s seen similar presentations from Rice before and, despite additional funding over the last few years, Michigan schools are continuing to struggle.

“We’ve increased funding yet results are still tracking downward,” Paquette said. “When does accountability come into play?”

As Paquette became frustrated with Rice and Pugh’s answers, Pugh said accountability needed to be based in reality.

From there, Greene, who received a shout out from Rice for her work on the dyslexia screening law, turned the conversation toward the perceived need to dismantle the department, echoing Congressional Republican calls to do the same at the federal level.

Pugh said that studies have shown that states with elected boards like Michigan’s, and not under the control of the governor’s office or the Legislature, provided critical checks and balances, and correlated with better student outcomes. Those systems were also tied to more equity in funding and policy consistency.

Rep. Josh Schriver, a Republican from Oxford, hailed the fact that the “Greatest Generation” of the early 20th century had class sizes of 30, 40, or sometimes 50 children and they fared fine. He made other comments before being cut off by DeBoyer in the essence of time.

As the meeting wrapped, Rep. Dylan Wegela, a Democrat from Garden City, tried to set the record straight on various comments made by his Republican colleagues.

Wegela called out Schriver’s point, noting that the early 20th century was a time of rampant racial segregation, and literacy rates today were far higher than they were in the 1920s. Schriver at one point brought up school vouchers, and Wegela said in Arizona it was found that parents spent that money on items like toys and other merchandise instead.

He also noted that Michigan cannot talk about its problem with schools without looking at funding adjusted for inflation.

“Record funding is only as good as saying we have record wages today,” Wegela said. “When you adjust for inflation, we are barely ahead of the year 2000. This has created a classroom size problem, and a teacher shortage.”

Ben Solis is a reporter for Michigan Advance. You can reach him at bsolis@michiganadvance.com.

Michigan Senate Democrats won’t consider a trans athlete sports ban. Will Trump target the state?

2025-05-30T21:40:19+00:00

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The Republican-controlled House passed two bills last week that would bar transgender girls from competing on girls sports teams. But Democrats, who control the Senate, say they will not consider the legislation.

“Our legislative agenda is long and attacking kids is not on it,” Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, a Democrat from Grand Rapids, told Chalkbeat in a statement.

Failure to take up the Republican-sponsored bills could draw unwelcome political attention to Michigan at a time when the Trump administration has targeted for investigation states that don’t comply with its view on Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on sex.

Since taking office for the second time, Trump has issued several executive orders targeting the rights of transgender Americans. One in January said the U.S. government would only recognize two genders, male and female, while another issued that month attempted to ban gender-affirming health care for transgender youth. A February executive order called for schools to block trans girls from competing on girls sports teams.

Trump has threatened to withhold federal funding from schools that don’t comply with his executive orders.

Executive orders cannot override existing state and federal statutes, though, and there have been legal challenges to the constitutionality of Trump’s executive orders.

But the Trump administration’s threats to states that don’t comply with the order have stoked fears over how he intends to enforce it. Multiple federal agencies opened investigations into Maine this year after a heated exchange between Trump and the state’s Democratic governor, Janet Mills, in which she promised to follow the state’s law protecting transgender rights.

In one of those federal cases, a judge issued an injunction to stop the government from freezing federal funds to the state. But there are two other open cases that have been assigned to the Department of Justice to enforce.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has said other states are at risk of losing federal funding for Title IX violations, specifically singling out California and Minnesota. Officials in those states have said their civil rights laws preclude them from complying with Trump’s executive order. Bondi’s office announced Wednesday that it has opened an investigation into California.

Like some other states, Michigan recently expanded state protections from discrimination on the basis of sexuality and gender identity and expression. The expansion of those protections two years ago has long been a signature issue for Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

She signed the expansion of the state’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act in 2023, saying in a statement that “Michigan is a place that will fight for your freedom to be yourself.”

It is possible what has happened in Maine could happen in Michigan, said Nancy Chi Cantalupo, associate professor of law at Wayne State University.

“But what is happening in Maine is in no way a success for the current administration at this point,” she said, noting that the federal government has never withdrawn funds from a state under Title IX or any other civil rights statutes it enforces.

“It’s not like there’s a light switch the federal government can use to just turn off federal funds at its whim,” she said. “There are a lot of steps it has to go through.”

Brinks did not respond to a question about whether she or others in the Democratic Party have concerns Michigan may be targeted by the Trump administration.

Whitmer’s office did not respond to questions about the bills.

In Michigan, a prohibition against trans girls competing on girls sports teams would affect few athletes statewide. The Michigan High School Athletic Association, the private organization that runs the state’s high school sports competitions, said there were no trans girls competing on spring sports teams this year. None played on winter sports teams, while two played on fall teams.

About 25 states have already passed similar laws restricting trans girls from playing on sports teams aligned with their gender identity.

Advocates for transgender rights say sports bills aren’t really about limiting the teams trans girls and women can play on.

“If this bill were just about sports, it wouldn’t be proposed in coordination with all of these other anti-trans bills [nationwide,]” said Kye Campbell-Fox, a research assistant and laboratory manager at Michigan State University, who studies the impact of legislation targeting the rights of trans kids. “This is a coordinated campaign to push trans people out of public life.”

Advocates say trans youth don’t feel safe as their rights are attacked

Though the Michigan bills have effectively died, advocates say lawmakers’ focus on the issue — and the language they often use to talk about trans athletes — is still harmful to all trans children.

The Michigan bills, for example, referred to trans girls as “biological males,” ignoring their gender identities. And some lawmakers have said that the presence of trans girls in locker rooms could lead to sexual violence against other girls.

Rep. Mike Harris, a Republican from Waterford, said during a hearing for the bills that he was concerned about the potential for sexual assault if trans girls use girls locker rooms.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to place biological boys and girls in the same room, to strip down naked next to each other,” he said.

There is no evidence to support the idea that trans girls will assault other girls, though there is evidence that trans populations face increased risks when they use bathrooms according to the sex they were assigned at birth.

Republican lawmakers’ rhetoric has emboldened some students and adults to feel freer to make hateful remarks, and LGBTQ+ youth are being affected by it.

“I’m hearing a lot of fear from youth,” said Jude Krajnyák, a regional coordinator for a research policy project at the Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health. “Things everyone else gets to take for granted — like playing soccer in middle school — are rights that are being taken away from us.”

Krajnyák said he heard from a trans girl in middle school who gave up on playing soccer because she said “it’s just not worth” the backlash.

Currently, the Michigan High School Athletic Association determines eligibility for trans girls to play on girls teams on a case-by-case basis. The executive director of the association, Mark Uyl, makes the determination based on a number of factors, including what gender is recorded on the students’ school documents and other paperwork. Students are also asked whether they’ve begun hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgeries.

“The MHSAA asks for documentation on therapy and surgery as our policy allows for a waiver to be both approved and denied — and part of that decision is based on where in the transitioning process a student is at the time,” Geoff Kimmerly, director of communications for the association, told Chalkbeat.

The policy went into effect in 2012, according to the association. It aligned with federal law during the Obama administration, as well as federal requirements from the Office for Civil Rights during Trump’s first term and Biden’s presidency.

“The MHSAA follows and will continue to follow all applicable state and federal laws,” said Kimmerly in a statement. “We are monitoring developments in this regard closely.”

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

These are the education reforms Michigan lawmakers want to make so far in 2025

2025-04-25T21:47:10+00:00

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More than three months into the 2025 legislative session, Michigan lawmakers have introduced new proposals that aim to make schools safer, allow home-schooling students to take more classes in public schools, and put more restrictions on closing school buildings.

Since taking control of the House, Republicans have introduced a flurry of proposed legislation they say will help improve student achievement, in addition to bipartisan school safety efforts that have potential to pass muster with the Democrat-controlled Senate and governor’s office.

Having accomplished most of their education policy priorities in the last legislative session and with less leverage this year, Democrats have introduced fewer bills so far this legislative session compared to last year.

This year, however, both parties introduced bills that aim to limit student cellphone use. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called for such reforms in her State of the State address earlier this year.

Here is a round up of some of the education bills currently moving through the legislature:

Senate Bill 76, introduced by Sen. Michael Webber, a Republican from Rochester Hills, would require public and private schools to install mobile panic alert systems. The systems would notify law enforcement, first responders, and school staff of school emergencies, such as active shooter situations. Another bill would allocate around $6.7 million in state funding to install the new systems by September 2027. The bills were referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

House Bill 4315, introduced by Rep. Mike Harris, a Republican from Waterford, would require the Office for School Safety, the Michigan State Police, the attorney general, and the Michigan Department of Education to develop school safety and security training materials and best practices. All public and private school staff in the state would participate in annual training developed by the agencies. The training would be tailored to staff member’s roles. Another bill would require schools to ensure their staff complete the training by the 2026-27 school year. The bills were referred to the House Education and Workforce Committee.

Senate Bill 204, introduced by Sen. Stephanie Chang, a Democrat from Detroit, would require local school districts and charter schools to create policies around closing school buildings. The procedures would include creating transition plans for student records to new schools, notifying families and employees of the school with at least one-month notice, and holding at least one public meeting before closing the building. The bill was referred to the Senate Education Committee.

House Bill 4330, introduced by Rep. Jennifer Wortz, a Republican from Quincy, would allow home-schooling or private school students to enroll in any class at their local public schools. Currently, the law only allows state funding to be used for home-schooling and private school students to attend elective courses and excludes them from taking core subjects (math, English, science, and social studies) at public schools. The bill was referred to the House Education and Workforce Committee.

House Bill 4345, introduced by Rep. Cameron Cavitt, a Republican from Cheboygan, would provide exceptions to minimum school hour and day requirements for schools in northern Michigan counties that were impacted by the March ice storm. Because the severe weather and its aftermath forced schools to close for many days, their school years would otherwise have to run much longer than usual. The bill was referred to the House Education Committee.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan lawmakers answer Gov. Whitmer’s call for legislation limiting student cellphone use

2025-04-22T20:53:33+00:00

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Democratic senators answered Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s call for legislation to limit student cellphone use and classroom distractions in response to Michigan’s lagging performance on recent state and national assessments.

A bill filed this week would require local school boards to develop policies around the use of wireless devices for all grade levels starting in the 2025-26 school year. The legislation allows flexibility for local districts to decide how the use of electronic devices will be limited for their students.

“I believe that each school district should be able to devise a policy that is right for the school community it serves, which is why my legislation provides flexibility for schools to create plans that best suit their needs,” Sen. Dayna Polehanki, a Democrat from Livonia who introduced the bill, said Tuesday during a Senate Education Committee hearing.

A Republican House proposal seeks to require more restrictive policies. That bill would entirely ban students in kindergarten through fifth grade from bringing phones to school. It would also disallow middle schoolers from using mobile devices at any point during the school day and prohibit use for high schoolers during class.

Whitmer, a Democrat, asked lawmakers for bipartisan legislation to combat the detrimental effect smartphones and social media may have on student mental health and educational outcomes during her State of the State address in February.

Her policy push came after a national assessment showed Michigan students are still struggling to get back to where they were before COVID-era school closures.

Many other states have passed similar legislation amid a national push to restrict cellphone use in schools.

Around 90% of educators surveyed in 2024 supported districts adopting policies limiting the use of phones during instructional time, according to a poll by the National Education Association, a teachers union.

In Michigan, some school districts have already implemented their own policies, such as requiring students to place their phones in magnetically sealed bags during the school day. Some principals and superintendents report anecdotal evidence of fewer suspensions, less bullying, and improved student achievement.

However, empirical evidence is limited, and new research suggests varied results.

Under the Michigan Senate proposal — which is also sponsored by Sen. Mallory McMorrow, a Democrat from Royal Oak, and Erika Geiss, a Democrat from Taylor — districts could limit or ban the use of mobile devices on school grounds during instructional time, lunch, breaks, and recess, as decided by local boards.

One of the main criticisms of school bans on mobile devices comes from students and parents who fear they would not be able to get in touch with each other during emergencies.

The Senate proposal would require school policies to make exemptions for emergencies.

Devices for medical needs, or those included in a student’s individualized education program would be allowed. The policies would also have to allow principals and chief administrators to make other exemptions at their discretion.

Districts would be required to post their cellphone policies on their websites.

Olivia Ponte, the legislative liaison for the Michigan Department of Education, said the agency supports the Senate bill because it addresses the need to put restrictions in place but allows for flexibility.

“A one size fits all approach would not work in Michigan,” she said. “What works in a large urban district may not work in a small rural one.”

Under this proposal, one district could altogether ban cellphone use while another may allow them only for educational purposes.

Venessa Keesler, president and CEO of Launch Michigan, a bipartisan nonprofit education advocacy group, said this bill could help students be better prepared for the workforce.

“When we’re in our cellphone, we’re only interacting with the people who are most directly related to us or who we want to interact with,” she said. “We aren’t in different groups of people. We aren’t working on that conflict resolution, that communication, that teamwork.”

Keesler added, “If we really want our students to be prepared for the future, they have to be able to do more than just interact on their wireless devices.”

Jennifer Smith, director of government relations for the Michigan Association of School Boards, said her organization supports the bill.

Smith said some school board members are concerned about the requirement to enact policies by the start of the next school year, asking for more time for local boards to have discussions and get public input.

Polehanki said she is willing to reconsider the timeline of the bill.

The senator also said she is drafting an additional provision to ensure districts enforce the policies they adopt.

There are still several more steps in the legislative process before the bill can become law. The Senate Education Committee will vote to move the bill forward to the full governing body. After passing a vote in the Senate, the bill would move to the House before being signed by the governor.

The House Education and Workforce Committee is scheduled to discuss the Republican proposal during a meeting on Wednesday.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Republican school safety bills move forward in Michigan House

2025-04-16T23:17:43+00:00

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Amid a bipartisan push to improve school safety and students’ mental health, Republican lawmakers have put forward a package of bills that aims to create a comprehensive “school-community mental health system” and put additional crisis teams in schools.

The bill package cleared a legislative hurdle on Wednesday when the House Education and Workforce Committee voted to move it forward.

Last year, the legislature passed several bipartisan school safety bills that were introduced after a student shot and killed four students at Oxford High School in 2021. Those measures took lawmakers more than three years to approve, in part, because Democrats wanted to include gun reforms in proposed measures, and Republicans wanted to leave those measures out. A bipartisan House of Representatives school safety task force also researched the issues and interviewed school and public safety officials, community members, and survivors of school shootings, including Oxford, and their families.

Democrats eventually altered their proposals to gain support from Republicans.

Some of the newly introduced Republican bills touch on areas the original school safety task force agreed would be priorities: physical security, mental health, data processes, staff, and education. The bills do not address firearms and criminal justice, which were also among the original goals of the task force.

Rep. Kelly Breen, a Democrat from Novi, said in a March 26 hearing for the bills she was “alarmed” that the legwork the taskforce did and the input from school and public safety officials was not reflected in the new Republican bills. For example, Breen said the bills require hiring of hundreds of new mental health staff while schools already struggle to fill open positions.

One of the bills that moved forward this week would require every intermediate school district — or regional agencies that work with the Michigan Department of Education and local school districts to develop programs and meet goals — in Michigan to hire a mental health coordinator to develop and implement the comprehensive system. It would integrate community or faith-based mental health services in public and private schools. Few details about how this would play out in schools were available.

With state funds, the coordinator would also facilitate and deploy a behavioral health care technology platform for schools, as well as oversee and monitor Medicaid billing and the Caring 4 Students program, which partially reimburses school districts for mental health services for students who are eligible for Medicaid.

The bill would also require each ISD to have at least one emergency and safety manager to serve as a liaison between state and local school and law enforcement entities. The manager would perform risk assessments, facilitate response training with schools, and implement prevention programs.

It could cost an estimated $16.8 million in state funding for every ISD in the state to add the staff, according to a fiscal analysis of the bill. Schools would not have to meet the requirements if the state does not allocate the money to fund the positions, according to the bill.

The House Education and Workforce Committee voted to move the bill forward during a meeting Wednesday.

Republican state Reps. Nancy DeBoer, Rylee Linting, Joseph Fox, Tom Kunse, Joseph Pavlov, and Alicia St. Germain voted in favor of moving the bill to a vote in the full House. Democratic state Reps. Matt Koleszar and Regina Weiss voted against it.

Democratic state Reps. Jimmie Wilson Jr. and Erin Byrnes abstained, as did Republican state Rep. Brad Paquette.

Here’s what the other new Republican proposals would do

Require every public school to establish its own crisis team by July 1, 2026. The team would be responsible for initiating lockdowns, helping evacuate students and staff, as well as reuniting families after a safety crisis. The teams would include the school’s principal, vice principal, a school resource officer, and other school personnel. Private schools would have to establish an emergency operations plan.
Change the requirement for public schools to review their emergency preparedness plans with local law enforcement from every two years to every three years. Private schools, which currently are not required to share their plans, would also have to adhere to the requirement.
Local schools that don’t currently have temporary locking systems – or systems that immediately lock doors as a barrier in active shooter situations – would have to install them.
Increase the number of lockdown drills schools must complete each school year from three to four. At least one of the drills would have to take place during lunch, recess, or another time when students are gathered outside of classrooms. At least one would have to take place between class periods.
Require public and private school identification cards to include contact information for the OK2SAY program, which facilitates anonymous tips on potential threats to school and student safety. An existing provision that schools are not legally liable when suicide prevention numbers are not included on student IDs would be extended to situations in which schools don’t include OK2SAY information.
Require the Michigan Department of Heath and Human Services to make materials related to suicide, depression, and anxiety available to private schools that request it. Public schools can already receive such materials.
Require the Michigan State Police’s Office of School Safety to compile quarterly reports on the OK2SAY tips it receives for the School Safety and Mental Health Commission.

The bills will go forward for a full vote in the Republican-controlled House. In order to become law, they would also need to pass votes in the Democratically controlled Senate, and be signed by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Earlier this year, Whitmer signed several other school safety bills into law. Among the measures, public schools now must have behavior threat assessment and management teams.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan school buildings will need $23 billion in repairs and upgrades

2025-03-20T20:03:57+00:00

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A first-of-its-kind report says Michigan’s K-12 school buildings need $23 billion of work over the next decade — a dire situation that some superintendents said should prompt urgent policy discussions at the state level.

A large chunk of that dollar amount, $10.9 billion, is for basic needs such as repairing HVAC systems and roofing.

“Students deserve to learn in schools that ensure basic safety, health, and wellness standards are met,” Kenneth Gutman, superintendent of the Oakland Schools intermediate school district, said during a media roundtable Thursday. The study, he said, “tells us we are a long way from our schools meeting those basic standards.

But Michigan does not provide direct funding to schools for facilities. Districts must seek voter approval for funds to improve buildings and make major repairs.

“We know what the facility needs are, and so now we have to decide as a state, what do we want to do?” Gutman said.

The study was completed by the School Finance Research Foundation, which was created after state lawmakers called for a comprehensive report on the true cost of meeting basic K-12 education needs. The foundation has previously released studies showing what it costs to educate students — and the prevailing inequities in Michigan’s school funding system. Some of its findings have already prompted action by state leaders, including a system created under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer that provides more funding to districts for the most vulnerable students, including those from low-income homes, students with disabilities, and English language learners.

This is the first time this group or anyone else has done such a comprehensive study of school buildings in the state. It doesn’t include the state’s nearly 300 charter schools, though, in part because most of their buildings are privately owned. The study also did not include school district administrative buildings, athletic facilities, and other district-owned facilities that don’t provide direct instruction to K-12 students.

During Thursday’s roundtable discussion, superintendents of seven intermediate school districts across Michigan spoke of the facility needs.

In rural and northern Michigan communities, districts have had to defer maintenance work, because it is becoming harder for them to pass bond proposals to fund facility improvement projects, said Nick Ceglarek, superintendent of the Northwest Education Services.

Meanwhile, the costs of upkeep keep growing. “As school districts defer replacement of these key systems and patch them and patch them and patch them, that really just increases their operating costs and takes more money away from the instructional process,” said Steven Ezikian, executive director of the research foundation.

The facility problems create inequities, superintendents at the roundtable said, because school districts in wealthier communities with higher property values can afford to raise money to fix buildings through voter-approved bond proposals, while less wealthy communities struggle.

As part of the study, which was conducted over two years, the research team evaluated 2,534 buildings in more than 500 school districts to determine the cost of having them meet health, safety, and wellness standards, said Steven Tunnicliff, superintendent of the Genesee Intermediate School District.

Engineers studied 89 individual components of a school facility, including HVAC, ventilation, lighting, electrical, fire alarms, plumbing, fire protection, foundations, staircases, elevators, and kitchens, Tunnicliff said.

For the most part, Ezekiel said, schools “have been doing a good job maintaining their buildings. We’re not looking at situations, for the most part, where buildings are falling apart.”

But they encountered a handful of buildings that were over 100 years old, and a number of buildings that were built before 1970.

The big concern raised in the study is whether schools will be able to address their facility needs over the next decade. That may be particularly important given the potential cuts to federal funding. The Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress seem determined to reduce spending across the board, including funding that supports education. It’s still unclear, though, how much of those cuts schools will have to deal with.

“The question is, how can we continue to support and elevate the level of funding in Michigan to properly and appropriately educate each of our scholars across this great state,” said Daveda Colbert, superintendent of the Wayne Regional Educational Service Agency.

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit and writes about Detroit schools. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan leaders push back on Trump’s attacks on DEI

2025-03-19T22:12:59+00:00

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The Michigan Senate this week passed a resolution to encourage schools and other institutions to adopt and uphold the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The move comes as some education leaders in the state have pushed back on President Donald Trump’s attempt to withhold federal funding from public K-12 schools that teach “discriminatory equity ideology” or “gender ideology.” The resolution was approved a week after the State Board of Education took its own action to support diversity in schools.

The resolution, introduced by state Sen. Stephanie Chang, a Democrat from Detroit, recognized diversity, equity, and inclusion,or DEI, as “essential foundational principles for achieving the American Dream.” It calls on educational institutions — as well as other entities across the state and the nation — to continue such efforts.

“As attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion continue at the federal level, we must remind ourselves that we’re not talking about an acronym — say each word and consider its impact for real people,” said Chang during the Tuesday afternoon Senate session. “We must consider our values and our responsibility to every Michigander, no matter who they are.”

Chang listed examples of DEI, including inclusive education for students with disabilities, Black history month programs on college campuses, and LGBTQ+ student centers.

The Senate voted along party lines, 19 to 18, to pass the resolution.

State Sen. Aric Nesbitt, a Republican from Lawton, said during the session he would vote against the resolution because the body should be focused on “real priorities.”

“We all want hardworking Michiganders to succeed, but not through a system that sacrifices merit for discriminatory quotas,” he said.

Resolutions are not laws and can be used in the Michigan legislature to call attention to issues.

Since Trump issued an executive order seeking to ban from schools anything “that treats individuals as members of preferred or disfavored groups” rather than as individuals, experts have questioned its legality and how it would be enforced in local schools.

Craig Trainor, the U.S. Department of Education’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights, wrote in a Feb. 14 “Dear Colleague” letter that schools taking steps to enroll more students of color and hire more diverse staff would be investigated.

The Education Department announced last week it is investigating 45 schools, including Michigan universities, for offering programs and scholarships with eligibility based on students’ race.

Federal officials alleged the schools are violating the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned discrimination based on race, religion, sex, or national origin.

Michigan leaders have pushed back against the Trump administration’s attacks on DEI and attempts to ban lessons on race and racism.

Last week, the Democratically controlled State Board of Education passed a resolution “defending public education, civil rights, and democracy against executive orders and directives that threaten children and communities.”

The resolution, introduced by Democratic Board President Pamela Pugh, condemned Trump’s executive orders related to schools as “attacks on educational access.” It also asked the legislature to enact state-level protections for DEI, special education funding, and local control of curriculum.

The board’s resolution, which passed 5-2, asked local districts to maintain DEI within existing legal frameworks and to continue to provide safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environments.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Michael Rice, center, during a recent State Board of Education meeting.

Michigan’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction Michael Rice said last month Trump’s executive order would not impact efforts to incorporate curriculum that reflects diverse perspectives.

Rice also sent a memo to local school leaders clarifying the Michigan Department of Education’s stance on the federal “Dear Colleague” letter.

Citing the Fourteenth Amendment, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act in the memo, Rice said educators must provide an education to every student, regardless of race, religion, or national origin.

The state superintendent also listed examples of DEI in Michigan’s public schools, such as diversity in literature, comprehensive history, grow-your-own student teacher programs, student advisory councils, and language access.

Rice said those efforts don’t discriminate on the basis of race but expand opportunities for students.

Rice also noted multiple federal laws prohibit the Department of Education from exercising control over local schools.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Whitmer touts pre-K enrollment as she asks the Michigan legislature for the funds to expand it

2025-03-12T23:47:03+00:00

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More than half of Michigan’s 4-year-olds enrolled in free preschool programs this year, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Wednesday, touting the record enrollment as she seeks support for her goal of universal preschool.

More than 47,500 kids enrolled in the state’s Great Start Readiness Program, or GSRP, this school year, according to early reports from intermediate school districts. That’s a nearly 24% increase since the governor announced her plan in 2023 to gradually move to a universal prekindergarten initiative. When it is fully implemented, all 4-year-olds in the state will be eligible for the program, regardless of income.

The record enrollment in the program marked a step toward Whitmer’s goal of offering free preschool — one of the last remaining education policy priorities of her administration.

“In this year’s budget, we can build on this momentum to set up more kids for lifelong success and save even more families more money,” Whitmer said at a preschool in Livonia.

(The figure that Whitmer cited — that 56% of Michigan 4-year-olds were enrolled in free preschool this year — includes kids enrolled in federally funded Head Start, developmental kindergarten, and early childhood special education.)

The governor proposed entirely removing GSRP’s income eligibility requirements for families in next year’s state budget.

The proposal would also change the GSRP funding structure for local programs to be more aligned with the number of students applying, instead of just the number the program is currently able to serve.

Whitmer also proposed continuing some funds, including $28 million for transportation for GRSP students, $25 million in start-up grants to attract new providers, and $61 million to expand pre-K to 3-year-olds in the Strong Beginnings program.

Securing the funding for all of Whitmer’s initiatives may be a challenge this legislative session, as Democrats no longer have a trifecta over the state government. House Republicans approved a bare bones budget proposal last week — a move some Democrats called a ploy to get an advantage in budget negotiations. Republican lawmakers said they will flesh out a full funding plan later in the process.

While the governor announced her news in Livonia, hundreds of early childhood advocates were in Lansing as part of Early Childhood Capitol Day. Some said universal preschool isn’t a top priority when the early childhood system is struggling with inadequate funding and low pay.

The main challenge early educators say continues to make preschool for all a challenge is a shortage of teachers.

Angela Mentink, director of Early Impressions Preschool and Childcare in Jackson, said during a panel that legislators should look at what has worked in other states to attract and retain early educators, such as a pay equity fund or tax credits.

“There are options out there, and we need to come up with a plan really quickly before the crisis becomes any worse,” she said.

Michigan early childhood teachers often live in poverty, according to a 2022 report by the Michigan League For Public Policy. The most recently available salary analysis of the program shows GSRP teachers made a median annual salary of $43,094 in 2021-22.

Furqan Khaldun, the partnership director for Detroit Champions for Hope, said at the advocacy day legislators need to be intentional about the way the state attains pre-K for all.

Under the current child care system, Khaldun said the 4-year-olds in preschool subsidize the costlier care of infants to 3-year-olds in the same center. When those 4-year-olds are moved out of a child care center to a GSRP school, “it really jeopardizes the whole childcare system,” he added.

“We have to make sure that while we praise and want the pre-K for all, which is a good thing, we want to make sure there’s not any unintended consequences that could wreck the whole child care system,” he said.

Rachelle McKissick-Harris, a mother of three from Grand Rapids, said she went to Lansing to advocate for more support for families before kids get to preschool.

“I think universal pre-K is a good structure, but it needs to stretch beyond that,” she said. “It really needs to be universal early childhood.”

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

With control of the House, Michigan Republicans push for education reforms

2025-03-11T21:46:00+00:00

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With control of the House, Michigan Republicans are pushing myriad education policies including creating a new pathway for emergency teacher certification, keeping transgender students out of sports, and potentially cutting billions of dollars in funding for schools.

In the first three months of the legislative session, Republicans have offered a view into how they want to shape public education in the state now that Democrats have lost their trifecta over state government. Democrats, who still control the Senate and the governor’s office, will likely have more difficulty passing their education policy priorities this session, unless they focus on bipartisan measures.

The shift in power has already impacted state school budget negotiations this year, with Republican leaders taking a bullish approach.

Without advance notice last week, House Republicans passed a bare bones $15.6 billion education budget proposal they say would fund essential government functions if negotiations stall in the summer.

Speaker of the House Matt Hall said during a press conference Tuesday the proposal is a “government shutdown prevention plan” — not a fully fleshed out budget.

“For anyone to say that this is the Republican budget is absolutely false,” he said.

The budget proposal passed by the House only included funding for mental health and school safety, special education, and allocations to the Michigan Public School Employee Retirement System. The proposal would increase the foundation amount local districts get per student from $9,608 to $10,025. It left out funding for everything else, including transportation and school meals.

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last month proposed a $21.2 billion education budget that also would increase the foundation allowance. Her proposal also included increased funding for students considered to be “at-risk,” early literacy grants, early childhood education, and special education.

Democrats expressed concerns last week over the proposal the House moved forward, calling it a ploy to get an unfair advantage in budget negotiations.

“This is a sad day for Michigan students and families,” said State Rep. Stephanie Young, a Democrat from Detroit, in a prepared statement. “Every Republican in this chamber voted to put students at risk of not receiving the quality education they deserve, whether it’s kids learning on an empty stomach or losing out on quality investments in classroom programs.”

On Tuesday, Hall also highlighted bills introduced by Republicans so far this session that will “reform the education system” in the state.

“We developed this education plan that focuses on real life skills,” he said.

The House Education and Workforce Committee last week moved forward a bill that would let local schools issue temporary teaching certificates and another that would get rid of fees for those applying to become educators. Both bills were introduced in an effort to address the state’s ongoing teacher shortage.

In order to become law, those bills will have to go to a vote in the full House. The Democratically controlled Senate would then have to approve them before being signed into law by Whitmer.

House Bill 4153, which moved to the House for a full vote, would allow public schools to issue local teaching certificates. The certificates would only allow those individuals to teach a specific subject in the districts in which they are issued. Special education teaching certification would not be included.

Those who receive the certification would have to hold a degree from a regionally accredited college or university in the same subject area and have graduated with at least a 3.0 grade point average.

The certificates would be temporary and not last longer than five years, unless the certification is for teaching career and technical education. The bill also has a sunset provision to end the authorization after July 1, 2035.

The current law only allows people with state teaching certificates to work in public schools unless they meet alternate requirements. Requirements for Michigan teaching certificates, which are issued only to those who pass state teaching exams, are determined by the state superintendent.

Also under the current law, teachers in their first three years working in classrooms must be assigned a master teacher as their mentor. This bill would make exemptions for those teaching with local certification.

House Bill 4150 would get rid of fees for people applying for teaching certificates, endorsements, and permits. The Michigan Department of Education, or MDE, would not be allowed to charge fees to receive or process the applications. The same would apply to renewals.

It can cost from $50 up to $210 for initial application fees, depending on the type of permit or certification and whether the educator is applying from out of state. Renewal fees range from $60 to $160.

House Bill 4024 and Senate Bill 9 would restrict transgender students’ access to the bathrooms that align with their gender identity.

House Bill 4066 would prevent transgender students from participating in school sports teams that align with their gender identity.

Similar bills have been introduced in Michigan in previous sessions. None moved forward.

The House Education and Workforce Committee also moved these bills forward:

A House bill that would require an additional subject area endorsement on teaching certificates for certificate holders who pass multiple subject areas on the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification.
A House bill that would require teacher preparation universities to ensure its math and science programs are developed in consultation with “a professor or other content expert” in those fields by Sept. 30, 2027. Programs that don’t meet that deadline will have their authorization for existing programs revoked.
A House bill that would allow intermediate school districts to contract with each other to operate career and technical education programs. The bill would allow ISDs to use money raised with millages in one region to contract with another ISD.

Other Republican bills introduced this session include:

A House bill that would require local districts to post student achievement data on their websites.
A House bill that would restrict cellphone use for students.
A House bill that would require core curriculum standards include the science of reading and interventions for students who exhibit signs of dyscalculia, or trouble processing and using numbers.
A Senate bill to require all public schools in the state to have mobile panic alert systems.
A House bill to require the MDE to publish a list of “recommended” curriculum and assessment companies for local public schools to choose from. The curricula provided by those companies would have to align with the state’s academic standards and “provide evidence of effectiveness through independent research or other reliable data.”
A joint resolution to amend the state constitution to make the state superintendent of public instruction, who runs the MDE, be appointed by the governor instead of the State Board of Education after Jan. 1, 2027.

The final state education budget will need approval from both the House and Senate before being signed into law by the governor. Democrats in the Senate will likely reject the House’s proposal. The deadline for the budget is July 1.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan Gov. Whitmer to call for legislation restricting student cell phone use

2025-02-24T23:56:53+00:00

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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to call for bipartisan legislation to limit cell phone use in Michigan classrooms during her State of the State address Wednesday.

The policy push is intended to combat the detrimental effects smartphones and social media may have on teen’s mental health and educational outcomes, according to Whitmer’s office.

The announcement comes after a national assessment showed Michigan students are still struggling to catch up to where they were before COVID-19 school closures and amid a national push to restrict cell phone use in schools.

“I think it would be really useful because literally, kids are all day, every day on their phones,” Victoria Garcia, a senior at Western International High School, said on Monday after school. “It’s just so normalized, and teachers just give up.”

Garcia said she could see the potential for cell phone restrictions to help her and other students focus more in class. The 17-year-old also acknowledged that spending prolonged periods of time on social media likely has a negative impact on youth mental health.

Those opposed to such legislation cite safety concerns and parents’ need to get in touch with their children about transportation.

Currently, there is no statewide law requiring districts to set specific policies around student cell phone use. Many local districts in Michigan, however, have adopted their own policies.

Last year, Rep. Mark Tisdel, a Republican from Rochester, introduced a bill that would have created a statewide ban on students using cell phones during class. The bill did not move forward in the legislature.

Eight states have already approved legislation limiting cell phone use in schools. Another six states have created policy recommendations or pilot programs, while legislation has been introduced in 12 states.

Many schools that have implemented such policies have reported anecdotal evidence of fewer suspensions, less bullying, and improved student achievement. But empirical evidence is limited and new research suggests varied results.

A poll by the National Education Association, a teacher’s union, found 90% of surveyed educators supported policies to prohibit cell phone use during instructional time at the district level.

Some education experts and advocates have called on Michigan lawmakers in recent weeks to make drastic changes since the release of the “nation’s report card” showed Michigan fourth and eighth graders did not improve their reading scores in 2024 after a 30-year low the previous testing period.

Michigan’s state assessments last school year showed similar results, as did benchmark assessments that measure student progress at the beginning and end of each school year.

Earlier this month, Whitmer also proposed requiring elementary schools to be more transparent with parents about whether they are using a high-quality curriculum.

Whitmer’s office said she will also propose higher taxes for vaping products because of the industry’s “predatory marketing of children.”

Money generated from the additional taxes will go toward smoking prevention, youth health programs, and cancer prevention, her office said.

Whitmer will deliver her speech to the state Legislature at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. It will be streamed on the governor’s website and broadcast on some local channels.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

After years of advocacy, foster youth say Michigan schools still need to fix a key systemic problem

2025-02-12T01:18:58+00:00

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Students in Michigan’s foster care system are still routinely denied access to their school records, despite years of raising concerns about the problem.

On Tuesday, foster youth and advocates told the State Board of Education they want the Michigan Department of Education and lawmakers to address the systemic problem by requiring schools to provide immediate access to transcripts, creating a centralized statewide database of records, and forming a multi-department taskforce to lead reform efforts.

Foster youth have lost years of education because they could not find or access their records, as NBC News first reported in 2022.

“This isn’t just a broken system — it’s a betrayal of the very youth it was meant to present,” Donella Anderson, a foster youth, said during Tuesday’s board meeting. “And every day that passes without action is another day that we are left behind — another day I am left behind.”

There are an estimated 10,000 kids in foster care in Michigan, but the total number is unknown because many go uncounted, advocates say. For example, people ages 18 to 23 who are still eligible to receive state services are not included in that count.

Michigan foster youth have a high school graduation rate of around 40% — about 40 percentage points behind the state’s overall graduation rate. That figure doesn’t include youth who drop out or complete high school in residential facilities.

Three bills signed into law last year addressed some of the issues that foster youth brought to the attention of legislators. One required residential facilities to enroll students in school within five days of placement and to provide an education that meets the state’s graduation requirements.

Another bill required the MDE to oversee residential facilities’ schooling programs and enforce compliance with the new education requirements.

The other required the MDE, the MDHHS, and the state Center for Educational Performance and Information to track the number of children in foster care, where they are, and how they’re progressing in their education. That information must be reported to the legislature.

Many of the youth who helped inspire those bills said at the board meeting they feel unheard after years of advocating and sharing their own traumatic stories.

“I cannot stand here today without addressing the reality that is weighing on me and so many others,” said Alyssa Andrews, one of the former foster youth who helped advocate for the recent legislation. “It feels like not only have you stolen our voice, but you have also taken our accomplishments and celebrate them without us. The work, the advocacy, the relentless fight, it came from us.”

Trinity Jones approaches the State Board of Education to make a public comment during Tuesday's meeting.

Bob Wheaton, director of the MDE’s Office of Public and Governmental Affairs, said in an email Tuesday the department appreciated the youth sharing their experiences during the meeting.

“We will continue to do what we can to support positive educational outcomes,” he said. “Youth experiencing foster care across the state deserve a partnership involving MDE, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), intermediate school districts, local school districts, and advocates to ensure implementation of new state statute that provides these students with educational opportunities.”

Wheaton added Michigan schools must follow a current state law that requires districts request in writing transfer students’ records from their previous schools within 14 days of their enrollment.

“MDE is working with MDHHS to implement the new laws and to ensure that existing laws are followed for the benefit of these children,” said Wheaton.

“The department supports additional changes to state law to better support children who are experiencing foster care, the juvenile justice system, or homelessness,” he added.

Tuesday’s outcry was prompted in part by a presentation given by the education department about its efforts to uplift the voices of foster youth.

Advocates and kids from Park West, a Michigan nonprofit that supports foster youth and advocated for the legislative changes, felt the MDE’s attempt at centering youth voices in a new initiative was shallow and would not bring any real change.

“Instead of doing real work, they spend more time co-opting, you know, and making it look like something is happening,” said Saba Gebrai, program director at Park West.

Advocates say Michigan schools don’t interact with the courts and the MDHHS to establish who holds parental educational rights for children in the foster system.

This means that schools aren’t sure who to share educational records with – birth parents, foster parents, or other family members. And that leaves kids in limbo.

Tiffany D. Tilley, member of the State Board of Education (center), speaks with foster youth and advocates outside of the meeting on Tuesday.

Teenagers who opt to get jobs and support themselves can’t get their transcripts because they are not recognized as their own guardians. Many have to wait until they turn 18 to see their records.

Alexia Roberts, a foster youth who wanted to speak Tuesday but wasn’t called on during public comment, wasn’t able to access her transcripts after she was kicked out of her home by a relative when she was in 11th grade.

“The principal, office staff, and teachers were not aware who my educational rights holder was,” she wrote in a speech she prepared ahead of time. “My parents were unable to check about my progress or anything from my schooling period.”

Roberts said she had to wait until she turned 18 to get her transcripts to enroll in an alternative high school.

Saba Gebrai speaks during the Michigan State Board of Education meeting on Tuesday.

Requiring the immediate transfer of school records was a key piece left out of the bills, said Gebrai.

That piece could have been included in the legislation, but it wasn’t due to a lack of collaboration on the MDE’s part, Gebrai said.

While a change to the law is needed, Gebrai said the MDE could provide guidance to districts to make transcripts immediately available.

Gebrai said the youth she works with have researched solutions other states have found to the same problems. They don’t understand why Michigan can’t do the same.

“There’s no interest or there’s no real direction,” she said. “The need is there and the solution is there. Why not? What’s the holdup?”

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Whitmer: Schools should be required to inform parents about ineffective curriculum

2025-02-10T15:51:39+00:00

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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s education budget proposal for the 2025-26 school year would require elementary schools to notify parents if they are using a high-quality curriculum to teach students.

It’s one of the initiatives in her budget proposal, introduced Wednesday to the Michigan Legislature, that requires schools to be more transparent with parents about how their children’s schools are performing.

Her proposal also includes an increase in state per-pupil funding for schools, as well as increases in funding for early childhood programs, at-risk students, and career and technical education programs, and to increase funding for districts that follow best practices.

The parent transparency efforts are a key part of the governor’s hopes. The recommendations come on the heels of the state’s disappointing scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, a national exam given to a representative sample of students in each state. The scores released last week show Michigan students aren’t making much progress academically.

“By providing this information to parents, buildings using less-than-effective curriculum will be held more accountable,” the proposal says of the parent notices.

Schools serving students in grades kindergarten through five would have to mail parents a report if their curriculum isn’t “evidence-based” and include a “plan for how and when the district will implement more effective instructional practices.” It was unclear Wednesday afternoon who would determine what is considered evidence-based and how they would make that determination.

Several other parent transparency efforts include:

Parents would also have to be notified if their children’s schools fall in the bottom 5% academically among schools statewide on the state’s accountability system, or if subgroups of students — such as students from low-income homes — perform near the bottom of academic rankings. “Districts will be required to outline a plan to remedy this situation as well as a mechanism for parental feedback,” the proposal reads.
Districts would have to send a report to parents showing how they are spending money provided by the state for at-risk students. The report must show how the districts will “equitably target those dollars toward highest need schools,” and what evidence-based interventions are being used.
School boards would need to have a discussion and provide time for public input on how it will enhance parental engagement, on school academic outcomes, on improvement on benchmark and state exams.
Districts would be required to add a link on the main page of their website that links back to the state parent dashboard, which is aimed at giving parents information to gauge how their children’s schools are performing.

Here are some of the governor’s other education spending proposals:

The minimum per-pupil grant for Michigan schools would increase by $392 dollars, to $10,000 per student. Online cyber schools that operate virtually 100% of the time would receive 20% less than that amount, or $8,000 per student.
The state would increase by 4.1%, or $94 million, the amount of money targeted at students who are considered at risk, students with disabilities, and English language learners. It also includes increased payments for students enrolled in career and technical education programs, students enrolled in rural and isolated districts, and for intermediate school districts.
The state would continue to invest in providing its PreK for All initiative. That includes increasing the per child allocation by $392, to $10,577. The proposal also includes allocating $25 million in start-up grants for new providers and classrooms.
The budget would also provide increased funding for literacy supports, mental health, teen health centers, and before- and after-school programs.
A proposed $232 million for districts that implement best practices and high impact tutoring. It’s unclear what those best practices would be, but the proposal said it would be a “pre-defined list” of best practices.

Correction: Feb. 10, 2025: This story was corrected to note that full-time cyber schools would receive 20% less than the $10,000 per pupil all other K-12 schools would receive.

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Transparency for parents, increased literacy grants are key to Whitmer’s upcoming education proposal

2025-01-29T23:40:57+00:00

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With new test results showing Michigan students continue to struggle, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is preparing to pitch lawmakers on what she’s calling a SMART plan to increase school transparency and boost funding.

The plan, which Whitmer is expected to detail next week in her executive budget proposal, will focus on “students, metrics, and results with transparency,” spokesperson Stacey LaRouche told Bridge Michigan.

Among other things, LaRouche said the plan will reward districts for increasing parental communication about student outcomes, increase per-pupil funding, double funding for literacy grants, and invest more in mental health and school safety.

State Budget Director Jen Flood is scheduled to present the governor’s budget proposal to lawmakers next Wednesday. In the following months, the Republican-led House will present its budget proposal, and the Democrat-led Senate will propose another before all sides negotiate a final deal by October 1.

Whitmer will need some Republican support to fund her ideas.

While full details of the plan are not yet known, LaRouche said Whitmer’s proposal will use funding “to add transparency measures such as awarding districts for implementing best practices and increasing transparency around student outcomes for parents through a combination of direct reporting to parents, improved dashboards, and board meetings to improve parental engagement.”

Whitmer’s office released an outline of her plans on the heels of sobering student test results in Michigan and the nation.

On the biennial National Assessment of Educational Progress, Michigan fourth and eighth grade students’ average reading scores were lower than in 2022, the last time the test was administered. Math scores were up for fourth graders in Michigan but fell among eighth graders. The changes weren’t considered statistically significant.

In reading, just 24% of Michigan fourth graders were deemed proficient in 2024, down from 28% in 2022 and well below the 30% nationally. In math, 37% of Michigan fourth graders were proficient last year, up from 32%.

Republicans used the test results to argue that Whitmer and fellow Democrats have not focused enough on the basics of education.

“Parents don’t send their children to school so they can be taught woke DEI nonsense,” Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, wrote on social media. “They send them to school so they can learn to read and write. If they can’t do that the system failed. We need to get back to basics.”

Republicans also contend Democrats have weakened transparency and accountability programs, including an A to F school grading system that the Legislature and Whitmer repealed in 2023. Bill sponsor Matt Koleszar, D-Plymouth, had called the system “duplicative and ineffective.”

In 2022 when Republicans across the country and state were pushing for “parental rights,” Whitmer announced the creation of the Michigan Parents’ Council. The council released a report but with only four recommendations, none of which were new to education leaders and at least some of which were vague.

Venessa Keesler, President and CEO of Launch Michigan, a bipartisan nonprofit group working to reform state education, told Bridge it’s common for people to use NAEP scores to further their talking points. But Michigan has taken steps to improve literacy, including spending on literacy coaches and training, she said.

“I think we need to be more focused on making sure every district has a research-based reading curriculum, and I think we need to make sure that there’s more focus on instructional practice and instructional walkthroughs,” Keesler said.

Researchers at Michigan State University’s Education Policy Innovation Collaborative found in 2022 that reading lessons across classrooms and districts varied widely. Many of the instruction materials or curriculum were unrated or poorly rated in aligning with standards.

In the current state education budget, lawmakers allocated $87 million for the Michigan Department of Education to create a committee for literacy achievement that will evaluate literacy materials, professional development and tools. The group will rank these items and then districts can apply for funding and receive more funds for highly ranked items.

Isabel Lohman is a reporter for Bridge Michigan. You can reach her at ilohman@bridgemi.com.

Whitmer signs school safety legislation into law

2025-01-22T19:11:03+00:00

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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed legislation on school safety that was introduced after a deadly shooting that killed four students at Oxford High School but took lawmakers more than three years to approve.

The bills Whitmer signed Wednesday were among 19 that are focused on making public schools, homes, and communities safer, she said. The school-related bills would require schools to have a behavior threat assessment and management team, create a new state commission on school safety and mental health, and add new rules to make sure schools are able to respond effectively to safety threats.

“Each of these bills build on my administration’s commitment to protecting Michiganders and their families,” Whitmer said in a news release.

The Michigan legislature gave final approval to the bills during its lame duck session in December.

Other education-related bills approved during the lame duck session and signed last week by Whitmer require Michigan charter schools to publicly post average teacher salaries and schools to allow Indigenous students to wear traditional regalia to graduation ceremonies.

Whitmer’s signatures were praised by a group that pushes for school safety reform, but they said the fight isn’t over.

“Although Lansing’s incoming political landscape will pose new challenges for us, we’re not going anywhere,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. “The state has seen what is possible when it comes to addressing this crisis, and our Michigan moms and students are in it for the long haul.”

The school safety laws will:

Require every public school to have a behavior threat assessment and management team that would monitor students for concerning behavior. Students identified as struggling will receive a plan for support.
Require the Michigan State Police to create standardized terminology for use during school emergencies. All schools and districts in the state would also be required to adopt that terminology, which supporters say would create less confusion during crises.
Require the MSP to make training available to schools on how to use threat assessment materials.
Makes school threat assessment teams responsible for educating the school community about the warning signs indicating someone might pose a threat of physical violence.
Mandate that the Michigan Office of School Safety notify district emergency and safety managers of any tips regarding potential threats to schools in its system as soon as possible or within 24 hours. Local law enforcement would also have to be notified within that time frame.
Create a permanent School Safety and Mental Health Commission in the Michigan State Police department. The existing commission, which was created in 2022, focuses mostly on physical security threats. That commission will be phased out for a new one that will include education, school safety, and mental health experts.

Whitmer also issued an executive order Wednesday related to the School Safety and Mental Health Commission aimed at ensuring the group includes critical viewpoints and voices. The executive order requires that the commission include:

One member who is a prosecutor.
The director of the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential.

Her order also gives voting rights on the commission to ex officio members of the board, including the directors of the Michigan State Police, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, MiLEAP, and Michigan Department of Education.

Chalkbeat Detroit reporter Hannah Dellinger contributed reporting.

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

The Michigan education stories we’re watching in 2025

2025-01-06T23:22:09+00:00

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A new presidential administration, a Detroit schools’ lawsuit against the state, and continued attendance woes are among Michigan’s education issues that will likely make big news in 2025.

Last year was marked by a federal investigation that found Michigan education officials failed students with disabilities during the pandemic, as well as a new law that requires Michigan schools use the science of reading in literacy instruction. There was also a crucial Detroit school board election, and a lame duck legislative session that fizzled and left some big education bills on the table.

Here’s what we’ll be following this year. Did we miss anything? Feel free to let us know at detroit.tips@chalkbeat.org.

How will Trump’s second term impact Michigan schools?

During his campaign, Donald Trump indicated he wanted to eradicate the U.S. Department of Education.

Most experts and political observers think that probably won’t happen. But a bill that would reassign the agency’s functions to other departments has already been introduced by a Republican senator. Trump’s administration could also strip the department of funding and replace its career employees with political appointees.

Changes to the Education Department could also drastically alter the enforcement of federal civil rights laws in local schools.

Changes to the U.S. Department of Education could drastically alter the enforcement of federal civil rights laws in local schools.

The Michigan Department of Education is currently fighting scrutiny from the federal department’s Office for Civil Rights for alleged violations of students with disabilities’ rights during COVID-era school closures.

The Michigan department denies all the claims. Federal officials said previously the outcome of the case will be decided in an administrative hearing.

Trump will also likely rescind new Title IX regulations that protect transgender students from discrimination. (The Biden administration recently rescinded proposed Title IX rules specifically concerning athletics.)

DPSCD goes to court over millage revenue dispute

After years of relative stability, the Detroit Public Schools Community District has initiated a court battle that could affect its financial stability.

The district sued the Michigan Department of Treasury and State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks in late December to resolve a dispute between the two over whether the district can use revenue from an operating millage to pay off some of the massive debt that remains from Detroit Public Schools, the entity that used to educate students.

The dispute requires revisiting the 2016 legislative deal that created DPSCD and gave schools in the city district a fresh, debt-free start using state funding. DPS remained intact to collect tax revenue to pay off the debt that crippled DPS. Much of the debt was accrued during years the state oversaw the district via emergency managers who were appointed by the state.

The split had been going well. The district expects to pay off its operating debt in February, 18 months earlier than expected. But that is where the dispute begins.

With that debt paid off, DPSCD officials expected to use its operating millage revenue to help pay off its remaining debt: $355 million in debt to the state School Loan Revolving Fund and another $1.3 billion in capital debt. A separate DPS debt millage has been used to pay down that roughly $1.7 billion in debt, but using the operating millage would mean that remaining debt could be paid off in eight years, rather than 15.

But Michigan’s treasury department says the operating millage revenue cannot be used to pay off debt that doesn’t stem from operating costs. The department also says that DPS must discontinue the millage once the operating debt is paid off, that DPSCD must ask voters to approve a new operating millage, and that the state will no longer provide the district with operating funds.

The treasury department’s stance would mean more than $300 million in increased interest costs for the district’s capital and revolving fund debt, due to the repayment timeline of 15 years instead of eight. It could also put the district in financial peril if DPSCD voters reject a proposed new operating millage.

Immigration arrests at schools might return under Trump

Schools have been considered “sensitive” or “protected” areas under federal immigration policy for nearly 30 years. This meant immigration arrests generally did not happen at or nearby schools.

But Trump is expected to end that policy soon after he returns to office.

Advocates for immigrant children and educators fear this will disrupt learning for millions of students in the U.S. with undocumented parents. They say parents will no longer trust schools, potentially prompting many to no longer bring their kids to school or to participate in their education.

During Trump’s first term, the Detroit Public Schools Community District adopted a new policy to protect immigrants’ rights on school grounds.

What will Democrats’ loss of control mean?

Michigan Democrats lost control of the House at the beginning of 2025, ending their short-lived control of state government.

Absent bipartisan deals, Democrats will likely have a difficult time securing enough votes in the House to pass education and other bills.

For example, when lawmakers negotiate state school funding for the 2025-26 school year, Republicans will have more leverage.

In 2023, legislators passed a historic budget that benefited students in the most need, including those living in communities with high concentrations of poverty.

Advocates said at the time the move was a step toward closing Michigan’s long standing inequities in school funding, but that this type of funding boost would have to continue for decades to make real change.

The 2024-25 school budget continued some of that progress, but per-pupil funding did not increase and lawmakers cut dollars aimed at improving student mental health.

With Republicans in control of the House, it’s uncertain whether future budgets will have different priorities. This means uncertainty for the school districts that benefited the most from weighted at-risk funding.

Getting students to school every day remains tough

Michigan students continue to miss school at alarming levels. Though the rate of chronic absenteeism in the state is on the decline, nearly 1 in 3 students meet the definition of missing too much school.

Students are considered chronically absent if they miss 10% or more of the school year, or 18 days in a typical 180-day year.

Statewide, 29.5% of students were chronically absent during the 2023-24 school year, down slightly from 30.8% the year before and 38.5% in the 2021-22 school year, when quarantines played a big role.Prior to the pandemic, about 20% of students were chronically absent.

Students who are frequently absent tend to score lower on reading and math exams, get lower grades, and struggle more in college. They are far more likely to drop out of high school. Just as concerning: Students with disabilities and students from low-income homes are missing school at rates that are notably higher than the statewide average.

Meanwhile, high rates of chronic absenteeism adversely affects school improvement efforts, particularly as many still struggle to recover from the effects of the pandemic.

This year, Chalkbeat will be reporting on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to addressing low attendance, both in Michigan and across the country.

In the Detroit Public Schools Community District, where the rate of chronic absenteeism was 66% in the 2023-24 school year, schools and community organizations have employed a number of efforts to address the attendance problem. One new initiative provides financial incentives for high school students with perfect attendance. Another requires students with extremely high rates of chronic absenteeism to repeat a grade or course.

Michigan leaders are working to expand the state's free preschool program so it's available to all 4-year-olds, regardless of income.

Michigan’s preschool for all program brings opportunity, challenges

Michigan’s early childhood system has had its challenges over the years, something state officials have hoped to address in part by making a free preschool program available to every child regardless of income.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer first announced the phasing in of a PreK for All program in 2023, with the goal that by 2027, all Michigan 4-year-olds can attend a free, quality preschool program. That’s the state’s Great Start Readiness Program, which has operated for years but limited enrollment to certain students, such as those from low-income homes, that might make them at risk for struggling in school.

Serious issues remain, though. Early childhood programs across Michigan struggle to hire enough qualified staff, largely because pay for workers in the system is typically low. Also, in order to expand, the state needs more early childhood providers to offer the Great Start program. That can be challenging in a state that has a number of “child care deserts.”.

Meanwhile, Detroit’s ambitious Hope Starts Here initiative aims to strengthen the early child care system in Detroit by 2027. The effort began in 2016 with $25 million investments from the Kresge and W.K. Kellogg foundations. (The Kresge and Kellogg foundations are Chalkbeat funders. Learn more about our funding here.)

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan school safety reform bills prompted by Oxford killings get final approval in the Senate

2024-12-20T18:27:04+00:00

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In the last hours of this year’s legislative session, the Michigan Senate on Friday morning gave final approval to a package of bills aimed at preventing violence in schools.

The five bills will put more mental health support in place for students and more stringent protocols for responding to school emergencies. The legislation, which was introduced after the 2021 Oxford school shooting that killed four students, is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

School safety reforms were one of the remaining legislative priorities of Democrats during the lame duck session.

During committee hearings for the legislation, school officials and gun violence survivors pleaded with lawmakers to pass the bills.

“This work cannot be ignored,” said Melissa Kree, a psychologist at Oxford Community Schools, at a March hearing.

One of the bills calls for every public school in the state to create a behavior threat assessment and management team. Its introduction was prompted by the findings of a third-party report on the response to the Oxford shooting. The report found the killings could have been prevented if school staff and law enforcement properly carried out threat assessment and prevention.

Teams will include an administrator, a mental health professional, and a school resource officer or other law enforcement official.

The threat assessment teams will be charged with defining concerning behavior in people who pose a risk of harming themselves or others. The teams will monitor and assess students who display those behaviors and talk with them, as well as educate school communities on what signs to look for.

They will also develop written plans to help struggling students, including supportive measures as well as discipline.

The teams will distinguish between credible and noncredible threats and create central reporting mechanisms.

That bill had some bipartisan support in its final Senate vote, although 14 Republicans voted against it.

Two of the bills in the package passed unanimously in the Senate. They will create standardized terminology for first responders and school staff to use during school emergencies. The Michigan State Police will have to establish the terminology by July 1.

The two remaining bills will create a permanent School Safety and Mental Health Commission in the Department of Education.

A commission created in 2022 focused mostly on physical security threats. It will be phased out for the new one, which will include education, school safety, and mental health experts. Twelve Republicans voted against the bill replacing the old commission with the revised one.

On Thursday night, the Senate also gave final approval to legislation that will require school districts to send home information about safe firearm storage. Republicans said the bills were “anti-Second Amendment.”

The Senate on Friday also gave final approval to a proposal that will require charter schools to publicly post average teacher salaries. Whitmer is expected to sign it into law.

A measure that will require schools to allow Indigenous students to wear traditional regalia to graduation ceremonies also won final approval in the Senate.

One bill that would allow Detroit Public schools to pay off its School Loan Revolving Fund debt with its operating millage is still up for a vote in the body.

The Senate ended a marathon 29-hour session Friday afternoon. It is tentatively scheduled to return to session Monday.

The House ended its dysfunctional lame duck session Thursday afternoon, effectively killing a slew of education bills.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Final approval given to some Michigan charter school reforms, while more substantial proposals die

2024-12-20T00:10:12+00:00

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After a high-drama day in the legislature, Michigan Senate Democrats gave final approval Thursday to some charter school reform proposals.

The more substantial of the charter school reform bills are effectively dead, however, as the House abruptly ended its tumultuous lame duck session earlier in the day.

The four House bills the Senate approved will require charter schools to publicly post the names of their primary educational management organizations, or EMOs, and authorizing bodies. The information must be included in the schools’ promotional material, enrollment applications, on physical signage, and online. The legislation is now headed to the desk of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is expected to sign the bills into law.

By 6 p.m. Thursday, the Senate had not yet taken up another House bill that would require charter schools to make average teacher salaries public.

Charter school reforms remained the last major education policy priority of Democrats in the lame duck session.

Last week, the Senate approved a package of bills that would restrict for-profit EMOs from selling or leasing property above market rates to the charter schools they run, require more oversight from authorizers, and make EMOs publicly post detailed audited financial disclosures.

Those bills were up for votes in the House.

Without a quorum — due to the protest absences of all Republicans and Rep. Karen Whitsett, a Detroit Democrat — the House failed to move any legislation forward in its last two days of session.

House Speaker Joe Tate, a Democrat from Detroit, issued a brief call of the House – an order for Michigan House Sergeants at Arms to bring absent members to the floor and bar the chamber doors.

The session ended an hour after that.

The House announced it would come back into session at 1:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.

However, House Speaker Pro Tem Laurie Pohutsky, a Democrat from Livonia, later told reporters the return will be a formality to officially end the session for the year.

In the Senate, state Sen. Sylvia Santana, a Democrat from Detroit, also skipped Wednesday’s session in protest. When she returned Thursday, the Senate began voting again.

Senate Democrats on Thursday also approved a bill that will require school districts to distribute information about safe gun storage to families. Survivors of school gun violence testified in support of the measure last week.

The Senate is tentatively scheduled to be in session Friday and Monday.

Several education bills are still on the table for final approval in the Senate, including:

Legislation aimed at preventing violence in schools.
A bill that would force schools to allow Indigenous students to wear traditional regalia to graduation ceremonies.
A bill that would allow Detroit Public Schools to use its operating millage to pay its School Loan Revolving Fund debt.

The House’s dysfunction also appears to have killed bills that would have made attending kindergarten mandatory and completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid a graduation requirement.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan Democrats’ remaining education policy priorities stalled amid party’s lame duck infighting

2024-12-18T22:02:39+00:00

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Dysfunction among Michigan Democrats has halted movement in the legislature during the remaining hours of the lame duck session, leaving the party’s remaining key education policy priorities in limbo.

Infighting that led two Democrats to boycott sessions in the House and the Senate on Wednesday left the party with too few votes to pass partisan initiatives, such as charter school reforms. All House Republicans also began boycotting the session last week, narrowing the chance bipartisan efforts might get enough votes to pass Wednesday.

“It’s a coordination problem,” Sarah Reckhow, professor of American politics and public policy at Michigan State University, said of the stalled bills. “People are still trying to strike deals and get some final things through. It’s classic politics and bargaining.”

Bob McCann, executive director of the policy advocacy organization K-12 Alliance of Michigan, said lame duck sessions should not necessarily be used to pass complicated school policies in a time crunch.

He added, “You can have any number of unintended consequences when every line of a bill is not properly considered.”

State Sen. Sylvia Santana, a Democrat from Detroit, told the Detroit News Wednesday morning she would be absent from the session because she didn’t want to “vote for the governor’s corporate welfare agenda while Democrats ignore priorities that impact urban communities.”

State Rep. Karen Whitsett, also a Detroit Democrat who has sided with Republicans in the past, said Tuesday she would not be in session until the House addresses changes to the minimum wage and sick leave.

House Republicans walked out last week over the same policies.

“Everyone in the different factions of the Democratic party has their own priorities and they are getting annoyed at the leadership when their priorities are not higher in the pecking order,” said Reckhow.

The House ended its day early around 3 p.m. Wednesday. It never moved past an attendance check-in.

The Senate was still in session by Wednesday evening.

After Wednesday, there is one remaining session day scheduled this year for the House and three for the Senate. Lawmakers may, however, ignore the rules and add more session days before Dec. 31, when Democrats will lose control of the state government.

House Speaker Joe Tate may issue a call of the House, which would force legislators to come back to the session.

Which education bills have yet to be approved?

The last major remaining education policy priority of Democrats is charter school reform.

One of four Senate bills would restrict for-profit education management organizations, or EMOs, from selling or leasing property above market rates to the charter schools they run. The other Senate measures would require oversight from charter school authorizers and make EMOs publicly post detailed audited financial disclosures.

Those bills passed votes in the Senate last week. They would need to pass votes in the House before being presented to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who likely would sign them into law.

A package of House bills would require charter schools to publicly list average teacher salaries as well as the names of their authorizers and management companies. The five bills already passed votes in the House and await approval in the Senate.

Legislation aimed at preventing school violence also appears to be stalled.

Five House bills call for more stringent protocols for responding to emergencies at schools, more mental health support for struggling students, and for schools to distribute information to families about safe firearm storage. All of the bills passed votes in the House and need approval in the Senate.

Senate bills that would make attending kindergarten mandatory and completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid a graduation requirement are also waiting on votes in the House.

House bills that would make schools allow Indigenous students to wear traditional regalia to graduation ceremonies and clarify that Detroit Public Schools’ operating millage can pay off its School Loan Revolving Fund debt passed votes Dec. 13 after Republicans walked out. Both bills were referred to the Senate’s Government Operations Committee on Wednesday.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan Senate Democrats approve charter school reform bills

2024-12-13T18:13:11+00:00

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Michigan Senate Democrats moved forward charter school reform bills Friday during a marathon session that began Thursday.

The four bills would put restrictions on the use of taxpayer money to buy and lease private property and require more financial transparency for charter schools.

The reforms are among the biggest remaining education policy changes Democrats vowed to make during their time of unified control of state government. The clock is ticking to pass the bills before the end of the year, when Democrats will lose control of the House.

The Senate bills will now proceed to votes in the House. There are two remaining scheduled House sessions, but legislators may ignore rules and add session days beyond that.

There are also two House bills that would require charter schools to publicly list average teacher salaries as well as the names of their authorizers and management companies.

Those bills already passed the House and are awaiting final approval in the Senate before heading to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk. It is likely the Democratic governor will sign them into law.

Republicans and charter advocates have long opposed such legislation, saying it hampers school choice due to the costs associated with additional regulations.

Buddy Moorehouse, vice president of the advocacy group Michigan Association of Public School Academies, said in a prepared statement about the bills that charter schools are “already the most accountable and transparent of all public schools.”

Charter schools, or public school academies, are publicly funded and must follow state and federal law. An outside body, usually a university or college, must authorize charters. The boards that oversee charter schools are appointed by authorizers.

Most Michigan charter schools are managed by private for-profit companies, known as educational management organizations, or EMOs. They can handle key functions, like payroll or balancing books, or provide full service management.

Those companies are not legally required to publicly disclose how they spend money on behalf of the schools they run or how much money they make.

Unlike traditional public schools, charter schools often aggregate all expenditures into single line items for “purchased services” on required transparency reports. This makes it difficult for the public to determine how the schools spend taxpayer money.

Lawmakers change some provisions of charter school bills

As initially introduced, Senate Bill 947 would have prohibited EMOs — or anyone affiliated with them — from selling or leasing property to the schools they run. The amended version of the bill passed by the Senate leaves out that part of the original legislation.

The bill would still require charter school boards of directors to make sure all property agreements are at or below market value.

The bill’s intention was to fix a problem proponents of reform have long sounded alarm bells over: taxpayer money being used to buy private property for the financial benefit of EMOs.

In some cases, the EMOs front money to build or renovate school buildings and recoup their investment by charging rent to the schools they run.

“Those rents paid with our taxpayer dollars generally don’t come down or go away, even after the company has recovered or recouped its initial investment,” said state Sen. Dayna Polehanki, a Democrat from Livonia, during a hearing on the bills.

The amended bill won’t prevent EMOs from owning all of the property and contents inside the buildings of the schools they manage. Critics say this practice leaves boards of directors with little power to cut ties with their schools’ EMOs.

The Senate bills would also:

Require boards of directors to approve all new property agreements made starting one year after the bill becomes law.
Require an appraisal of the property by a licensed independent real estate appraiser.
Require authorizers to review all property agreements.
Mandate authorizers to notify the Michigan Department of Education if there is reason to suspect the terms of property agreements are above market value.
Make authorizers send a representative to at least half of their schools’ boards of directors meetings in an academic year.
Require authorizers to prepare reports on their oversight efforts at each of their schools at least twice a year. The reports would be presented publicly.
Make authorizers ensure the bylaws adopted by boards of directors include a requirement that all board acts are approved by a majority vote.
Require authorizers to make sure boards of directors meetings are held in at least 10 months of the year.
Make authorizers oversee all contracts for over $100,000 their charter schools enter to ensure all terms are met.
Require EMOs to give audited financial statements with specific disclosures of all financial expenditures to their charters schools’ boards of directors. The requirement would apply to all new or renewed management agreements after the bill becomes law.
Make EMOs disclose benefits in compensation packages for employees, officers, or board members who make more than $100,000 a year.
Require EMOs’ financial disclosures to be publicly available online.
Make charter schools publicly post any notices that they are not in compliance with education standards, guidelines, or rules.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Detroit school district weighs suing Michigan to pay debt with operating millage revenue

2024-12-12T14:06:41+00:00

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The Detroit school district may take the state of Michigan to court to ensure revenue from an operating millage can be used to pay off all of the debt the district incurred over many years, much of it while the state was overseeing the city’s traditional public schools.

Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said during a school board meeting Tuesday that the Michigan Department of Treasury has ruled that state law only allows revenue from the 18-mill operating millage to be used to pay off operating debt, which is expected to be paid off by March of 2025.

But the district still has $348 million in debt to the state’s School Loan Revolving Fund and nearly $1.4 billion in capital debt, which was accrued during the state’s control of the district to improve infrastructure.

This all stems from a $617 million legislative deal in 2016 that addressed massive debt in Detroit Public Schools by creating a new district — the Detroit Public Schools Community District — to operate schools using revenue from the state school aid fund. Detroit Public Schools remained intact, but only to collect millage revenue and pay off debt.

DPSCD officials insist that state law requires the operating millage to pay off all of the debt.

“That would mean that DPSCD would be debt free by 2031 and dramatically reduce the amount of money that the average Detroit homeowner would have to pay, basically, in paying off interest from emergency management and DPS debt,” said Vitti during the meeting.

Vitti discussed the dispute during his report at Tuesday’s meeting. Earlier that day, the legislature’s House Education Committee gave initial approval to a bill that would clarify that the operating millage can pay off the School Loan Revolving Fund debt. The legislation doesn’t address the capital debt.

The bill comes as Democratic lawmakers rush to finish their legislative agenda before they lose complete control of the state legislature.

Rep. Regina Weiss, a Democrat from Oak Park who introduced the bill, said Tuesday that the state’s interpretation of the 2016 law has created an unforeseen obstacle for the district.

The bill would clarify the existing law’s definition of operating obligations — the debt incurred by a school districts’ operating costs — to include debts from the state’s revolving loan fund.

The change would mean DPS could use its millage revenue to pay off the nearly $348.5 million in revolving loan debt. The state would continue to fund the district’s local foundation allowance until the revolving loans are paid off.

Weiss said if the change is not made, DPSCD won’t be able to generate additional money to address dire building needs until around 2040.

“These crumbling facilities are often not only unconducive to learning, but are often unsafe,” Weiss said.

The lawmaker, a former district teacher, said she’s taught in buildings infested with rats, cockroaches, and mold, with crumblings roofs.

“The district has taken a lot of steps to improve the massive facility needs, but without this fix, we will slow down this imperative progress, and if we don’t fix it, unfortunately, it is the children of Detroit who will suffer,” she said.

The district dedicated $700 million in federal COVID relief funds to address facility needs. It was the first time the district was able to dedicate a substantial amount of money to improving infrastructure.

The Democratic members of the committee on Tuesday voted to move the bill forward for a vote in the full House. Four Republican committee members voted against moving the bill forward, though they did not say why they were against it during the hearing.

The legislation would need to pass a vote in the House and the Senate before it could be signed into law.

What options does the district have?

Vitti said while the legislation would bring resolution to the problem, it may be a challenge to get it signed into law by the end of the year.

The district will most likely seek a legal solution in the Michigan Court of Claims, he added.

There is some precedent in the way the state allowed other dissolved districts to pay off debt, said Vitti, citing the case of Inkster Public Schools.

The district may seek clarity through the court and could withdraw its filing if the bill passes in the legislature.

Vitti said at this point, it is unlikely the Treasury Department will voluntarily allow the debt millage to pay off the revolving loans.

Ron Lexi, Treasury spokesperson, said in an email Wednesday the department is “encouraged Detroit Public Schools is on track to pay off its emergency loan debt.”

“There are many legal and technical issues surrounding the implementation of Proposal S that were negotiated under the previous administration,” he said. “We are working with the school district to ensure a quality education is provided to the children of Detroit as the district continues its pathway back to financial normalcy.”

If the legislation does not pass and the district does not take legal action, there would have to be a special election in May to ask voters for another millage to support DPSCD in the 2025-26 school year.

There is also a possibility the special election could be pushed back to May 2026.

Vitti declined Wednesday to answer further questions about a potential lawsuit, saying in an email that “due to likely legal action by the District it’s best that we no longer comment publicly about this.”

Michigan law bars school districts from using state funding to sue the state.

“I can assure you that we are not using state funds for the filing but interest revenue from District investments,” Vitti said.

How is the district financed?

The 2016 creation of DPSCD was meant to give the new district a debt-free start in order to focus on educating the city’s public school students.

After 2016, DPSCD began receiving all of its per-pupil funding — or foundation allowance — from the state. Other districts use a combination of local property taxes and state funding.

DPSCD will go back to that system once the DPS debts are paid off. At that time, DPS will no longer exist.

The state was initially able to cover the district’s local contribution to the foundation cost using $617 million from a tobacco settlement fund. But starting in 2020-21, there wasn’t enough in that fund to cover the full local contribution and the state’s general fund covered the gap.

By next school year, there won’t be any money left from the settlement fund to go into the district’s foundation allowance. This leaves a question of where the local foundation allowance will come from in 2025-26.

In November, Detroiters approved Proposal S, which will allow DPS to levy the full 18 mills on non-homestead property. State law previously required the millage to be rolled back to 16.6 mills because of increased taxable value in Detroit.

The passage of Proposal S will likely let DPS pay off its longstanding debts faster.

The district will put the revenue toward teacher salaries, facility improvements, and other operating costs like transportation, Superintendent Nikolai Vitti told Chalkbeat in October. Federal and state grants come with more restrictions and can’t be used on those expenses, he said.

The current millage revenue is estimated to be around $111.2 million, or about $2,460 per student. It is projected to increase in coming years as taxable value increases.

Alex Klaus contributed to this report.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan Democrats push culturally inclusive history curriculum bills in final days of state control

2024-12-06T23:37:47+00:00

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In their remaining days of state control, Michigan Democrats are pushing legislation they say would make history curriculums in K-12 public schools more culturally inclusive.

The most significant bill would require all public school districts in the state to include at least one unit of instruction a year on the histories of African, Latino, Arab, and Native Americans, among other racial and cultural groups, in their curricula. The lessons would be included in existing history classes by the 2027-28 school year and cover the discrimination the groups have faced and their fights for civil rights.

Another bill would require all teachers in the state complete cultural competency training that covers issues like implicit bias and the importance of inclusion in education.

“Amidst the recent national wave restricting what can be taught in classrooms, we have the opportunity now in Michigan to support and stand with teachers who want to do right by their students and teach comprehensive and accurate history,” Henry Duong, who leads Teach MI History, a campaign that has advocated for inclusive history instruction since 2022, said in a prepared statement.

Rep. Ranjeev Puri, a Democrat from Canton who co-sponsored the legislation, said the new curriculum goes beyond teaching history.

“We are fostering empathy, cultural awareness, and the critical thinking skills our students need to thrive in an interconnected world,” he said.

Similar legislation was introduced in 2022 but failed to move forward.

Despite that, the proposed curriculum was piloted in some schools this year. The Michigan Department of Education, or MDE, also began developing guidelines for the curriculum this year.

Here is what the package of bills would do:

Require school districts ensure existing history classes include at least one unit of instruction on the histories of African Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Latino Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Caribbean Americans, Native Americans, Arab Americans, Chaldean Americans, North African Americans, and Jewish Americans. The requirement would begin in the 2027-28 school year and would apply to all public K-12 schools in the state.
Require the lessons include contributions made by those communities, the discrimination they have faced, and advancements in their civil rights. The lessons would be crafted to be age appropriate.
Call on the MDE to create instructional material that would be available to schools to use as guidelines for lessons.
Require educators to receive cultural competency training, which would cover issues such as implicit bias, the importance of inclusion, and the struggles experienced by communities of color. The MDE would be required to create the professional development material and make it available to schools by June 2026.
Require all educators who have contact with students to complete the training by the 2027-28 school year.
Create a cultural history advisory board within the MDE to provide recommendations on the K-12 curriculum and professional development material. The members of the board would be appointed by the superintendent of public instruction and would include people from all of the communities represented in the proposed curriculum as well as educators, experts, and stakeholders.

Three of the bills in the package were introduced at the end of November in the Senate and the other three were introduced in the House this week. They have all been referred to education committees in the legislature.

The bills would need to clear several hurdles before becoming law by the end of the session.

Democrats are working to move their legislative priorities forward before the end of the year, when they will lose control of the House.

The party’s other remaining legislative education goals include charter school transparency, measures to prevent school violence, changes to sex education, and protections for Indigenous students.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Three years after Oxford shootings, Michigan school safety bills move forward

2024-12-04T23:02:19+00:00

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A package of bills aimed at preventing violence in Michigan schools passed a legislative hurdle Wednesday– days after the three-year anniversary of the Oxford High School shooting in which four students were killed.

The five proposed bills call for more stringent protocols for responding to emergencies at schools and more mental health support for struggling students, among other measures. The House Education Committee voted to move the bills to a full vote in the House Wednesday afternoon.

In order to become law, the bills will need to move through several more steps in the legislative process. If they pass a vote in the House, they would also have to clear a vote in the Senate.

The school safety legislation is one of the top priorities Democrats said they want to see solidified before the end of the year, when they lose control of the state government.

The bills were introduced as a bipartisan effort and some have the support of Republican members of the committee.

Before the committee meeting Wednesday, gun violence survivors and advocates called on legislators to pass the bills.

In March, the committee heard testimony from school mental health professionals, safety experts, and education leaders saying the legislation could save lives.

One of the bills would increase oversight of threat assessment – the process of determining if a student poses a risk of physically harming themselves or others.

That bill was introduced in response to the findings of a third-party report on the response to the Nov. 30, 2021 Oxford shooting. That report found the killings could have been prevented if proper threat assessment and suicide prevention were carried out by school staff and law enforcement.

“Oxford had a threat assessment policy,” said Rep. Kelly Breen, a Democrat from Novi who co-sponsored the legislation, during a committee hearing on Tuesday. “It was not implemented, and we’ve seen the horrible results of that.”

One of the bills would increase oversight of threat assessment – the process of determining if a student poses a risk of physically harming themselves or others.

The bills would also:

Require every public school to have a behavior threat assessment and management team that would monitor students for concerning behavior. Students identified as struggling would be provided with a plan for support.
Require the Michigan State Police to create standardized terminology for use during school emergencies. All schools and districts in the state would also be required to adopt that terminology, which supporters say would create less confusion during crises.
Require the MSP to make training available to schools on how to use threat assessment materials.
Makes school threat assessment teams responsible for educating the school community about the warning signs someone may pose a threat of physical violence.
Mandate that the Michigan Office of School Safety notify district emergency and safety managers of any tips regarding potential threats to schools in their system as soon as possible or within 24 hours. Local law enforcement would also have to be notified within that time frame.
Create a permanent School Safety and Mental Health Commission in the Michigan Department of Education. The existing commission, which was created in 2022, focuses mostly on physical security threats. That commission will be phased out for a new one that will include education, school safety, and mental health experts.

Rep. Brad Paquette, a Republican from Niles, was the sole vote on the committee against the two bills related to creating a standardized terminology response plan. He abstained from voting on the other bills.

Rep. Dylan Wegela, a Democrat from Garden City, Rep. Gregory Markkanen, a Republican from Hancock, and Rep. Gina Johnsen, a Republican from Odessa, all voted against the bills related to the behavioral threat assessment teams and updating the school safety commission membership.

Johnsen said during Tuesday’s committee meeting she was concerned clergy would not be included in the definition of counselors who could serve on threat assessment teams at private schools.

Rep. Pauline Wendzel, a Republican from Bainbridge Township, abstained from voting on the bill related to behavioral threat assessment teams.

Two bills introduced by Republicans that were part of the original package on school safety legislation were not considered by the committee.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Legislation moves forward to protect Michigan Indigenous students’ right to wear regalia

2024-12-04T18:36:12+00:00

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Bills that would require Michigan schools to allow Indigenous students to wear traditional tribal regalia to graduation ceremonies moved forward in the legislature Wednesday.

The House Higher Education Committee approved moving the bills, first introduced in June 2023, for a vote in the full legislative body. If they pass a vote in the House, they would also have to clear a vote in the Senate before they could be signed into law.

Nine members of the committee voted to move the bills forward, with two — Rep. William Bruck, a Republican from Erie, and Rep. James DeSana, a Republican from Downriver — abstaining.

The move comes as Democrats work to push forward their legislative priorities in a lame duck session before they lose their trifecta of control over the state government at the end of the year.

Mary Lee, a survivor of the Holy Childhood boarding school in Harbor Springs, said during a Sept. 13, 2023 committee hearing on the legislation that the introduction of the bills was a meaningful step for Native American students.

“It’s an honor for these kids to learn their culture and what was lost for us– what I didn’t get to have,” said Lee, a member of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians in Manistee.

Michigan had eight federal boarding schools that preyed on Native American children for nearly 100 years, according to a 2022 U.S. Department of Interior report. During that time, hundreds of children were forcibly taken from their homes and reportedly suffered sexual and physical abuse and neglect at the schools. More than 50 burial sites associated with the schools have since been found in the U.S.

For years, Indigenous students across the U.S. have fought bans on traditional regalia at school ceremonies. At least 12 other states have passed laws to allow Indigenous people to honor their traditions at public events.

Tribal members say taking a step to acknowledge and celebrate their traditions in educational settings will help build trust with schools in their communities.

Rep. Helena Scott, a Democrat from Detroit who introduced one of the two bills, said during the 2023 hearing that the legislation does just that.

“The sacred markings of tradition, success, and personal connection with ancestors are important to the rites of passage for many Indigenous students, and tell the stories of survival, persistence, and generational success and growth, reflecting pride and their own identity, as well as the identity of their respective tribes,” she said.

The bills would amend the state’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act and school code to prohibit discrimination against Indigenous people who wear or bring traditional regalia to honorary school ceremonies.

The traditional regalia and objects that would be protected under the bills include any items that hold tribal, ancestral, or ceremonial significance for Native American people, such as headdresses, masks, feathers, or beadwork. Items that are legally prohibited from schools, such as weapons, are not protected by the bill.

The ceremonies include graduations as well as any event held to honor student achievements at all Michigan schools, including public and private educational institutions.

There are 12 federally recognized Native American tribes in Michigan. The state estimates there are around 8,400 Native American students, though advocates say that is likely a severe undercount due to the way Michigan collects demographic data.

Starting this school year, the state began collecting more accurate data on Native American students. Districts are now required to collect data on how many students are affiliated with tribes.

Before this year, the state only allowed tribal-affiliated students to mark “American Indian or Alaskan Native” or “two or more races” when identifying their ethnicity.

The limitation created skewed data on attendance, graduation rates, and more, advocates say.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Timeline: How Michigan charter schools have evolved

2024-11-22T18:44:13+00:00

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Some of Michigan Democrats’ long-sought charter school reforms could come to fruition by the end of the year.

The party wants to use its lame duck session to pass legislation that would create more financial transparency for charter schools by making financial audits and individual expenditures available to the public. Also on the table is a bill that would prohibit the private for-profit companies that manage many charter schools from leasing or selling property to the schools they run.

Charter schools have been in Michigan for nearly 30 years – the state was among the first in the nation to pass laws allowing them. They were pitched as a tool of innovation in public education and a means to give parents more school options. Critics say their results are mixed.

Michigan’s charter schools, which are also known as public school academies, faced legal challenges early on from opponents who contended that charters weren’t public schools and shouldn’t receive public funding.

Charters must follow state and federal education law.

Charter schools often hire for-profit education management organizations, or EMOs, to run the entire operations of a school, or handle specific tasks like finance or human resources.

The private EMOs are not subject to the same public information laws as traditional public schools. Unlike traditional public schools, for instance, charter schools often aggregate their expenditures into a single line item for “purchased services,” which can make it difficult to track their spending.

Democrats have been skeptical of for-profit EMOs, saying they pocket tax dollars instead of investing the funds in classrooms. Republicans have opposed efforts to increase transparency in charters’ operations, however, arguing it could hinder the schools’ growth.

The history of charter schools in Michigan is long and complex. Here is a timeline of some major events:

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Charter school transparency bills move toward a vote in the Michigan Senate

2024-11-13T23:50:55+00:00

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Legislation that would prohibit for-profit management companies from selling or leasing properties to the charter schools they run is a step closer to becoming Michigan law.

The measure, which cleared a vote in the Senate Education Committee Wednesday, targets a problem advocates for charter school oversight have sounded alarms about for years: the use of taxpayer money to buy private property, to the benefit of for-profit companies managing charter schools.

The legislation was part of a package of bills that aim to require more financial transparency for charter schools, including open public access to financial audits of individual expenditures.

The intent of the bills is not to force charter school closures, cap the number allowed in the state, or take their funding away, state Sen. Dayna Polehanki, a Democrat from Livonia, said during a Senate Education Committee hearing Wednesday before the vote. Rather, she said, it is to hold the for-profit companies that operate charter schools more accountable to taxpayers.

“When over 80% of charter schools in Michigan are connected to private companies, the majority that exist to make a profit using Michigan taxpayer money, it’s important that they are no longer allowed to do so in secret,” she said.

In all, Democrats on the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday approved moving nine charter school bills for votes in the Senate.

Five of the bills — which pertain to charter schools publicly posting information about salaries and displaying the names of their authorizers and management companies — already passed in the House and would likely be signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer if they are approved by the full Senate.

The other four bills haven’t yet come up for a vote before the full House or Senate. If approved in the Senate, they would go to the House Education Committee for consideration.

Charter school transparency reforms are the last major education policy priority of Michigan Democrats in their lame-duck session before they lose control of the House to Republicans.

Republicans have long opposed such bills, saying they hamper school choice by adding more costs and regulations.

Buzz Thomas, board chair at the Michigan Association for Public School Academies and a former Democratic state senator, said during the hearing that charter schools are already held accountable by public authorizing entities.

“They’re overseen by public school boards that do hold open meetings,” he said.

Charter school boards are appointed, not elected.

How do charter schools operate in Michigan?

Public school academies, or charter schools, are public schools that receive state and federal funding. They must follow state and federal education laws.

Charter schools have existed in Michigan for nearly 30 years. Today, they serve around 150,000 K-12 students in the state, or roughly 10% of the total. Most of the schools are in urban areas, like Detroit, where nearly half of all public school students go to charter schools.

Anyone can operate a charter school in Michigan, but they must sign a contract with an outside body known as an authorizer, which is usually a college or university and sometimes a local school district. The authorizer appoints a board to oversee the school.

In Michigan, most charters are managed by for-profit companies, known as educational management organizations, which aren’t subject to public disclosures about how they spend money on behalf of schools or how much they profit. These companies can provide full-service management or handle key administrative functions such as balancing books or hiring teachers.

Polehanki said it’s estimated that some management organizations with full service agreements take around 95% of the taxpayer money allotted to the schools they run. “Michiganders have a right to know how many of their tax dollars are getting to charter school kids and teachers, versus how much is kept by the private companies that oversee them as pure profit,” she said.

All public schools must report financial information on their websites, but unlike traditional public schools, charter schools often aggregate all expenditures into a single line item for “purchased services.” The practice makes it difficult for the public to see what the schools are spending taxpayer money on.

Gary Miron, a Western Michigan University professor who has done research on charter school operations, said at the hearing that Michigan is known as the “wild west” because of its light oversight of charter schools compared with other states.

Real estate holdings for management companies

Legislation that advanced Wednesday targeted a concern about management companies’ real estate holdings and investments.

A 2014 Detroit Free Press investigation found that National Heritage Academies, a for-profit company and the largest EMO in the state, owned most of the buildings where its schools operated, along with everything in them.

When EMOs own charter school buildings and their contents, the school board has little power to remove the company as the school’s manager.

“The company fronts the money to build or renovate these schools, recouping its investment through rents charged to the schools,” said Polehanki. “Those rents paid with our taxpayer dollars generally don’t come down or go away, even after the company has recovered or recouped its initial investment.”

Because the EMOs also often own all of the materials and property the schools use, they can threaten to sell it if they are not happy with the board’s actions.

Changing the law to bar EMOs from selling or leasing property to the charter schools they operate would change the power dynamic, the professor said.

The full package of Senate bills that advanced Wednesday would:

Require school boards to ensure that terms of lease or purchase agreements reflect market prices determined by an appraisal.
Prohibit boards from entering lease or purchase agreements with their EMOs or any person or entity affiliated with them.
Make charter authorizers review terms of their schools’ property agreements and notify the State Board of Education or the Michigan Department of Education if the new requirements are not being met.
Require that representatives of authorizing bodies attend each of their charters’ board meetings.
Require authorizers to make reports at least twice a year detailing their oversight efforts and to present them at board meetings.
Make authorizers ensure that bylaws for the boards of their charters require a majority vote to approve any decision.
Make authorizers oversee all contracts their charters enter to ensure all terms and conditions are met.
Apply the current guidelines on financial disclosures for charter schools, schools of excellence, and urban high school academics to strict discipline academies.
Require EMOs to give their charter school boards audited financial statements that itemize expenditures of money received through their management agreement. This provision would apply only to charters with operating contracts signed or renewed after the bill is enacted.
Require EMOs to disclose benefits in compensation packages for employees, officers, or board members who make more than $100,000 a year.
Make charter school boards post all of the financial information on their school websites for the public to access within 30 days.
Require charter schools to publicly post any that notices they are not compliant with education standards, guidelines, or rules.

The provisions in the House bills would require that:

The names of charter schools’ authorizers and EMOs be publicly listed online, on student applications, and on signage at campuses.
The average salaries of educators be made publicly available online.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan Democrats make push for charter school transparency in lame-duck session

2024-11-13T00:35:03+00:00

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Transparency for charter schools is the top education policy priority for Michigan Democrats as they count down the remaining days that they have complete control of state government.

Democrats are now pushing to get nine charter school-related bills signed into law, after Republicans won control of the state House in the Nov. 5 election, leaving Democrats with control of the Senate and governor’s office. The proposed bills include requirements for charter schools to make public their salary information, financial audit statements, and lease or purchase agreements.

“It’s important because it’s fair,” Rep. Matt Koleszar, a Democrat from Plymouth who chairs the House Education Committee, said of the legislation. “We hear all the time that charter schools are public schools, so let’s put them on the same playing field as traditional public schools.”

Republicans have long opposed such legislation, saying it would add new costs and regulations for charter schools.

Dan Quisenberry, president of the charter advocacy group Michigan Association of Public School Academies, previously said charter schools are publicly accountable and transparent. He said teacher salaries, budgets, spending reports, and contracts, are already made available to their school boards, which are public entities.

Those who advocate for more transparency say charters often aggregate all expenditures into a single line item for “purchased services,” making it difficult for the public to decipher what the schools are spending money on and to compare teacher salaries. This is not the case for traditional public school districts.

Charter schools, or public school academies, are publicly funded and must follow state and federal education laws. They are operated by an outside body, or an authorizer, which is usually a college or university and sometimes a local school district. The boards that oversee charter schools are appointed by authorizers.

Many of the schools hire for-profit companies to manage their business operations. The data from those companies is not subject to the public information laws that traditional public schools are.

Five of the charter school transparency bills being considered in the coming session already passed in the House. The other four bills have not yet gone to a committee or been up for a vote in either the Senate or House.

The measures in the bills would require that:

The names of charter schools’ authorizers and management companies be publicly listed online, on student applications, and on signage at campuses.
Management companies operating charter schools make audited financial statements publicly available online.
Any notices of charter schools’ noncompliance with education standards, guidelines, or rules be posted publicly.

The Senate Education Committee will hold a hearing on the bills at 11 a.m. Wednesday. The committee may vote on moving them for approval in the Senate.

Democrats have a short window to pass the bills during the lame-duck session. The narrow Republican wins in key districts mean Democrats’ short historic trifecta of control over the House, Senate, and the executive branch will end in January.

Other priorities include school safety, FAFSA requirement

Charter school transparency is the biggest remaining area of reforms advocates and Democrats had on their agenda.

Koleszar said the bills that have already passed in the House are particularly high priority to get across the finish line.

He said his other priorities for the rest of the year include bipartisan school safety legislation. The package of school safety proposals includes putting more mental health support in place for struggling students and tightening protocols for responding to emergencies.

There was a hearing for five of the bills in the House Education Committee in March. The committee has not yet moved them forward for a vote in the House.

Two bills that would require public schools to distribute information to students and families on how to safely store firearms moved out of committee and are up for votes in the House.

Another pending bill that passed in the Senate but has not yet had a hearing in the House Education Committee would make completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid a graduation requirement.

That bill is a top priority for The Education Trust Midwest, a nonpartisan advocacy organization.

The requirement would “ensure students can access the financial aid they need to attend college,” said Jennifer Mrozowski, senior director of strategic communications for Ed Trust Midwest.

Koleszar said he personally supports the bill, but is uncertain whether it will have enough votes in the House to pass.

What education policy goals have the Democrats already accomplished?

The Democrats’ control of all three branches of state government for the first time since 1983 meant many of the issues education leaders and advocates long championed were addressed.

A bill that will permanently reduce payments from districts into the Michigan Public School Employee Retirement System and eliminate an employee contribution requirement passed in October.

“It really is a monumental and permanent step toward making sure, regardless of any individual budget, there will be more dollars in classrooms as a result of that change,” said Bob McCann, executive director of the education policy advocacy group K-12 Alliance of Michigan.

Lawmakers also made progress on funding schools more equitably, with weighted funding for districts serving more students living in poverty; they repealed the retention provision in the third-grade reading law and eliminated the A-to-F school rating system.

They passed bills to change teacher evaluations to remove student test scores as a criterion, and to restore educators’ collective bargaining rights.

Legislation to require that the “science of reading” be included in literacy instruction also passed.

Koleszar said the legislation that passed under the Democratic majority laid the foundation to address ongoing school staffing shortages, including accepting the credentials of out-of-state teachers, and changing the law to automatically enroll new educators in a pension system instead of requiring them to opt in.

What will the new House Education Committee prioritize?

The incoming speaker of the House, Matt Hall, a Republican from Kalamazoo, will appoint a new 14-member House education committee that will be in place for the next two years under a Republican chair.

The new chair will decide which education bills will get hearings, and a majority vote of the panel will decide whether legislation moves forward for votes in the full House.

Hall has not yet publicly discussed his appointment considerations.

Two Democrats who are currently on the House Education Committee — Nate Shannon of Sterling Heights and Jaime Churches of Wyandotte — both lost their seats to Republicans.

Hall, currently the House minority leader, introduced a Republican education plan in September that called for reforming requirements for teacher preparation programs at universities, expanding dual enrollment to include trade schools, and exploring alternatives to state standardized testing.

Mrozowski said equitable funding, including more money to support English language learners, will remain a top priority for Ed Trust Midwest in the next session.

“Targeting resources based on student needs is a bi-partisan issue,” she said.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

This bill would close a funding gap for future Michigan early childhood educators

2024-11-04T22:12:47+00:00

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A bill that would close a gap to allow Michigan student teachers at public preschool programs to get future state educator stipends advanced last week.

The way the law is currently written, only future educators who complete their required student teaching year in a public school district or at a charter school are eligible to receive a $9,600 stipend each semester.

A future educator doing their student teaching at a preschool that is not affiliated with a district, such as a Great Start Readiness Program preschool or a university-based preschool, can’t get the funding.

As Gov. Gretchen Whitmer plans to expand free preschool to all 4-year-olds in the state regardless of income, early childhood educators say the stipend program is essential to growing professionals in their field.

Sen. Stephanie Chang, a Democrat from Detroit who introduced the bill, said professors at Wayne State who were concerned about losing student teachers brought the stipend eligibility gap to her attention.

“It’s critical that this change be made so that these quality preschool programs and our children do not lose on this great talent as we are trying to keep teachers here at Michigan,” said Chang during the Senate Education Committee’s hearing on the bill.

Christine Hancock, an early childhood education faculty member at Wayne State, said during the hearing that the university is at risk of having to remove its preschool center as a student teaching site because of the stipend gap. Student teachers there aren’t currently eligible for it.

“This has real consequences for our students and for early childhood education across Michigan,” she said.

The bill, which was introduced last month, was reported favorably by the Senate Education Committee on Oct. 23. It will now head to the Senate for a vote.

Early childhood educators have long spoken about how the ongoing teacher shortage is impacting their ability to hire staff. Some experts have said the lack of qualified teachers to work in prekindergarten classrooms may hinder the state’s plan to expand free preschool for all at an accelerated rate.

Student teaching positions, which are required for educators to receive their teaching certification, can be paid or unpaid. Unpaid positions can create financial burdens and barriers for people to become teachers. The stipend program was created to support future educators who are working full-time supervised student teaching hours without pay at public school districts.

The bill would not cost the state anything, according to a Senate fiscal analysis. If passed, it would take immediate effect.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

What would Michigan’s proposed cellphone ban bill mean for students?

2024-10-28T21:02:06+00:00

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Autumn Thomas can see the benefits of a ban on using cellphones during class for some students.

But Thomas, a freshman at Detroit’s Martin Luther King Jr. High School, doesn’t think every student needs to adhere to the same restriction.

“Not all schools need that rule,” she said. “I use my phone sometimes during school and I’m getting good grades – along with a lot of other students here at King.”

A bill introduced last month would create a statewide ban on using devices in class for all Michigan students. Rep. Mark Tisdel, a Republican from Rochester, said he wrote the proposed legislation because he believes it will improve student mental health, reduce bullying, and keep kids more focused on learning.

“Superintendents will tell you, there is a constant battle for teachers to keep students’ attention,” he said.

The proposed legislation comes amid a national debate about whether schools should restrict cellphone use. Many proponents cite the same motivations Tisdel does. Parents against the measures cite safety concerns and the need to get in touch with their children about transportation.

It may also be a challenge for the Republican-backed bill to move forward in the state’s Democratic-controlled legislature.

Tisdel’s bill would require districts and charter schools to entirely ban students in kindergarten through fifth grade from bringing wireless communication devices on school grounds. Wireless communication devices are defined in the bill as any device that can access the internet, send text messages, or make voice calls. That could include flip phones, though Tisdel said the bill is intended to curb students’ smartphone and smartwatch use.

Students in grades 6-8 would be allowed to bring devices to school, but they would be prohibited from using them during the school day, even during breaks and lunch.

High schoolers would only be banned from using devices during instructional time.

Districts and charter schools would be allowed to make additional restrictions on device use if they chose to do so.

Wendy Zdeb, executive director of the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals, said there are a lot of pros and cons to a statewide cellphone ban for students.

“At this time, I would be more inclined for districts to maintain local control,” she said. “I see districts all over the state taking the action, but that doesn’t mean they all are.”

School systems that don’t provide electronic devices for instructional purposes to every student may run into problems with the mandate, she said.

Autumn, the King High School student, for example, said she periodically uses her phone to look up information for in-class assignments.

Among the schools that have already created policies restricting students’ device use is Avondale Middle School, which in part inspired Tisdel’s bill.

Since last school year, students have been required to put their phones in a magnetically sealed bag during the school day. They can carry the phones with them through the day and the bags are magnetically unsealed when they leave their school building.

“Kids are super engaged and learning now,” said Katie Gomez, principal of the middle school

Since the rule was implemented, Gomez said there have been less suspensions related to online behaviors, improved academic outcomes, and more positive interactions among students and staff.

Although there is a lot of anecdotal evidence from districts and schools that cellphone restrictions have positive impacts, empirical evidence is limited and new research on student outcomes varies.

Some of the research shows improved academic performance and student mental health, but others suggest little change.

Many states have moved forward with new restrictions, despite the limited research.

If Tisdel’s bill passes, Michigan would join eight other states that have approved similar legislation.

Another 12 states have also introduced such legislation, and six more states have created policy recommendations or pilot programs.

A poll conducted by the Pew Research Center Sept. 30 through Oct. 6 found that 68% of participating adults supported a ban on middle and high schoolers using cellphones during class time.

But the survey found support for banning cellphones entirely at school had far less support, with 53% being against such measures.

The biggest worry for critics of cellphone restrictions at school is safety.

When the deadly 2021 Oxford High School shooting took place, students used their phones to communicate with their parents and to take videos of the attack.

“Parents were really worried about the new policy because of our close proximity to Oxford,” said Garcia of her school’s restrictions. “One of the most important things we’ve learned in safety trainings is that students need to listen and follow teacher direction in this type of situation.”

The principal said every teacher in the school has a “go bag” that includes scissors so once a student is in a safe place, they can cut the magnetic bag to remove their phones and talk with their parents.

Students are also able to keep their sealed phones in their possession throughout the day so that parents can use applications that track their location on the device.

If Tisdel’s legislation were to pass as it’s currently written, however, elementary-age students wouldn’t have any access to devices at school.

Tisdel said he understands parents’ concerns about safety, but he said students’ focus should be on first responders during an emergency.

“We have to take a step back and process – do you want a child trying to reach their parents in the event of an actual emergency or do you want them to focus on someone on site giving them direction?” he said.

Zdeb said she understands parents wanting to stay in contact with their kids. At the district level, administrators already are meeting with parents to come up with solutions that work for their school communities, she said.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Supplemental student mental health and safety budget headed for votes in Michigan legislature

2024-09-25T19:48:20+00:00

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A supplemental state school budget that would restore about half of the money that was previously cut from grants for student mental health and school safety is headed for a vote in the Michigan legislature.

A joint conference committee voted Wednesday morning to move the $126 million supplemental budget forward for a vote in the House and Senate. The move comes after educators pleaded with lawmakers to restore the $300 million that was cut from per-pupil grants for the 2024-25 school year for districts to address mental health and safety.

It also comes as billions of dollars in federal COVID relief is set to run out by the end of the year amid a youth mental health crisis.

In June, Michigan lawmakers passed a state school budget that cut the onetime per-pupil grants, or Sec. 31aa funds, by 91%.

Previously proposed budgets from the governor’s office and the House of Representatives included $300 million for Sec. 31aa. The Senate proposed $150 million.

When the House and the Senate entered a conference committee to come to a budget deal, the Sec. 31aa funding was slashed to $25 million, which shocked and concerned education leaders.

While many superintendents said their districts wouldn’t have to make cuts to staff such as counselors or student resource officers this year, they worried about the difficult decisions they would have to make in coming years if the funding was not restored.

Some districts put a pause on expanding staff mental health and safety training because of the uncertainty.

Michigan has long had a shortage of school mental health staff. Before 2018, the state school budget didn’t dedicate any money to districts to improve student mental health.

The supplemental budget that moved from the committee meeting would add $125 million to Sec. 31aa grants. It adds language saying that if a local school system uses the money to hire staff, the district would need to pay for the staff’s salaries with other district funding next year.

It would also add a requirement that the Michigan Department of Education report the number of districts using Sec. 31aa money to pay school resource officers.

Another $1 million would support a tip line for students to anonymously report when firearms are improperly stored and accessible to minors. The MDE would also have to distribute materials to students that explain how to properly store firearms.

Rep. Nancy DeBoer, a Republican from Holland, introduced an amendment during the hearing that would have increased the funding by $300 million, saying restoring only half of the money was a “half measure.”

“This means that the schools will install only half the door locks or half the security cameras that they might otherwise,” she said. “It means only half of the students who need mental health supports might receive them. This isn’t good enough.”

Sen. Darrin Camilleri, a Democrat from Trenton, asked DeBoer where the additional money would come from “when there is nothing left on the balance sheet.”

DeBoer said it would be possible to find the money in the corporate income tax fund, which would come out of the state’s general fund.

The amendment was voted down.

The vote for approving the supplemental budget in the committee was 5-1, with DeBoer abstaining. Sen. Jon Bumstead, a Republican from North Muskegon, voted against it.

The supplemental budget now must pass votes in the House and the Senate in order to go into effect.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Science of reading bills set to become law in Michigan after long struggle

2024-09-25T17:07:24+00:00

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After years of failed attempts, bills to require Michigan schools to use the science of reading in early literacy instruction are likely to become law.

The Michigan legislature on Thursday approved two bipartisan bills that will change the way kids are taught to read in the state, which has long struggled with early literacy. Those struggles have worsened in recent years.

The bills were approved by the House of Representatives on Thursday and by the Senate in the spring.

Previous versions of the legislation gained some momentum over the last several years, but ultimately fell short. The bills now head to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who indicated her support for them in a Thursday statement.

“To build a brighter future for Michigan, we must ensure our students have the skills they need to succeed, including literacy, which is directly tied to lifelong education, income, and health outcomes,” Whitmer said. “Today’s commonsense, bipartisan package will allow teachers and tutors to use proven science of reading strategies to improve literacy.”

Amber Arellano, executive director of the nonpartisan research and advocacy group EdTrust-Midwest, said the passage of the bills represents a “moment of hope.”

The passage of the bills comes after recently released state standardized test results showed third grade proficiency in reading and writing was at an all-time low at the end of the last school year, with only 39.6% of third graders considered proficient. Proponents of the legislation pointed to the results on the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, known as the M-STEP, as a reason to pass one of the bills as soon as possible.

“It seems to me, there are some rather obvious steps we haven’t taken yet,” Sen. Jeff Irwin, a Democrat from Ann Arbor who championed previous failed iterations of the bills for years, said last month. “I’m hoping we can move forward with those obvious steps by weaving the science of reading into our curriculum.”

While the bills are designed to help kids with characteristics of dyslexia, those who support the legislation say it will support all children’s early literacy learning.

Dyslexia is a hereditary reading disability that affects around 5% to 20% of people. Students with dyslexia who go undiagnosed and without interventions are more likely to struggle in school. Studies show most people with dyslexia who get high-quality instruction early on, however, will become average readers.

The science of reading refers to a body of knowledge that emphasizes phonics along with building vocabulary and background knowledge.

Those opposed to the bills, mainly local district superintendents and administrators, worry school systems won’t receive the funding necessary to meet the new standards in the legislation. They also say the ongoing teacher shortage will make filling needed positions, such as literacy coaches, unfeasible.

Senate Bill 567 will require districts to screen all students for difficulty in decoding language and other characteristics of dyslexia. It would require interventions in the science of reading for struggling students. Those interventions will be based on each students’ needs and could include specialized phonics instruction, technology, or small group breakouts.

The bill calls for districts to make those changes by the 2027-28 school year.

The amended version of the bill that moved out of the House Education Committee Wednesday will give districts another year to comply with the new requirements and clarified that other types of instruction would be allowed after teachers attempt to use decoding, a key aspect of phonics instruction.

Another bill, Senate Bill 568, will put more stringent standards on teacher education programs. Universities will be required to provide instruction in the science of reading and best practices for teaching students with dyslexia.

Michigan has long had a literacy problem.

It was ranked 43rd in the country for fourth grade reading on the 2022 National Assessment for Educational Progress.

Michigan schools are not currently required to follow a set reading curriculum, though the state Department of Education gives some guidance on using evidence-based programs.

Reading instruction can vary widely within districts and even within classrooms in the same school, according to a 2022 policy brief by the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative, or EPIC. Among the districts that answered EPIC’s survey, many were using poorly rated or unrated curricula.

States that have passed bills similar to the ones proposed in Michigan have made improvements in early literacy scores, including Tennessee and Mississippi, Irwin said. Those bills served as a framework for his, he said.

Jeff Cobb, EdTrust-Midwest’s director of government affairs, said decades of research show early literacy is key to improving students’ overall education.

“If students read well by third grade, they have a better chance to succeed in school, are far more likely to go to college, participate in the job market and even have greater lifetime employment earnings,” he said.

This story has been updated to reflect the Michigan House of Representatives’ vote on the legislation.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

This Michigan civics teacher wants his students to have civil political discussions

2024-09-19T13:07:07+00:00

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Civics teacher Mike Powers recognizes that many of the issues his students discuss in class are steeped in emotion. Sometimes those conversations touch on issues of race and racism, gender, and sexuality. Despite the sensitive nature of the policies they debate, Powers takes pride in the fact that his students can be civil with one another.

“I’m not saying it’s easy,” said Powers, who teaches 10th and 11th graders in the Manistique Area Schools district. “Is it easy to bite your tongue and keep your composure? No, it’s not — not even for adults. But they can still make their point by being civil.”

Powers was recently named as a regional teacher of the year by the Michigan Department of Education. He was also a finalist for the statewide teacher of the year for the 2024-25 school year.

The educator has seen teens’ perspectives on politics change over the course of his 40 years in education. Locally, his community has become more conservative in their voting patterns. And in the classroom, Powers said younger students have less of a grasp of what liberalism and conservatism actually mean.

Through class exercises like a survey that helps students understand where their ideologies fall on the political spectrum, Powers said he aims to show that “labels aren’t so important.”

In the process, Powers said the students learn the importance of doing their research and choosing wisely.

“They learn to keep to the issues and not to choose based on emotion or personality,” he said. “They learn to make a smart decision, whatever that is for them.”

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Mike Powers (Image courtesy of Mike Powers)

Was there a moment when you decided to become a teacher?

I was greatly influenced by my mother who was a great elementary teacher — legendary in my eyes — for over 30 years. Also, my sister and brother were teachers. However, the moment I decided to become an educator was at Western Michigan University. I had transferred there and had changed majors several times. I had the opportunity to volunteer at several schools around Kalamazoo and knew that teaching was the career I wanted to go into.

How do you get to know your students?

I teach in a small school (715 students, K-12), so I know most of the students before they enter my class. However, I have several ice breakers, and activities that help me to get to know the students and the students get to know me.

Tell us about a favorite lesson to teach. Where did the idea come from?

My favorite lesson is usually the lesson I am teaching. However, one that I think is very important and one of my favorites is a lesson I saw in the Detroit Free Press three or four decades ago. I have updated and adapted the lesson annually. The lesson is about political ideology. I have a questionnaire with about 40-50 questions with no right or wrong answers. I read and explain both the questions and the scoring rubric. The students tally up their score. The score relates to a place along the U.S. political spectrum: Populist, Liberal, Moderate, Conservative, and Libertarian. This lesson is a great opportunity to talk about political generalizations and truth in our political system.

In your social studies classes, how are you talking with students about the November election? Have they had any election-related assignments?

Recently, I have had both our Michigan State Sen. Ed McBroom and our Michigan State Rep. David Prestin into my class for general information and questions. We discuss news updates, such as the recent debates. In the past, we have had pretty in-depth candidate forums with local and state candidates, and usually candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives. I make sure all sides of the political spectrum are represented. Also in the past, I have done extensive voter registration and a mock election. For the 2024 election, we are doing just a local candidate forum, voter registration drive, and schoolwide mock election.

What kinds of questions are you getting about the election from your students?

The main questions are about local candidates and ballot proposals. Our county clerk for Schoolcraft County is our local expert. If I do not know an answer, I call her office and get the correct information. Answers to questions and in our political discussions, I make sure to stay right down the center of the political spectrum. I believe a teacher’s job is not to influence any student. A teacher’s job is to encourage the students to think in a critical, academic, and unemotional way. In response to questions as well as discussions, I guide the answers to issues, not personalities, and make sure all sides of the issue are explained.

What was the biggest misconception that you initially brought to teaching?

One misconception was that most students learn the same. To some degree, when I switched from teaching special education to regular education, I thought I would be done with individual education plans. I thought in regular education the individual tailoring of education to match the student’s needs was not necessary. I am glad that was a misconception. Every child learns differently. I believe our educational system is continually improving on that process of individualization.

A second misconception that goes along with the first is that teaching is a “solo” effort. Collaboration with all of the stakeholders is essential, including colleagues, administration, parents, specialty educators, mental health specialists, and many more. It really does take the village.

Recommend a book that has helped you be a better teacher.

“Culturize: Every Student. Every Day. Whatever It Takes” by Jimmy Casas. This is so true. In our classrooms, we should have complete inclusion of all students. As teachers, every single day, we need to bring our passion, enthusiasm, professionalism, and energy to the classroom. All of our students learn differently, teachers need to find what works with each individual student.

What’s the best advice you’ve received about teaching?

The best advice from administration I have frequently received over the years is to communicate with parents/guardians. I agree. The parents/guardians are the most important stakeholders in a student’s life. The teacher and parent/guardian working together are a powerful team!

The best advice from a fellow educator is to “know your students.” A teacher must take the time to know the student’s needs, background, what motivates that student, learning style, and interests. This helps make a strong teacher-student relationship which is so important to our profession.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

M-STEP results give Michigan’s first look at achievement for kids who started school during COVID

2024-08-28T14:00:00+00:00

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More Michigan third and fourth graders are behind in reading and writing compared to students in the same grades before the pandemic started and last year, newly released state standardized test results show.

The results, which provide the first look at state proficiency scores for students who entered kindergarten and first grade in the 2020-21 year when most schools were virtual, suggest many of those children have struggled to catch up.

Results released Wednesday from the spring Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, known as the M-STEP, show more third and fourth graders were not proficient in English language arts and math in 2023-24 compared to the 2018-19 school year. The proficiency rates in English language arts were also lower compared to their peers in the same grades last year.

The students who took the M-STEP for the first time as third graders began kindergarten in the 2020-21 school year, when some schools — particularly those serving the most at-risk students in the state — were shut down and those students began their K-12 careers behind a screen.

The results set off “really big alarm bells” and don’t reflect the trajectories seen in other states, said Marguerite Roza, director of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University, a research center that explores education finance to inform policy.

They also prompted some lawmakers and education leaders to call for the passage of new laws that would require districts to include phonics in literacy instruction.

Key takeaways from the new data:

For Michigan third graders, 39.6% were proficient in English language arts during the 2023-2024 school year. That’s down from 40.9% the previous year and 45.1% in the last school year before the pandemic.
Fifth, seventh, and eighth grade English language proficiency rates increased, while sixth grade stayed the same.
Math proficiency improved in grades 3 through 7 for the second year in a row.

Michigan was among the states that got the most per-student federal COVID relief funding, with districts getting an average of $3,900 per-pupil. The expiration of the funding next month is not good for the long-term outlook for third and fourth graders, said Roza.

“This was our chance to get the scores up,” she said. “If it’s not going up now, we’re really in trouble.”

Data on student achievement results for spring 2024 in other states is still limited. But Michigan was still behind other states in recovery last year, said Roza.

Available results on 2024 literacy exams show that third and fourth graders are making gains in reading and writing, including in Tennessee, Indiana, and Mississippi. In Colorado, third graders made big gains, but proficiency rates had a big drop compared to last year for fourth graders.

The ‘learning-to-read window’

Some national research has shown evidence of younger children who were not enrolled in school during the early days of COVID struggling with remote learning.

“This year’s scores … show that, on average, being educated remotely during the 2020-21 school year rather than in-person during the pandemic affected progress,” said State Superintendent Michael Rice in a statement.

“Being in the learning-to-read window — in preschool or early elementary grades — when COVID-19 hit also affected assessment results on average.”

The learning-to-read window refers to the period of time that most kids learn to read between ages 4 and 7.

In addition to difficulty with remote learning, education researchers have suggested several possible explanations for why younger learners were more affected by pandemic learning loss. Fewer kids enrolled in preschool and kindergarten during the early days of COVID because early childhood education was severely disrupted, which may be a contributing factor.

The state and local districts should have used federal relief dollars to remedy those potential causes for learning loss with effective instruction and interventions for early literacy over the following three years of schooling like other states did, said Roza.

Michigan is expanding access to free pre-K programs for 4-year-olds, but a bill that would require students to attend kindergarten has not passed.

Key takeaways from local districts:

At Detroit Public Schools Community District, third grade reading proficiency was at 11.7% for the 2023-2024 school year compared to 12.4% the previous year and 11.9% in 2019. Third grade math was at 15.1%, up from 13.9% the prior year but down from 16% pre-pandemic.
In Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, 55.4% of third graders were proficient in reading compared to 58.5% the previous year and 61% in 2019. In third grade math, 56.8% of third graders were proficient, compared to 58.4% the previous year and 62.8% pre-pandemic.
At Ann Arbor Public Schools, third grade reading proficiency has hovered around 60 or 61% over the last few years. But pre-pandemic, proficiency was at 67.4%. Math proficiency for third graders was at 62.5%, compared to 70% pre-pandemic.
At Grand Rapids Public Schools, 22.2% of third graders are proficient in reading and 19.1% are in math. That’s up from the previous year, but down from pre-pandemic, when reading proficiency for third graders was 28.2% and math proficiency was 26.8%.

Each spring, students in grades 3 through 7 take the M-STEP in English language arts and math. Students in fifth grade also take the M-STEP in science and social studies. The PSAT is given to eighth graders in English language arts and math and the SAT is given to 11th graders in the same subjects.

In the 2019-20 school year, the exams were not given to students due to disruptions from COVID. The tests were optional in the 2020-21 school year. Because of these disruptions, educators and experts often compare new test result data to the 2018-19 school year to measure learning loss.

Literacy woes

The new results suggest Michigan is not improving its literacy problem.

Michigan student literacy rates have long ranked among the lowest in the nation. The state was ranked 43rd in the country for fourth grade reading on the 2022 National Assessment for Educational Progress, a rigorous national exam that tests a representative sample of students in grades 4, 8, and 12.

Currently, schools in the state are not required to follow a set reading curriculum. While the Michigan Department of Education provides some guidance on using evidence-based programs, districts and often individual schools may use different curriculum under local control.

According to a 2022 policy brief by the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative at Michigan State University, reading instruction materials can vary widely within districts and even in classrooms at the same elementary schools. Despite district guidance from the school systems that participated in the study’s survey, many teachers were using poorly rated or unrated curricula, according to the researchers.

Two proposed bills in the Michigan Legislature would require schools to use reading curriculum and interventions for students with trouble learning to read that are backed by the science of reading, or early literacy instruction that emphasizes phonics along with building vocabulary and background knowledge.

The state Senate approved the legislation in March, but it has not yet been taken up by the House. Prior iterations of the bills have stalled or failed.

Sen. Jeff Irwin, a Democrat from Ann Arbor who has championed the legislation for years, said the M-STEP results could help elevate the importance of the bills.

“It seems to me, there are some rather obvious steps we haven’t taken yet,” he said. “I’m hoping we can move forward with those obvious steps by weaving the science of reading into our curriculum.”

Similar legislation in Tennessee and Mississippi, where literacy rates have improved greatly, were frameworks for Irwin’s proposals, he said.

“They’ve seen success in these methods,” Irwin said. “That’s an additional reason to make sure we’re attending to an early emphasis on phonics.”

Rice, the state superintendent, is urging legislators to approve the bills, which are designed to help kids with characteristics of dyslexia.

State Rep. Matt Koleszar, chair of the House Education Committee, said he supports the bills but he has “to have conversations with other members on the committee on both sides of the aisle to make sure we have good, bipartisan support to get those across the finish line.”

State Rep. Jaime Greene, the minority vice chair of the House Education Committee, said she supports the legislation, and “it just needs to pass.” Greene also said the M-STEP scores are not particularly helpful for individual students and families but “more important for district accountability and comparing district to district.”

Republican State Board of Education member Nikki Snyder said local school board members should be pushing school districts to choose “high-quality curriculum.”

A ‘disjointed’ system

Rice said the MDE is also continuing to encourage elementary educators to take the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, or LETRS training. MDE administers a grant to pay for teachers to take the training, and lawmakers set aside $10 million for the program in the most recent state education budget.

The training includes “phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and written language,” according to the vendor website about the Michigan program.

Paul Liabenow, executive director of the Michigan Elementary & Middle School Principals Association, said many districts are “doubling down” on providing support on math and reading.

Still, he said more can be done to ensure teachers actually get the training they need.

“I believe that we need to incentivize district participation in teacher training in LETRS so that every teacher across the state of Michigan … is trained as a matter of requirement,” he said.

Venessa Keesler, president and CEO of Launch Michigan, which advocates for education reform, said the results show there needs to be change in the education system.

“Right now, our system is just very disjointed, and that makes it hard to have those shared priorities and agree on how we’re going to reach them.”

In his statement this week, Rice also reiterated his position that students who lost “considerable in-person instruction” during COVID may need additional in-person instruction time, such as a longer school year or instruction in the summer.

“Our in-person instructional school year was skinny before the pandemic and, for

some students, became skinnier during and after the pandemic,” Rice said.

Some school districts offer summer school, Plus, the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential is administering $57 million in grants so that community organizations can provide programming to students in the summer and before and after school.

Lawmakers approved $150 million in 2023 for the Mi Kids Back on Track program, which is for tutoring and other academic catch up initiatives. Lawmakers did not renew the funding in 2024, but school districts are allowed to use their existing funds.

What to make of results

Education experts and school district officials often recommend caution with state standardized test results, arguing that a student’s performance on a test taken once a year does not tell the full picture of their academic level.

“The M-STEP assessments are rigorous and not meant to measure reading ability or math ability by themselves,” said Andrew Middlestead, director of the MDE Office of Educational Assessment and Accountability.

“Rather, they are meant to measure understanding of a broad set of rigorous subject matter standards. Students who score below proficient are not necessarily performing below their grade level, and many who are below proficient perform well in high school, college, and in their chosen professions.”

The new state test results come roughly two months before the November election, where voters will select local and state school board members along with representatives for the Michigan House.

Democrats who currently control both chambers of the Legislature have passed laws lowering the amount test scores can factor into educator evaluations, restored several subjects of collective bargaining, and removed the requirement that school districts hold back third grade students who were behind in reading.

There remain large gaps between test scores of students who are economically disadvantaged and those who are not, according to the new results.

This year, third grade students from economically disadvantaged families scored 30.2 percentage points lower in reading than their peers and 32.7 points lower in third grade math, on average.

Tara Kilbride, interim associate director of EPIC, the research group at MSU, said the results aren’t surprising.

“There’s clearly something happening in ELA that’s different from the trends in math,” Kilbride said.

Even though the state has removed requirements about holding third graders back with low scores, Kilbride said there should still be a focus on providing students with literacy interventions “because this is a long standing issue in Michigan that didn’t start with a pandemic.”

Kilbride noted that in third grade reading exams, fewer students were assessed as being advanced in 2023-24 compared to both last school year and 2018-19.

That means there are fewer students who are ahead, more students who are behind and about the same number of students in between, she said.

Where does Michigan go from here?

Michigan will have to acknowledge that there is a problem with the way it approaches early literacy and make big changes in order to turn the current trajectory, said Roza.

“At this point, the state and districts really need to dig into their data to figure out which schools and classrooms are using an outdated reading approach and switch them out,” she said.

Schools must also make it a priority to catch up the third and fourth graders who were behind in spring 2024, said Roza.

“We need to push through and get this done for these students, or it will have lifetime impacts for them,” she said.

Reading curriculum may not be the only factor causing students to fall behind. Chronic absenteeism, which is particularly prevalent in Michigan schools, may be another cause, said Roza.

“We see districts hiring reading coaches and tutors, but if kids don’t come to school, they don’t benefit from it,” she said.

Michigan had one of the worst rates of chronic absenteeism in the nation in the 2021-22 school year. Though the rates improved the next year, 30% of the state’s students were still missing 10% or more of their school days.

What does this mean for Michigan high schoolers?

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has set a goal of 60% of working age adults getting a college degree or skills certificate by 2030. The state says that rate is currently 51.1%.

But the latest scores show that a significant group of students may not be prepared for college coursework.

On the SAT, 25.1% of 11th grade students met or exceeded college readiness expectations. That was 3.1 percent points lower compared to results for students in the same grade last year and 8.8 percentage points lower compared to the 2018-19 school year.

In English language arts, 51.3% of 11th grade students were proficient.

“Are we OK with roughly half of our students graduating with a diploma and not being prepared?” Snyder, the Republican board member, said.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Isabel Lohman covers K-12 and higher education for Bridge Michigan. You can reach her at ilohman@bridgemi.com.

Mike Wilkinson is a data reporter for Bridge Michigan. You can reach him at mwilkinson@bridgemi.com.

New laws and issues to watch: Here’s what you need to know for Michigan’s 2024-25 school year

2024-08-22T19:16:14+00:00

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As classes are set to begin for many Michigan students next week, administrators are starting the school year with funding uncertainty and a number of new requirements they must meet.

The state’s education budget didn’t amount to what school leaders expected, with no increase to minimum per-pupil spending and a big cut to funding for student mental health and school safety programs. Advocates are pushing for the legislature to pass a supplemental budget to make up for those losses, but with school starting, administrators must revise their own local budgets to fill any gaps.

“There has been a lot of movement amongst superintendents and school boards to shuffle things around to do everything they can to open with personnel and services in place so students are getting everything they need,” said Bob McCann, executive director of the K-12 Alliance of Michigan. “That’s a challenge when budgets don’t necessarily meet expectations.”

Additionally, new mandates are taking effect this school year.

Some of the new initiatives, such as reforms to teacher evaluations, were supported by educators and advocates who say they will be a net positive for schools.

Other ongoing issues that are out of the control of local school leaders, such as a growing population of migrant and refugee children, a federal civil rights case involving the Michigan Department of Education, Title IX court battles, and the proliferation of artificial intelligence, will also have an impact on how schools operate.

School board elections set to take place this November across Michigan will also affect local schools’ policies.

“Our hope is always that partisan politics get left out of these things,” said McCann. “It doesn’t serve schools or students. We’ll have to see how some of that turns out this year.”

What’s new this year in Michigan public schools?

Teacher evaluations will no longer be required to heavily rely on student scores on standardized tests during the 2024-25 school year. A bill passed last year took away the requirement that 40% of a teacher’s performance be based on student achievement scores. Now, 20% will be based on student performance and assessment data or other student learning objectives determined through collective bargaining agreements with teachers unions.
This school year, changes to the Read by Grade Three law will be fully implemented. The controversial law required students who test more than a grade level behind to be held back in the third grade. The retention portion of the law was repealed in 2023 and went into effect in February. The parts of the law that remain include supports for students struggling to read such as progress monitoring and individualized reading improvement plans as well as standards for literacy coaches. Under the new provisions in the law starting in 2024-25, kindergarteners will be given a reading assessment within the first 90 days of the school year and within the first 30 days for kids in grades one through three.
For the first time, Michigan public school districts, charter schools, and intermediate school districts will be required to give students in sixth through 12th grade age-appropriate material that explains what constitutes sexual assault and harassment. The material will also have to include explanations of what consent is and let students know that sexual violence is never the victim’s fault.
Students starting their freshman year will be the first in the state required to complete a half credit of personal finance education as a graduation requirement. The requirement can be fulfilled in a personal finance class or in another course that adds the new standards, such as economics, a career and technical education program, or math.
Starting this school year, the state will begin collecting more accurate data on indigenous and Native American students. Districts will be required to collect data on how many students have tribal affiliation. Before this year, the state only allowed tribal-affiliated students to mark “American Indian or Alaskan Native” or “two or more races” when identifying their ethnicity. Because of this limitation, advocates say the estimate of how many native students attend Michigan schools is likely severely undercounted, which creates skewed data on attendance, graduation rates, and more.
School districts will no longer have to punish employees for referring students to abortion services this school year. A law that prohibited public school educators from assisting students in obtaining abortions and threatened districts with losing 1% of state funding for not complying was repealed last year.
Starting this school year, kids will have to get a dental assessment within six months of enrolling in school for the first time. A law that created the requirement was passed last year in an effort to improve children’s dental health in the state. Students can be screened at private dental offices, through local health departments, or at pre-enrollment school events.
More school-based health centers will be opening across the state this year, including in Grand Ledge Public Schools, Genesee School District, Grand Rapids Public Schools, and Springport School District. Beyond 2024-25, at least 270 more sites will be added to Michigan schools through the Child and Adolescent Health Center Program.

Here are some of the issues we’ll be watching this school year

With the $300 million cut in funding for programs to support student mental health and school safety this year, school leaders are asking lawmakers to pass a supplemental budget to make up for the loss they did not see coming. While many districts will likely not have to make cuts this school year, administrators worry about funding in future years for positions such as counselors, nurses, and school resource officers if the money is not restored. Educators and school leaders say the cuts are devastating as they try to address the youth mental health crisis.
The Michigan Department of Education is currently going through an administrative hearing process after the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights investigation found it violated the rights of students with disabilities during COVID-era shutdowns. Attorneys for the MDE have denied any wrongdoing in the case. The OCR said the state agency is seeking to “shield itself from any scrutiny.” The original complaint filed against the MDE seeks for the state department to provide compensatory services for all impacted students. States that don’t comply with civil rights laws that cover students with disabilities risk losing their federal funding for special education. Michigan received $461 million in federal aid for special education in the 2023-24 school year. A temporary injunction made by a U.S. District Court judge could make enforcement of new Title IX protections complicated in Michigan schools. The judge’s order blocks new Title IX regulations that expand harassment and discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ and pregnant students from being enforced at 100 Michigan schools. The order lists the schools attended by children of members of the national right-wing organization Moms for Liberty, as well as Young America’s Foundation and Female Athletes United. While the ruling could create a complicated legal landscape, protections based on gender identity and sexuality are also covered by state laws in Michigan.
More schools across the country are beginning to integrate artificial intelligence into curriculums and administrative processes. Some Michigan districts are starting to teach students how to responsibly use the technology, including Comstock Public Schools, Parchment Public Schools, Michigan Virtual, Olivet Community Schools, and Ypsilanti Community Schools. The MDE will be hosting an AI in education workshop for educators in October.
This school year is also an election year. There will be local school board races across Michigan, as well as two seats up for grabs on the State Board of Education. We will be covering the state board races as well as the races for three board seats in the Detroit Public Schools Community District.
As DPSCD enrolls more migrant and refugee students, the school system is trying to adapt to meet their needs. The district is expanding its newcomer programs and a resource center at Western International High School for newly arrived families. Community members have expressed concern that the district was not meeting basic needs of new students, including translation services, last school year.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Federal officials chide Michigan Department of Education for its response to civil rights complaint

2024-08-13T15:20:20+00:00

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Federal officials accused the Michigan Department of Education of seeking to “shield itself from any scrutiny” in its violation of the rights of students with disabilities during COVID-era school closures, according to a recent court filing.

In the court filing last week, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights claimed the state wants to “brush aside” the way it ignored federal anti-discrimination laws during the pandemic. Federal officials also said the state has not yet given proof that the violations have been resolved.

The agency asked the U.S. Department of Education’s administrative hearing officers to deny the MDE’s request last month to dismiss all claims made against it, including that officials repeatedly gave incorrect information about what rights students had to parents and school districts.

“The Michigan Department of Education has received the response, is reviewing with its legal counsel, and will respond through the appropriate legal channels,” said Bob Wheaton, director of the department’s office of public and government affairs in an email Monday.

Wheaton added that the department “remains strongly committed to providing equal access to educational opportunities to all students in Michigan – including students with disabilities.”

In a mandatory response to all of the OCR’s allegations, attorneys representing the MDE denied any wrongdoing.

The federal proceedings come after a yearslong investigation by the OCR and multiple attempts on the federal government’s part to urge the state to voluntarily meet compliance with federal disability and special education laws.

States that don’t comply risk losing federal funding. In the 2023-24 school year, Michigan received $461 million in federal aid for special education.

The OCR’s complaint seeks compensatory services for all students with disabilities who have either individualized education programs or 504 plans in the state, said Marcie Lipsitt, a Michigan special education advocate who filed the initial complaint.

IEPs outline services that students with disabilities are entitled to, and 504 plans lay out needed accommodations for students with disabilities who do not require special education services.

“The OCR’s response was very powerful,” said Lipsitt in an email.

The OCR responded to all of the MDE’s arguments for dismissal, including:

The MDE challenged the authority of the OCR to enforce 504 violations for students who are also protected under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Citing legal precedent, the OCR said it does have the authority.
The MDE said it does not have a legal responsibility to address local school districts’ 504 violations. The OCR said the department’s argument fails to consider federal cases that found states have some responsibility in taking steps to ensure districts are in compliance.
The MDE argued that the OCR did not in its complaint identify any individual students that were harmed. The agency said federal court precedent does not obligate it to identify students in order to prove non-compliance. It also said that its complaint includes allegations involving specific schools, parents, and students.
The OCR said that the MDE did not have a federally mandated 504 coordinator, or did not publicly identify one for years. The agency said the MDE’s website was updated days before it filed its motion to name an employee as its 504 coordinator. Despite that, the OCR said the MDE has given no proof that “any harm stemming from the years-long violation has been resolved, or that the violation will not recur.”

The 504 coordinator is a critical role because they help ensure compliance with the federal law, according to the OCR.

“MDE’s patent violation of a simple regulatory command foreshadowed the other violations OCR found MDE had engaged in,” the agency’s response said.

Additionally, the MDE repeatedly gave incorrect information to parents and school leaders in documents and presentations about what students qualified for compensatory services, according to the OCR, and has not taken steps to make sure they now have accurate information.

“Some of the documents have been removed from MDE’s website, but MDE has not issued corrections to parents, students, or schools,” the OCR’s response said.

The OCR’s complaint also alleges that the Michigan School for the Deaf, operated by the MDE, took away 43% of instructional time for students in the 2020-21 school year and never made it up. The school didn’t provide critical services like speech language pathology and social work for a prolonged period of time.

Though the MDE’s filing denies it violated the rights of MSD students, the OCR said a supervisor admitted in an email that the school was “severely out of compliance.”

Federal officials said they hope “negotiations can resume and expedite the ultimate resolution of this case.”

State education officials call for transparency

During a regular board meeting Tuesday morning, Nikki Snyder, a Republican member of the majority-Democratic State Board of Education, asked other members to call on the legislature to fund an audit of Michigan’s special education services.

Snyder also called on the board to discuss a motion to request the MDE give a public presentation on the OCR complaints at the next board meeting.

Tom McMillin, the only other Republican on the governing body, said the MDE has been “keeping the board in the dark” and that State Superintendent Michael Rice failed to notify them of the investigation.

The board voted against adding the resolutions to Tuesday’s agenda. Snyder and McMillin were the only votes in favor of discussing the items during the meeting.

Board President Pamela Pugh, a Democrat, said McMillin and Snyder were politicizing the issue and that she believes the board will continue to hear updates on the case. She added that though she voted against discussing the resolutions, “that doesn’t mean I don’t care.”

During public comment, six speakers, including parents and special education advocates, expressed frustration with the board for not taking action on the resolutions.

“I am really disappointed with what I see today,” Michele Maleszyk, a Troy parent of a student with dyslexia, said during the meeting.

Rice did not respond to McMillin’s remarks or to the parents’ concerns during the meeting.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Did Michigan make a ‘historic’ investment in student mental health? Here’s what the numbers say.

2024-08-08T18:27:09+00:00

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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office is celebrating this year’s state school budget’s “historic” investment in student mental health and school safety efforts.

But that sentiment is at odds with what school leaders across Michigan, including the state superintendent, are calling a devastating and unexpected loss of $300 million they expected to receive in per-pupil mental health and safety funds.

The disagreement stems from a last-minute reduction of grant funding that has been used by school districts to support student mental health and school safety since the 2022-23 school year. The state distributed $328 million in those grants to districts last year. This year’s budget earmarked just $26.5 million – a surprise since the three proposed state budgets on which districts based their own local budgets for this school year included amounts ranging from $150 million to $300 million.

“Most people, in layman’s terms, would look at it as a cut or reduction because it’s less money,” said Sarah Reckhow, professor of American politics and public policy at Michigan State University.

In the first notable division the governor has had with the state’s education community, her office is maintaining there were no cuts because the previous mental health and school safety grants were one-time allowances, even though her own budget proposal included $300 million before the last-minute slash to the funding during budget negotiations last month.

“Should districts assume certain things are not recurring?” said Reckhow. “That’s the issue they’ve had to deal with from the previous to the current budget cycle.”

School systems have two years to use the grants for a variety of initiatives, such as hiring or contracting counselors, psychologists, social workers, and school nurses. The dollars can also be spent on safety initiatives such as hiring school resource officers, crisis and threat assessment training for staff, cameras, firearm detection software, and door blocks.

State Superintendent Michael Rice said in a recent statement that the loss of funds “will slow Michigan’s recent momentum in addressing student mental health challenges.”

In contrast, the governor’s office has maintained that the education budget “makes the largest investment in schools in our state’s history for the sixth year in a row” and even published material claiming it’s a “myth” that funding for school safety and student mental health support was cut.

“The FY25 budget continues support for student mental health through existing programs,” reads the statement.

The executive office is pointing to an overall increase in funding for schools with $598 million in retirement savings for districts and it says the budget gives districts more flexibility to pay for student mental health and school safety efforts.

“It is our intention that districts use this additional $600 million to improve school safety, mental health, before- and after-school programs, and more.” said Stacey LaRouche, press secretary for the governor’s office, in an email.

Last-minute slash to mental health and safety grants shocked school leaders

The legislature first began allocating the funds, known as Sec. 31aa grants, in the 2022-23 school year.

At the time, the historic new funding was lauded as a positive step to address school security issues after the November 2021 Oxford High School shooting that killed four students and injured seven people. It was also considered an avenue to address the youth mental health crisis that was exacerbated by the pandemic.

In the first year, the state allocated $150 million for the funds. That number increased to $328 million last year.

Initially, it appeared that the governor and some lawmakers were interested in maintaining similar levels of support for the funds for the 2024-25 school year.

The governor’s executive budget proposal for 2024-25 included $300 million. Half of the proposed funds were to be ongoing and the remaining one-time dollars. The House also proposed $300 million, while the Senate proposed the least, or $150 million.

That changed when the legislative bodies entered a conference committee to come to a budget deal. Those funds shrunk to $25 million in ongoing funds and $1.5 million in one-time dollars in this year’s approved budget.

The adopted budget did preserve another type of funding, called Sec. 31n grants, which are distributed to districts to pay for school mental health and support services. The governor’s office pointed to that $107.8 million as part of the “historic” funding for student mental health and school safety.

Executive staff also said that the savings districts will get this year from a reduction in the contributions they are required to make into the state retirement system can also be used to pay for mental health and safety initiatives.

“Additionally, school districts can direct the more than $400 per pupil in additional flexible funding as needed,” reads a statement from the governor’s office. “These funds, which districts asked to have discretion over, can be used to support student mental health, school safety, the educator workforce, and academic interventions.”

The gains touted by the executive office also include $33 million for adolescent health centers, which provide health care and mental health services to youth and their families.

The governor’s office also noted $25 million in “new funding” in a press release, but that refers to the Sec. 31aa grant dollars that were included this year as ongoing funds, according to staff.

But education leaders say those statements are misleading.

“You just have to look at the numbers to see that it’s unfortunately a 98% cut,” said Bob McCann, executive director of the K-12 Alliance of Michigan, an education policy and advocacy organization. “The reality is that school administrators are looking at the dollars they have available to them. That’s gone from a total of $300 million to $26 million.”

Those savings aren’t permanent, said McCann, which makes it difficult for districts to use the funds for ongoing costs.

The state budget also does not increase the minimum base per-pupil funds – and the governor’s office has previously said that the retirement savings for districts was intended to make up for that.

District leaders say no staff cuts – yet

Many district leaders say the loss of grant funds will not lead to reductions in staff for the 2024-25 school year. But they worry school systems may have to make difficult decisions starting next year if the funding is not restored.

In some cases, plans to expand training and programs will be put on hold now because of the cut.

“We had hoped to continue to add helping professionals this school year,” said Rice. “Instead, these numbers will be flat in most cases, with some districts unable to retain the staffing that they have.”

Some school leaders are holding out hope that the legislature will pass a supplemental budget that will bring back some or all of the funds.

McCann and other education leaders are pushing the legislature to pass a bill that would make the retirement savings for school systems permanent.

“It’s not too late to fix this,” he said. “By signing the bill, that money would become ongoing funding and it would give districts the freedom to use it for things like counselors.”

Reckhow said what she sees in districts’ frustration is a larger looming policy discussion.

“Maybe this is a frustration of the larger public school community about having Democratic leadership, but the bigger picture about school funding is not being addressed,” she said.

For years, education leaders have asked lawmakers to more equitably fund schools with a new formula.

Last year, Michigan created the “Opportunity Index,” a formula that gives weighted per-pupil funding to districts serving higher rates of children living in poverty. What’s missing in that, Reckhow said, is a more explicit accounting of how much it costs to educate children with a variety of specific needs, such as kids in special education and English language learners.

“We need to much more explicitly address student needs and funding should match that rather than per-pupil counts,” she said.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan school leaders push lawmakers to reverse cuts to mental health and safety budget

2024-07-15T17:19:21+00:00

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Michigan’s school budget season isn’t quite over yet.

Though the legislature has approved a school budget for the 2024-25 school year and most districts have approved their own budgets, some of the state’s school leaders say they are buying time as they advocate for a supplemental budget to cover the costs of a 90% cut in state grants they anticipated getting for student mental health and safety initiatives.

Administrators are also pushing lawmakers to pass legislation that would make permanent reductions to districts’ mandated payments into the state retirement system. They say that move would make the savings school systems are promised for the 2024-25 school year – about $400 more per student – recurring money that can be used for ongoing expenses, such as teacher salaries.

With minimum per-pupil spending remaining at $9,608 this year, administrators say this year’s budget amounts to a cut in state funding.

“I think districts are trying right now to understand the impact of the state budget and then figure out how they can patch things together to continue services for student mental health and safety without a dedicated funding source – but also pay for wage increases for teachers and staff,” said Dan Behm, executive director of Education Advocates of West Michigan, which represents the legislative positions of 45 districts.

RJ Webber, superintendent of Northville Public Schools, said his district, like many others, will now have to find ways to reallocate funding.

Northville was counting on $1.5 million in mental health and safety funding. Now, it will receive $122,000.

The dollars had previously paid for school resource officers, two-way radios, programming to teach kids communication skills, and internships for staff interested in school mental health careers.

“Now, those are things we have to revisit,” said Webber.

The superintendent said the school system is considering moving money from its general fund to cover some of the costs.

“That kind of loss of funding will have an impact on us,” he said. “But we are seeing where we can nip and tuck to try to keep cuts away from classrooms.”

Ypsilanti Community Schools will have to reallocate other state funds to keep three positions that were partially funded by the mental health and safety grants, said Superintendent Alena Zachery-Ross.

The district will also have to shelve plans to address some safety needs identified as being priorities through a threat assessment and staff surveys. A “Mindfulness and Restorative Practices” training for staff the district planned offering for the first time this year will also not take place.

The Coloma Community School District will be able to roll over remaining funds from this school year to continue mental health and safety programs next year, according to its superintendent, David Ehlers.

But if the state’s dedicated funding for those areas does not return for the 2025-26 school year, the district will have to make cuts, he added.

Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District, said the school system may also have to revisit programs such as school nurses for the 2025-26 budget. But if the state makes the reduction in retirement contribution obligations permanent, that won’t be the case.

Districts that had money left over in their general fund balances this school year will be less likely to have to make cuts.

“Most districts carry a fund balance,” said Behm. “Those dollars are not dedicated to anything. They are there to smooth out uncertainties in funding.”

This year, the fund balances will serve as a buffer for districts to “buy a little time” to see if the legislature is likely to pass a supplemental budget for mental health and safety, Behm said.

“Districts would rather buy more time than lay people off – people who are really hard to find,” he added.

Not every district has a buffer. Nine traditional public school systems were identified as having low general fund balances in June by the Michigan Department of Treasury. Thirteen charter schools are also identified as having low fund balances.

The traditional public school districts with low fund balances include Flint Community Schools, Waldron Area Schools, North Adams-Jerome Public Schools, South Lake Schools, Tahquamenon Area Schools, Ann Arbor Public Schools, Chippewa Hills School District, Madison District Public Schools, and Wayne-Westland Community Schools.

Webber said the reduction in the districts’ obligation to pay into the Michigan Public School Retirement System, or MPSERS, isn’t the same as an increase to per-pupil funding.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had proposed lawmakers approve a 2.5% increase in per-student funding.

“It’s upsetting because that would have meant $1.6 million to our district that is now zero,” said Webber.

The superintendent, like many other administrators, argues that public educators overpaid into the state retirement system for years.

“The education community looked at that and said why don’t we pump that money back into kids and communities?” said Webber.

But without a guarantee that the savings will continue, districts shouldn’t allocate the funds to recurring expenses, said Behm.

“We don’t want a situation where we’re living year-to-year with uncertainty about major cost items in budgets,” said Webber. “That inhibits districts’ ability to plan long term and put programs in place that have positive impact for students year after year.

Zachery-Ross said a more permanent solution would help districts plan for the future, negotiate with staff, and navigate big projects.

If the MPSERS contribution rate were to go up again in future years, Ehlers said the minimum per-student funding would have to increase significantly to offset that loss and to keep up with rising costs of labor and operational expenses.

A bill introduced in early June by Rep. Matt Koleszar, a Democrat from Plymouth, would have reduced school systems’ required MPSERS contribution through 2030. Another bill co-sponsored by Sen. Kevin Hertel, a Democrat from St. Clair Shores, would have similar measures.

The legislature failed to enact either bill before its break starting July 1. Sessions will begin again July 30.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan’s school budget increases aid to at-risk students but has ‘devastating’ cuts to mental health

2024-07-01T20:50:07+00:00

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Michigan lawmakers passed a $23.4 billion state school budget Thursday that increases funding to support students from low-income families, English language learners, and the expansion of free prekindergarten. But it significantly cuts funding for mental health and school safety, leaving education leaders predicting devastating consequences.

Some advocates said the budget is a win for vulnerable student populations – and builds on previous progress in more equitably funding Michigan schools – but it does not include an increase to minimum per-pupil funding, which educators fear could lead to cuts and layoffs at schools across the state. It does, however, give some savings to school systems by reducing the amount of money they must pay into the retirement system.

“Overall, this is a tighter budget this year than the last couple,” said David Arsen, a professor emeritus of education policy and K-12 educational administration at Michigan State University. “But this budget does continue progress.”

The foundation allowance of per-pupil funding will remain the same at $9,608 per student.

Lawmakers and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the retirement savings for districts will offset the flat per-pupil spending.

The budget provides $589 million to offset districts’ payments into the Michigan Public School Employees’ Retirement system. This saves districts an amount roughly the equivalent $400 per student, according to the governor’s office.

“The amount associated with the reduction in districts’ MPSERS obligations increases the discretionary funds available above what was in the executive recommendation for the per-pupil increase,” said Arsen.

With the extra funds, Arsen said it won’t be likely districts will have to make cuts to the budgets they already approved based on the governor’s initial proposal. But individual districts, especially those with declining enrollment and those that used COVID relief money for recurring costs, will have challenges, he added.

The budget decreases per-pupil grants for mental health and school safety by well over 90%, said Robert McCann, executive director of the K-12 Alliance of Michigan. That cut sent shockwaves through the education community on Wednesday, when news of the cut first surfaced.

The new budget includes $25 million for the grants, compared to $328 million in the previous budget.

Livonia Public Schools Superintendent Andrea Oquist told Chalkbeat Wednesday that the cut would reduce the $3 million it received to provide extra psychologists, social workers, security personnel, and security cameras to $225,000.

“That is a devastating cut to every school in the state for a variety of programs that are directly designed to not only keep students safe, but healthy. We know that’s critically important to their success in the classroom,” McCann said Monday. “It’ll vary from district to district in terms of the significant impact it will have. But it’s safe to say that the effect will be profound.”

The budget gives a total of $1 billion for programs to support students from low-income families – the highest amount ever allocated to such programs.

The money will be distributed to districts through the state’s “opportunity index,” a funding formula created last year that gives more money to districts serving communities with higher concentrations of poverty. Previously, the same amount of per-pupil funding was given to students considered to be “at-risk” by the state.

“Additional investments in the Opportunity Index are critical to right the past wrongs and ensure that students with the greatest needs in Michigan – Black and Latino students, students from low-income backgrounds, English Learners, and students with disabilities – have every opportunity to reach their highest potential,” said Alice Thompson, chair of the education committee of the NAACP Detroit branch, in a statement.

For years, advocates have asked lawmakers to make education funding more equitable in Michigan. Historically, the state has been among the worst in the nation for gaps in funding between impoverished and wealthy communities.

Groups such as Education Trust-Midwest, have asked legislators to commit in the next five years to a total of $2.9 billion in additional funding through the Opportunity Index for at-risk students.

The legislation allows districts who receive the funds to use up to 30% of the money to reduce teacher-student ratios in K-3 classrooms and an additional 30% to be used for teacher recruitment and retention at some schools.

Ed Trust-Midwest has advocated for the state to add more transparency and accountability for districts to report how they spend at-risk dollars.

“This was a missed opportunity,” said Mike Jandernoa, a chair of the Michigan Partnership for Equity and Opportunity, a coalition that advocates for equity in school funding. “It is critical that the state create a strong new system of transparency for increased Opportunity Index spending. That includes ensuring that resources targeted for students with the greatest needs actually reach their schools.”

A recent analysis by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan found that only 55% of the state’s largest school districts showed patterns of equitable per-pupil spending with state dollars, despite an increase in at-risk funds in recent years.

Support for English language learners increased by 26%, totalling $50.2 million in funding. Advocates said this builds on the progress made by lawmakers last year, when the budget for English language learners increased by 90%.

Even with the progress made last year, Michigan still ranked among the worst in the nation compared to other states in the percentage of funding allocated to support English language learners in 2023, according to Ed Trust Midwest.

Though the budget provides $130 million in investments to expand free pre-K – which will be offered universally in the state two years ahead of previous plans – it still falls short of the goal in the governor’s proposal.

The funds will help serve around 5,300 more 4-year-olds, open new classrooms in underserved areas, pay for student transportation, and increase per-child allocations for attending a full day of pre-K to $10,185.

The legislation does not include language advocacy groups warned would force early child care programs to close.

A previous House budget proposal would have taken out language that ensured 30% of funding for the Great Start Readiness Program, the state’s free preschool program, go to community-based or private providers. A previous Senate proposal would have made private GSRP programs pay at least the average salary of other GSRP teachers in their regions.

The budget also pays for free admission to community college for all Michigan residents.

The budget makes $50 million in one-time funding for after-school and summer school programs ongoing and gives an additional $25 million in one-time funding. The advocacy group Michigan Afterschool Partnership estimates that the funding will benefit 75,000 youth this year.

Other budget highlights include: continued free breakfast and lunch for all K-12 public school students and continued transportation cost reimbursements for districts.

The approved school budget will now go to the governor’s desk to be signed. She may veto some or all of the bill.

The final budget will go into effect Oct. 1.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Correction: July 1, 2024: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported that the Michigan school aid budget approved June 27 did not cut funding for mental health and school safety grants. The funding for those two programs was significantly reduced in the budget.

Tentative state school budget agreement could mean massive cuts to Michigan schools

2024-06-26T22:38:10+00:00

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Michigan school leaders and advocates – particularly those in high poverty and shrinking districts – are bracing for potential widespread cuts as legislators work to come to an agreement on a state education budget Wednesday.

A tentative budget plan would mean no increase to the base foundation allowance in per-pupil funding for the 2024-25 school year. It would also gut state grants for school safety and mental health, which would likely lead to layoffs of staff such as counselors in districts across the state. One-time state funding for raises and pay would also reportedly be cut.

“There’s a lot of concern about what this budget would mean,” said Bob McCann, executive director of the K-12 Alliance of Michigan, an advocacy group focused on state school funding priorities. “It could mean layoffs all over the state. It would be devastating in a lot of ways.”

A conference committee of lawmakers was working Wednesday on an education budget agreement. Legislators are racing to meet the July 1 deadline to pass a budget.

A tighter state budget coupled with the end of federal COVID relief money this year will likely mean layoffs and cuts across the state, said Michael Addonizio, professor of educational leadership and policy at Wayne State University.

Districts with declining enrollments and higher percentages of students from families living in poverty stand to lose the most, Addonizio said.

“Whatever final agreement they come to, it’s probably going to be a clear step back from the last two years,” he said.

This year’s budget could be a vast contrast from the last two years, when lawmakers approved historic increases in spending for schools, raising the per-pupil amount to $9,608. For the first time last year, the state adopted an Opportunity Index, which gave additional funding to districts with high rates of poverty.

This year’s tentative plan shelves previous proposals from the governor, the House, and the Senate that would have decreased the state’s payments into the Michigan Public School Employees’ Retirement System. Those proposals would have freed up money to go into programs such as at-risk funding, support for English language learners, and universal pre-K, as well as school mental health staffing.

The idea of decreasing payments into the retirement system has been divisive since the governor first proposed it. Some Republican lawmakers said it was a “raid” of the funds and it has been a sticking point in budget negotiations.

The conference committee’s potential agreement would also decrease school districts’ payments into the retirement fund by 5.8% for the next fiscal year. However, school leaders say there is no guarantee that decrease will continue and wanted a decrease in payments to be permanently codified into law.

McCann said the savings for districts would not offset other cuts.

“Whatever amount of money that would mean for districts, it will be one-time money,” he said. “So, it can’t be used for anything related to staffing.”

Many districts have already adopted their own budgets, which they calculated using the governor’s proposal. Now, those districts will likely have to go back to the drawing board and make difficult decisions on what they will have to cut, said McCann.

Andrea Oquist, superintendent of Livonia Public Schools, said her district was “stunned” by news of what’s in the tentative agreement.

The potential massive cuts to school safety and mental health grants would be a huge blow to the district.

“This year, we got $3 million to provide extra psychologists, social workers, security personnel, security cameras,” she said. “That is being cut all the way down for LPS to $225,000 next year,”

Ypsilanti Public Schools Superintendent Alena Zachery-Ross said the district was hoping to see an increase in per-pupil funding, but did not budget for an increase out of caution.

Still, she said, rising operating costs — namely energy bills, transportation, food service costs, and benefits for employees — will make funding the district’s needs difficult without a per-pupil funding increase.

“This will make us really have to tighten up the belt quite a bit, and it will have us to really think about next year differently,” Zachery-Ross said.

School groups are actively lobbying lawmakers to rethink their tentative agreement. Among them is the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators, which made a call to action to the public.

Once the agreement is voted out of committee, it will go to the House for a roll call vote before it goes to the Senate.

The final legislative budget then goes to the Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk to sign. She can veto all or parts of the bill.

The budget will take effect Oct. 1.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Alex Klaus is a summer intern for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at aklaus@chalkbeat.org.

High school computer science classes might expand in Michigan. Will that address equity issues?

2024-06-21T19:22:19+00:00

In her two years of high school at Dearborn Public Schools’ Virtual K-12 school, rising junior Weaam AlAliyi has already learned about computer programming, understanding algorithms, and data analysis in three computer science courses.

Weaam believes computer science courses in high school are critical in preparing students for higher education and the modern workforce.

Gaining computer science skills is “increasingly important in today’s digital world,” Weaam said.

High schoolers across the state could have similar access to computer science courses if Michigan lawmakers pass a bill requiring all public high schools to offer a computer science course by the start of the 2027-28 school year. Michigan would become the 31st state to have such a requirement, according to 2023 data.

The bill passed the state House on Tuesday and is on its way to the Senate. The bill received bipartisan support, but all 22 no votes came from Republicans.

The bill garnered support from the Michigan Department of Education, among others. Cheryl Wilson, computer science consultant at the MDE, said the department recognizes a need to prepare students for computer science positions in the state and beyond.

The classes would have to be aligned with Michigan’s computer science standards. Rep. Carol Glavnille, a Democrat from Walker and a former educator who sponsored the bill, hopes the courses will cover subjects like AI functions, app development, data analysis, and internet security. These courses, she argues, will prepare students for the large number of available computing jobs with higher than average salaries.

Michigan had an average of 14,328 open computing jobs each month in 2023, with an average salary of $96,702.

Technology access remains an obstacle

A legislative fiscal analysis estimates the requirement would not create extra costs for the state, but high schools without existing computer science classes might struggle. Robert McCann, executive director of the K-12 Alliance, a group that advocates for public schools, says the state needs to ensure that each school has appropriate teachers and equipment available to students.

“It is still a reality that some students don’t have access to the same technology that other students have at home,” said McCann.

Still, McCann thinks that grants to improve technology access in homes during the pandemic will give more students the resources they need to study computer science and make it easier for schools to implement the new courses.

Schools that can’t offer the course can provide an online option through online schools such as Michigan Virtual.

Glanville suggested that existing online computer science programs like Code.org can offset access issues. Code.org testified in support of the bill when Glanville introduced it to the House in May.

But Aman Yadav, a professor of computing education at Michigan State University, worries that under-resourced schools will still struggle to offer quality computer science courses due to a lack of certified staff. He warns that affluent students are more likely to succeed in online courses.

“The bill is a step in the right direction to make sure that all students within Michigan have access to computer science at the high school level,” Yadav said. “However, there are significant challenges for schools who are under-resourced, both in our rural communities and urban communities, because of lack of requirement for teachers to have sufficient knowledge to teach computer science.”

In 2017, the Michigan Department of Education announced it will remove requirements for computer science teacher endorsements by 2026. Wilson said the department did that to open pathways for more educators to teach computer science, especially in districts that lacked enough qualified teachers.

But Yadav worries that a lack of quality computer science teachers will discourage students from continuing computer science education after their first course.

Racial and gender disparities are wide

Research suggests that disparities in enrollment heavily affect women and Black students. Only 29% of Michigan students who took an AP computer science exam in 2022 were women, and Black students were less likely to take AP computer science exams than their white and Asian peers.

Yadav said existing research on disparities in computer science education focuses too much on access and not enough on success rates. For example, 2022 data indicates that Black students in Michigan were less likely to pass their AP computer science exams than other students, with scores of 3 or higher: Only 29% of the Black students who took an AP computer science exam in 2022 passed, while 70.8% of all students passed.

Kady Robinson-Larsosa, a rising junior at Detroit’s School at Marygrove, has learned computer science skills in several classes, and may even have a chance to earn college credit as a junior. She said she sees value in computer science courses as a Black DPSCD student because of the increased career opportunities for students.

“Usually we’re not seeing engineering as a way to pursue a career in the future,” she said. As course access expands, she thinks it could increase well-paying career opportunities. She sees the skills she has learned helping her aspirations to enter the business and marketing field after graduation.

Kady said she notices more women in her Marygrove classes than men. But in a STEM-focused career readiness summer program at the University of Michigan, she said, there were more men enrolled.

How can the state address equity issues?

Yadav said he hopes that the legislature adds language requiring educators to be certified in computer science to teach the class and suggests the state invest in teacher certification.

“Computer science is hard to learn,” Yadav said. “A focus on increasing access without a focus on quality of that access is problematic for Michigan students.”

Wilson said the MDE doesn’t have plans to implement such a program now, but might consider it in the future.

Yadav also thinks schools should offer classes at a younger age. By high school, students have already formed views on who is successful in computer science or STEM.

Eva Burch, who recently graduated from Detroit Prep, doesn’t plan on taking computer science courses when she starts her freshman year at Cass Technical High School, but she said having earlier access to learning computer science courses might have encouraged her to take them now.

Kady said the courses will be helpful in high school nonetheless. “I think it’s a great opportunity for all high schoolers to be able to take advantage of, even if some don’t,” she said.

Glanville hopes that over time, the state can identify which schools teach computer science and figure out how to increase the availability of these courses across Michigan.

Alex Klaus is a summer intern for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at aklaus@chalkbeat.org.

Correction: June 24, 2024: A previous version of this story said Eva Burch was already a DPSCD student. She was a student at Detroit Prep and will become a DPSCD student in the fall.

Michigan State Board of Education calls for independent review of Oxford school shootings

2024-06-12T12:00:00+00:00

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The Michigan State Board of Education on Tuesday called for a comprehensive independent review of the Oxford High School mass shooting at the request of the parents of the four teens shot to death by a student in 2021.

The board passed a resolution that asks the legislature to fund a review of officials’ response to the shootings. The resolution also asks for legislators to pass laws that make suicide and threat assessment part of every emergency operation plan. Additionally, the board called on lawmakers to extend mental health funding in the 2024-25 state budget.

The board is an elected body that can make recommendations to legislators, but has no power to pass laws.

Though an independent report, conducted by a firm that specializes in investigation and released in October, found multiple failures by school officials to prevent the shootings, the victims’ parents told the board last month there were still many unanswered questions.

Several lawsuits against the district and its employees are ongoing. A circuit court last year dismissed a claim in one case due to government immunity.

The parents of the shooter were each sentenced to at least 10 years in prison for failing to prevent their son from committing the killings.

The board voted 7-1 to pass the resolution, introduced by Democrat Judith Pritchett. Tom McMillin, a Republican, voted against it.

McMillin said he could not support the resolution because it omitted measures he suggested, including laws that remove government immunity for school districts in litigation that allege lapses in safety as well as giving subpoena power to the independent review.

“It’s very frustrating, we could actually do something that would really get to the truth of what happened in Oxford and really also force systemic change,” he said.

The board’s approval of the resolution comes seven months after board member Nikki Snyder, a Republican, battled with Democratic members to include her own resolutions on school safety. Snyder and McMillin are the only Republicans on the Democratic-controlled body.

Her most recent attempt in April urged lawmakers to create a statewide emergency response plan, remove protections shielding public school officials from legal liability, hold staff accountable for lapses in safety, require annual school safety inspections, and create a database of student deaths and injuries, among other measures. The board declined to take a vote on her proposals.

At the time, board president Pamela Pugh decried Snyder insinuating that the other members weren’t urgent in addressing school safety. Other members said they had already passed a number of other resolutions addressing school safety and student mental health following the Oxford shootings.

Snyder asked the board to consider amended versions of those resolutions Tuesday, but the Democratic members voted against it.

The adopted resolution did include some of Snyder’s proposals, including the recommendation that an independent investigation follow any event that results in a student’s death at school.

Snyder said she voted for the resolution because she knew the parents of Oxford students wanted action.

“There’s things that are still missing in this resolution,” she said. “And so I’m not going to give up. I think that it needs to continue to be a topic that we talk about, that we’re willing to come back to. I don’t want to be wavering.”

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan advocates warn state budget proposals could force some child care programs to close

2024-06-11T21:42:13+00:00

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Advocates for Michigan’s early childhood education centers called on lawmakers to strike language in proposed budgets that they say would force community-based providers to close and worsen the state’s child care crisis.

At issue are competing budgets in the state House and Senate. In the House, lawmakers deleted language that assure 30% of funding for the state’s free preschool program — Great Start Readiness Program, or GSRP — is set aside for community-based, or private, providers. In the Senate, that language remains, but lawmakers included a requirement that salaries for teachers in community-based GSRP programs cannot be lower than the average salary for GSRP teachers in the region.

Both moves would put financial pressure on private child care providers, albeit in different ways, at a time when many families struggle to access affordable and convenient programs.

“This proposed legislation will absolutely decimate the sector … and turn back the dial on progress,” said Chana Edmond-Verley, CEO of Vibrant Futures, a child care advocacy organization in Grand Rapids.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s budget proposal would make the GSRP available for all Michigan 4-year-olds, regardless of family income. It is operated by public and private organizations.

The legislative proposals are not aligned with Whitmer’s budget blueprint, which maintains the 30% allocation and has no language about pay parity.

Edmond-Verley and others drew attention to the proposed changes during a press conference Tuesday in Lansing.

“In these budget proposals, we face a loss of funding and mandates that will decrease availability and increase the cost to families at a time when Michigan is already experiencing a child care crisis,” said Marcus Keech, director of government affairs at the Grand Rapids Chamber.

Both the House and Senate have approved budgets for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Conference committees are slated to resolve differences between the budgets. The advocates who spoke Tuesday say they hope lawmakers will make changes to the GSRP language in those committees.

Michigan, like many states, is struggling to ensure children have access to quality early childhood programs. A 2022 MuckRock investigation concluded Michigan’s child care system was in crisis, with far more so-called deserts — areas of the state where demand far outweighs available slots — than policymakers had estimated.

Meanwhile, the loss last year of federal COVID relief funding that helped many centers stay afloat during the pandemic raised concerns about the stability of the early childhood system. Staffing challenges have also made it difficult to hire staff, and low wages have providers competing with other industries for workers.

The Senate proposal that would require comparable pay for GSRP teachers attempts to address the pay issue by ensuring teachers in private programs are paid similar to what those in public school programs make. Keech said that doesn’t address “the funding strings that factor into each facility’s pay structure.”

“We are holding private providers to the same level of expectations as a facility that receives funding from local and state tax revenue,” Keech said.

Matt Gillard, president and CEO of Michigan’s Children, said advocates want to see higher pay for child care workers.

“It’s not a level playing field,” Gillard said. “If we’re going to ask a community-based organization in a certain community to be able to pay as much as their public school system, it’s just not the reality of where we are. We could do that with a lot more public investment. But that’s not on the table.”

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Report: Some Michigan districts are not equitably funding schools with higher needs

2024-06-10T12:00:00+00:00

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Many Michigan schools are still not being equitably funded, despite the state increasing dollars for at-risk students in recent years, according to a new analysis.

Only 55% of schools in Michigan’s 25 largest districts showed patterns of equitable per-pupil state spending in the 2018-19 school year, according to the analysis by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan.

The continuing inequities occurred because funding decisions for individual schools are made by school boards and administrators, not the state, the report said.

As lawmakers consider putting more money into at-risk funding for the 2024-25 school budget, researchers said they should consider adding more financial transparency and accountability tied to the dollars.

“I think it’s important because in Michigan, the state controls the purse strings, in terms of the funding model we have set up,” said Craig Thiel, research director of the CRC of Michigan. “But, are those dollars actually getting allocated down to the school where the children who need them attend? That’s a big picture policy question lawmakers have to ask.”

Amber Arellano, executive director of the non-partisan advocacy policy group Education Trust-Midwest, said the same pattern outlined in the report has been seen in other states. The organization, which often advocates for Michigan to invest more in at-risk funding, also calls for a “robust system of fiscal transparency and accountability,” said Arellano.

“Such a system will ensure that critical investments for students with the greatest needs will actually reach them in their schools and classrooms,” she added.

The analysis, which includes funding from the 2018-19 school year, was done with information from new federal data reporting requirements in the Every Student Succeeds Act, which requires states to provide per-student spending at the school level for every district. Previously, states were only required to give district-level data.

Though 2022-23 funding data is available, it is not included in the CRC report. The analysis only looks at 2018-19 because it was the last full school year before the pandemic and gives a baseline for funding expenditures before the onslaught of millions of dollars in federal COVID relief funding.

The report did not list the districts or the schools included in the analysis.

The CRC plans on analyzing recent years that included big increases to at-risk funding and the new “opportunity index” formula.

In the 2023-24 state school budget, an additional $1 billion in at-risk funding was allocated to districts through the opportunity index, which gives more at-risk dollars to districts serving communities with higher concentrations of poverty.

Previously, the state gave the same amount of per-pupil funding to all students considered to be at risk, regardless of the levels of poverty in their districts.

As the state budget cycle wraps up, there are proposals to invest more in the opportunity index – a step that advocates say would begin to reverse years of inequitable school funding in Michigan.

The analysis includes a sample of Michigan’s largest public school systems and districts with the highest concentrations of students living in impoverished communities.

It looks at equitable rather than equal funding, meaning it seeks to find out whether districts gave additional dollars to schools in poorer communities.

The analysis calculated patterns of equitable per-pupil spending by creating three ratios. One ratio represents the percentage of students enrolled who were identified by the state as “economically disadvantaged” relative to the district’s overall percentage of students in that population. The other ratios represent per-pupil state and local spending for each school and one for overall per-pupil spending in the district.

Researchers used the ratios to calculate whether districts were directing more money to the schools with higher percentages of economically disadvantaged students.

Of the 553 schools included in the analysis, 302, or about 55%, showed equitable patterns of per-student spending. When the analysis included federal dollars for poverty, the percentage increased slightly, to 57%.

Thiel said it’s still unclear why the funding disparities are happening. But there are a couple of possibilities, including personnel costs and using at-risk dollars to replace general funds.

“It’s generally the case that more senior, more well-compensated teachers gravitate to those schools where student learning is not as challenging,” said Thiel. “The younger teachers are showing up in schools that have students with the greatest needs academically.”

It might appear to administrators that they are staffing schools equitably, with more teachers at higher-need schools.

“But if a teacher’s salary in the school where student learning is not challenging is $100,000 and the two teachers in the school where it is challenging each make $40,000, the resources aren’t showing up in that school,” said Thiel.

District officials also could be using at-risk funding to supplant general fund dollars that would have gone to schools serving kids in impoverished communities.

“It’s a new dollar coming into the district, but at the school level, instead of targeting it to the at-risk population that generated that money, the dollar that was already planned to go there is backed out,” he said. “So, the net effect at that school may be zero.”

Thiel said as the legislature looks to increase at-risk funding again this year, lawmakers should consider rules to restrict such use of the dollars.

Arellano said Ed Trust-Midwest has called for a requirement that at least 75% of targeted funds be spent at schools where qualifying students attend. They have also advocated for public and easily accessible data on school-level spending of dollars directed to at-risk and English language learners.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan dyslexia bills move another step closer to becoming law

2024-06-04T23:10:39+00:00

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Dyslexia bills supported by “science of reading” advocates moved Tuesday beyond all previous attempts to turn them into Michigan law.

Testimony for the two bills, which supporters say would help schools better identify and teach students with dyslexia or other reading difficulties, began in the House Education Committee Tuesday morning. The bills have already passed a vote in the Senate.

The legislation would require Michigan’s K-12 public schools and teacher preparation programs to use principles from the science of reading – a body of knowledge that emphasizes phonics in teaching kids to read, along with building vocabulary and background knowledge.

Previous iterations of the legislation had passed in the Senate in 2022, but never got to a hearing in the House Education Committee.

Sen. Jeff Irwin, a Democrat from Ann Arbor who has pushed for years for bills to address reading instruction for students with dyslexia, said the legislation would help all kids who have trouble grasping early literacy instruction.

“I’m not here to argue that phonics is the only fundamental skill,” said Irwin during the hearing. “And I’m not here to argue that it’s the only thing that we need to be teaching kids. I’m here to argue that it is a fundamental skill, and it is a thing that we must be attending to, and that by failing to attend to it, we miss a lot.”

If passed, Michigan would join at least 30 other states that have recently enacted laws requiring the science of reading in early literacy instruction.

Students’ literacy proficiency rates in the state have long been among the lowest in the nation. Michigan is currently ranked 43rd in the country for fourth grade reading.

Michigan schools currently are not required to follow a set reading curriculum and are able to select their own under local control. The state provides some guidance on using evidence-based programs. The bills would add more direction to schools on approaches teachers should use.

The science of reading philosophy has become more popular in recent years, winning out over approaches like “whole language,” which usually does not include phonics but focuses on context clues for comprehension, and “balanced literacy,” a theory that combines whole language and phonics.

A 2021 study shows the science of reading may hold promise for helping students with dyslexia in early literacy instruction, though experts say more research is needed.

Dyslexia is a common learning disability in which letters can appear to swap in and out of place. It is hereditary, lifelong, and affects from 5% to 20% of people. With early diagnosis and intervention, people with dyslexia can become average readers, research shows.

One of Irwin’s proposed bills would require districts screen all students for difficulty in decoding language and other characteristics of dyslexia. It would require interventions in the science of reading for struggling students. The interventions would be based on each students’ needs and could include specialized phonics instruction, technology, or small group breakouts.

Another bill, introduced by Sen. Dayna Polehanki, a Democrat who represents parts of Canton and Livonia, would put more stringent standards on teacher education programs. The programs would require instruction in the science of reading and best practices for teaching students with dyslexia.

During the hearing, some committee members showed support for the bills. Others questioned implementation and whether the current language was too prescriptive, saying they worried it wouldn’t leave room for teachers to use other approaches to early literacy education.

Rep. Dylan Wegela, a Democrat from Garden City and former teacher, said the science of reading has changed every 20 to 30 years. He said he worried changing the law would lock in this particular methodology, though it is evolving as new research becomes available.

“Are the sponsors at all worried about having a singular method or not allowing certain methods to be used for teaching?” he asked during the hearing. “And then also, what happens when a teacher does decide to provide the types of instruction that are abandoned by the bill?”

Irwin said his bill states that if a student is shown to be struggling with decoding or shows characteristics of dyslexia, their instruction would be based solely in the science of reading. He said that section is “very narrow” and applies to a “very narrow set of circumstances.”

Polehanki, also a former teacher, said studies show there is “a wrong way to teach kids how to read if they have characteristics of dyslexia.”

“For dyslexia, whole reading does not work,” she said.

Rep. Regina Weiss, another former teacher and a Democrat from Oak Park, said she’s heard concerns from school groups about whether implementing the rules would be feasible with staffing shortages.

Some school groups say the shortage of applicants for literacy coach openings, especially in rural schools, would make parts of the bill hard for districts to achieve. Others say the bills put more burden on teachers, who are already overworked and underpaid.

Irwin said those issues were addressed by pushing back the dates for district compliance to the 2027-28 school year.

“The other thing I’ll say is that this is going to require some investment,” Irwin added. “And I think if you look at the various House and Senate budgets right now, you’ll see some of that investment will be to meet the need here for literacy.”

Irwin said he and other cosponsors of the bills considered how the potential laws could build on current literacy initiatives the state has already invested in.

“We’ve already spent a tremendous amount of time and money on testing, we don’t necessarily need to do more, we just need to do it a little differently,” he said.

The bills aim to build a system that equips frontline teachers with the tools they need to meet students’ needs, instead of relying on hiring more specialists.

“Who knows these kids best?” he said. “The teachers who lift them every day – that’s the person who’s gonna be best equipped to see their needs and to meet them.”

The House Education Committee has not finished testimony on the bills. If the committee votes to move the legislation along, the bills would go to a vote in the House.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

How will the end of federal COVID relief impact Michigan schools?

2024-05-24T15:50:47+00:00

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As districts around the state brace for the end of federal COVID relief money, State Superintendent of Schools Michael Rice has a simple message:

School funding is “tightening,” he wrote in a Detroit News op-ed, but “the sky is not falling” – and not all districts will be facing layoffs.

Michigan school district leaders are still not reassured about long-term financial stability.

They may not have to cut staff, several told Chalkbeat, but the federal funds only temporarily staved off an existing financial crisis in Michigan schools.

Now that the COVID relief money is set to expire, they say, schools will return to the longstanding funding inadequacies they experienced before the pandemic. And that will impact students.

“When we’re looking at the loss of federal funding this year, it’s going to impact everybody,” said Bob McCann, executive director of the K-12 Alliance of Michigan, an organization that advocates for state school funding priorities.

Michigan districts have received around $5.6 billion in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (or ESSER) funds since the start of the pandemic. The funds will expire this year, creating what some call a “fiscal cliff” that will force many schools across the country to make hard budget decisions, including cutting staff and services added since COVID.

Declining enrollment and a projected slowdown in state revenue growth will likely put additional financial strain on some Michigan districts.

As the legislature works to approve an education budget for the 2024-25 school year, educators, parents, students, and advocates worry the state won’t be able to fund “dire” needs, such as more support for students considered to be at-risk, English language learners, and mental health supports.

An additional $1 billion in state funding has been allocated to districts to serve at-risk students through the “opportunity index,” which provides money to districts with higher concentrations of poverty. But advocates say more is needed to reverse years of inequity.

School leaders are proposing potential avenues to continue to increase state aid, such as reducing the rate of contributions districts must pay into the retirement system from 21% to 13%.

“We need stability in a system that has rarely ever had it,” said McCann.

The state’s current minimum per-pupil foundation allowance to districts, which does not include at-risk funding, is $9,608 a year. In 2010, it was $8,489 per student.

An analysis by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan found that Michigan schools would have to cut more than 5,000 teacher and staff positions to get back to the same staffing ratios they had during the 2018-19 school year – before COVID disrupted schools.

During a recent State Board of Education meeting, Rice said the districts most impacted by the end of ESSER will be the ones that spent the one-time funds on recurring expenses and “didn’t plan or plan well for this moment.”

“For some districts, the amount of federal pandemic relief was so high and the need to spend so relatively quick that some districts felt the need to use these non-recurring revenues for recurring expenditures,” he said.

But Rice said the right-sizing some districts will have to do this budget cycle will not come close to the historic widespread cutbacks the state saw in the 2010-11 school year.

“I do not believe that this is going to be the second coming of 2011, when the cuts were up to $70 per kid in per pupil foundation allowance and there were more than $1 billion worth of cuts across the state of Michigan,” said Rice.

It’s difficult to discern which programs and staff may need to be cut because the state did not require districts to report how they spent ESSER reimbursements, said Craig Thiel, the director of the Citizens Research Council.

“The state gave very little information on how this money was spent and they could have,” said Thiel. “Other states have highlighted how the money was spent on staffing and new hires.”

Daveda Colbert, superintendent of the Wayne Regional Educational Service Agency, said one of every five districts in Wayne County will be “impacted greatly” by the financial cliff.

“Our financial pressures are not because of ESSER funding,” she said during a recent online press conference with a group of school leaders. “ESSER dollars masked what was happening and slowed down where we were going.”

The federal money helped districts that were long underfunded “stay afloat,” she added, and allowed schools to add supports that should have already been in place.

The pandemic exacerbated students’ needs – and those needs persist, Colbert said.

Alena Zachery-Ross, superintendent at Ypsilanti Community Schools, said she does not anticipate her district will have to cut staff for the next school year. She said the district intentionally worked carefully to ensure the ESSER funds it received were either used to contract additional staff, went to one-time expenses, or could eventually be replaced by other grants.

But, Zachery-Ross said, the district will still struggle to meet students’ growing needs and to attract and retain teachers with current state funding.

“We want to see per-pupil spending increase as well as those at-risk funds to pay for additional behavioral support staff,” she said. “There is not enough and we need more of it.”

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

State budget proposals aim to tackle literacy crisis and make school funding more equitable

2024-05-14T11:00:00+00:00

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Michigan lawmakers are poised to approve a state education budget that would build on last year’s historic investment in the state’s most vulnerable students, while also increasing funding to improve student mental health, education for English language learners, and literacy.

But some students, parents, educators, and advocates are worried that the state won’t be able to fully fund “dire” needs at a time when Michigan faces several budgetary challenges.

Roughly $5.6 billion in federal COVID relief funds will expire this year, and state revenue growth is expected to slow in coming years. Declining enrollment also has created funding shortfalls in some districts.

Some fear districts will face painful cuts.

“The state of education right now is – truly, we’re desperate,” said Kathi Martin, a speech language pathologist and union president in Dearborn Public Schools.

“The amount of resources we have never seems to be enough,” she added.

Last week, the House passed a proposed budget that would increase school funding by $900 million compared to last year’s. That’s just slightly higher than what Whitmer proposed in her executive budget.

The Senate appropriations committee has also proposed an increase in school aid, of $1.1 billion. The Senate has not yet voted on the committee’s recommended budget, however, and is expected to take a vote in the coming days.

The legislature has a deadline of July 1 to pass a state budget. When both houses pass a budget, it will go to the governor to sign. It will take effect Oct. 1.

Last year, lawmakers passed a $21.5 billion school budget that included historic increases to benefit the state’s neediest students. But advocates say legislators must keep up the momentum to continue to work toward more equitably funding Michigan schools.

Here’s what lawmakers have proposed:

Increases to the “opportunity index”

For years, Michigan has been ranked among the worst states in the nation for the inequities in funding between schools in wealthy and poor communities.

Last year, the budget gave an additional $1 billion in funding to districts to serve at-risk students through the “opportunity index,” which provides money to districts serving communities with higher concentrations of poverty.

“Michigan must continue to take bold steps for an equitable education for its students,” said Elnora Gavin, a Benton Harbor School Board member, in a statement.

Here are some of the highlights:

The Senate committee’s proposal includes a $122.6 million increase to at-risk funds. It would allow districts to use up to 60% of the money to recruit and retain instructional staff as well as staff who help improve students’ social, emotional, or physical health.
The House proposes a $70.1 million increase. That proposal also includes language that would allow the Detroit Public Schools Community District to use up to 40% of the money to hire more instructional staff or increase teacher salaries.
The executive proposal would increase at-risk funding by $23.8 million. It would allow some districts to use up to 30% of the money for teacher recruitment and retention.

Advocates have asked lawmakers to increase the opportunity index funds by 20% over the next five years until it eventually equates to around $2.9 billion in additional funding for at-risk students each year.

What legislators are currently recommending for 2024-25 ranges from a 2.5% to around 12.8% increase over last year’s at-risk funding.

More money for mental health

Since 2021, Michigan has invested more than $715 million in student mental health programs and hiring more school counselors. However, advocates and educators say more school counselors, psychologists, and social workers are needed to adequately address students’ needs during an ongoing youth mental health crisis. The state had the third highest ratio of counselors to students in the country, according to the most recently available data.

“A lot of students’ grades are low because they are facing mental health problems and are not being heard by our teachers,” said Christina Yarn, a 17-year-old attending Saginaw Community Schools’ Heritage High School.

The governor’s office and the House both propose $300 million in per-pupil funding – $3.3 million more than last year– to improve student mental health and school safety, which is in line with what advocates have asked for. Both proposals have restrictions on the funds to be used for school resource officers. The Senate committee proposes a lower amount, $150 million for the funds, with no restrictions on districts for paying school police.

Small increase for English language learners

The state increased funding for English language learners last year, but still ranked among the worst in the nation for its funding of such programs compared to other states in 2023, according to Ed Trust Midwest.

“We have many immigrant and migrant students attending our schools,” said Martin. “Lots of children come to school and they don’t know English. In order to adequately teach these children, we need more resources than just one teacher in a room with 27 kids.”

The Senate committee’s proposal would double funding for English learners with an increase of $39.7 million.The governor and the House propose much smaller increases – $3 million and $5 million respectively.

One-time funds for literacy

Michigan has long struggled with student literacy rates. It ranks 43rd in the country for fourth grade reading. While more money was allocated to literacy efforts such as reading coaches and early literacy training for teachers last year, some administrators say they are unable to fill open positions.

The governor proposed $155 million in one-time funding to create a Committee for Literacy Development; offer a ranked list of curricula and professional development for teachers; and fund early literacy teacher coaching positions. The House and the Senate committee’s proposals include similar budget items.

Cuts to the teacher retirement fund

In order to pay for proposed increases to big items on the proposed budgets, legislators are considering making cuts to contributions to the state’s retirement funds for public school employees.

The governor wants to fund $758.9 million less than the $2.5 billion the state put into the Michigan Public School Employees’ Retirement System in 2023-24. The House proposes reducing payments to the funds by $562.4 million. The Senate committee recommends $41.3 million in cuts.

Republican lawmakers have voiced concerns that these cuts would add to an existing pension debt in the system.

Democrats, including Whitmer, say that health care is fully funded under the plan and that it is feasible for the state to scale back its investments in helping districts make payments into the plan.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Plans to put libraries in most Michigan schools get support from educators and parents

2024-04-17T16:17:11+00:00

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Six years after they were first introduced, a package of bills that would put a library in almost every Michigan public school got a hearing for the first time in the Senate on Tuesday.

The three bills would make school libraries as well as certified librarians accessible to all students. The bills are finally getting consideration at a time when the number of school librarians in the state is dwindling and gaps in student literacy achievement are widening. Supporters say the legislation would help tackle the state’s literacy crisis.

Michigan is ranked 47th in the nation for its ratio of students per certified librarian, according to the most recent analysis by the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences, with 2,988 students for every librarian.

Kathy Lester, former president of the American Association of School Librarians, told lawmakers the ratio “correlates very closely” with the state’s low literacy achievement scores. “This is a matter of equal access for our students in Michigan,” she said.

Making the legislation a reality would be costly. Local districts could have to pay as much as $403.7 million a year collectively to fulfill the bills’ mandates, in addition to initial costs to meet the new requirements, according to a fiscal analysis of the three bills.

But if they pass the bills, Michigan lawmakers would be giving school libraries a big vote of confidence. Many libraries across the nation are facing backlash from conservative community members and lawmakers who don’t want children to have access to books that cover topics such as racism, sexuality, gender, and in general topics deemed harmful or obscene.

Sen. Darrin Camilleri, a Democrat from Trenton who has introduced legislation to bolster school libraries for years, said he first saw the need for the legislation when he worked as a teacher at a charter high school in southwest Detroit and was shocked to find that it had no library.

School libraries are “increasingly being seen as an afterthought,” Camilleri said, even though they are crucial to improving literacy skills.

“We need to help all students have the resources they need to succeed, including grade-level aligned texts and knowledgeable, accessible school librarians no matter which school you go to or where you live,” he said.

The three bills, introduced in March, must pass a Senate Education Committee vote before they are considered by the rest of the Senate. The House has not yet considered the bills.

School library supporters say they play many roles

It’s not clear how many school libraries the state has. But state data shows less than 10% of schools that have libraries actually staff them with full-time certified librarians. That worries observers as well.

School librarians are essential, Lester said, because they lead the schoolwide culture of reading, connect students with the resources they need to learn, and provide crucial instruction they may otherwise miss out on.

She cited studies in Michigan and nationwide showing that schools with certified librarians produce better student outcomes on a range of measures, from higher graduation rates to higher scores on college entry exams.

Volunteers can fill the gap to a certain extent. Amy O’Brien, a parent who substituted as a librarian in Van Buren Public Schools for two days a week to keep the library open, said during Tuesday’s hearing that while she helped students check out books and supervised them, she wasn’t able to do everything a certified librarian is trained to do.

“What I couldn’t do was give them expertise in selection resources, teach lessons on information literacy, or teach lessons on information technology,” she said during the hearing.

O’Brien said she believes that to give students a “complete and equitable academic base for their studies” that all parents want, every school should have a fully staffed library with a fully certified librarian.

“The teaching and support that certified librarians provide should not be abandoned,” she said.

The lack of librarians and libraries can also increase burdens on other school staff, especially during staffing shortages.

Joy Lyman, a teacher and lead instructional coach at Flextech High school in Brighton, said none of the schools she’s taught in throughout her career had fully staffed school libraries.

When an alternative school she worked at got hundreds of books through a grant, they had to be stored in a closet since there was no library, and she had to track and organize them “on top of our normal teaching duties,” Lyman told lawmakers.

The bill would have different requirements for small rural schoolsSchools with fewer than 51 students would automatically get waivers from the Michigan Department of Education, although larger schools could also apply for waivers. Small schools would still be able to open school libraries or higher librarians if they chose to.

What would Michigan’s library bills do?

Here are some more details about the three bills discussed by senators on Tuesday.

One bill introduced by Camilleri would require every public school to have a library by the 2025-26 school year.
Under this bill, the libraries would have to be housed in a central location outside of classrooms and serve as hubs for community resources.
Every library would have collections that support students in reading independently as well as enriching their classroom curriculum.
The other bill from Camilleri would require every district to have certified school librarians in every school library it currently operates by the 2024-25 school year.
The librarians would work with other educators to provide literacy instruction and to ensure every student could read at grade level. They would also teach information, technology, and research skills.
Requirements for staffing librarians would be based on the size of districts. For example, schools with fewer than 300 students that don’t receive a waiver would have to employ at least one part-time certified school librarian. Schools with 300 to 1,499 students would need at least one full time librarian, and schools with 1,500 or more students would have to have at least two full-time librarians.
A third bill introduced by Sen. Rosemary Bayer, a Democrat from West Bloomfield, would require schools to designate staff to supervise students in school libraries when a certified librarian is not present.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Legislation that would require children who are 5 years old on Sept. 1 to attend kindergarten advances to the Michigan House.

2024-04-16T19:01:29+00:00

The Michigan Senate has approved legislation that mandates kindergarten attendance in Michigan.

The bill, which supporters say will improve early education, passed with a vote of 21-15, with Republicans in the Democratic-controlled Senate largely opposed. It must now go to the Michigan House for consideration.

Beginning with the 2025-26 school year, a child who is five years old on Sept. 1 would be required to enroll in kindergarten, whether in a traditional public school, charter school, private school, or if their parents are homeschooling them.

Michigan is one of more than a dozen states that do not require kindergarten. Despite this, the state estimates that about most students enroll in the grade.

“If we’re serious about setting kids up for a lifetime of success, early education is where it’s at,” Sen. Dayna Polehanki, a Democrat from Livonia, said on the Senate floor Tuesday.

Polehanki, the bill sponsor, said as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Democratic lawmakers push to provide Michigan’s preschool program free for all, regardless of income, that “it doesn’t make sense that kindergarten continue to be optional.”

She said the goal of the legislation “is to create a culture in which early education is valued and viewed as the indispensable building blocks that it is.”

Parents who believe their children aren’t ready for kindergarten would be able to opt out.

But Sen. Thomas Albert, a Republican from Lowell, raised concerns about the process. In order to opt out, a parent would need to notify their local school in writing that they intend to delay enrollment in kindergarten for a year.

“The process itself raises potential concerns about unwarranted monitoring of a family’s personal education decisions,” Albert said. “Why collect information from families who are choosing to wait a year before enrolling their kids in kindergarten? What is the good that is going to be accomplished by making homeschooling and private school parents report to their local public schools?”

Albert also questioned what local school districts are supposed to do with the information.

“Is this a step toward the tracking of some families who might homeschool or send their kids to private school? That’s none of the state’s business.”

Some homeschooling families have opposed the kindergarten legislation because they believe it will pave the way for a required registry.

Albert said the change in the law is trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist and he suggested the legislature’s time would be better spent addressing key issues such as chronic absenteeism.

In Michigan, 30% of students were chronically absent at the end of the 2023-24 school year, a big increase from nearly 20% just before the pandemic. Chronic absenteeism rates are particularly high in some of the state’s highest poverty districts, not surprising given poverty is one of the biggest causes of students not attending school on a regular basis. In the Detroit Public Schools Community District, the chronic absenteeism rate was 66% last school year and is trending toward 63% this school year.

Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti told senators during a committee meeting last month that he believes requiring kindergarten would help lower chronic absenteeism in the early grades.

Vitti said then that more than 70% of the kindergarten students in the district last year were chronically absent, meaning they missed 18 or more days in the school year. The rates, he said, were lower for first, second, and third grades.

“We want to start as early as possible, creating a culture and an expectation that school is important every day,” Vitti said.

Albert, during his comments on the Senate floor, said the state’s “attendance problem is far and away more pressing” than requiring kindergarten.

“Forcing someone to enroll in school does not mean they’re going to actually show up and learn anything,” Albert said. “Schools being shut down by the government for extended periods of time has changed behavior. And I do not believe the provisions of this bill are strong enough to change that.”

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan State Board of Education calls for more charter school oversight and transparency

2024-04-12T22:12:03+00:00

The State Board of Education this week made a statement calling for more transparency and oversight for Michigan’s charter schools.

The resolution, introduced by Democratic Board Member Mitchell Robinson during Tuesday’s meeting, asks the legislature to pass bills that would make the Michigan Department of Education oversee approval of new and expanding charters, only allow nonprofit organizations to manage charters, and mandate that charters comply with the same transparency laws that traditional public schools do.

“While the original notion of charter schools as laboratories of innovation came from teachers unions, that purpose has now largely been lost to predatory for-profit charter organizations … and politically motivated special interest groups,” said Robinson during the meeting.

The board voted along party lines 6-1 in favor of the resolution. Tom McMillin, a Republican, was the only vote against it. Nikki Snyder, the only other Republican on the board, left the meeting earlier in the day after her resolutions on public safety failed.

McMillan said those who want to impose more restrictions on charter schools “don’t want parents to have choices.”

“What this will do is simply force charter schools to not open,” he said.

What does the resolution recommend?

The board’s resolution asks lawmakers to enact bills that would do the following:

Make the MDE the entity that approves or denies applications of new and expanding charters in consultation with local districts.
Only allow nonprofit charter management organizations in the state.
Make charter management firms have complete financial transparency and publish expenditure reports online for the public.
Mandate that charters and their management organizations comply with open meetings laws and the Freedom of Information Act.
Require the entities adhere to the same contract bidding laws and regulations that community districts schools do.
Prevent charters from excluding students based on behavior, academic performance, disability, proficiency in speaking English, family status, or living situation.
Prohibit charters from refusing transfer students during the school year if there is available space.
Strongly encouraged charter teachers to have certification instead of short-term permits, or work to become fully certified.

What is Michigan’s history with charter schools?

Charter schools, also known in the state as public school academies, were created about 30 years ago. Those in favor of the new alternative to traditional public schools said at the time the schools could offer families more choices, with better academic achievement for students. Other supporters said the competition would force long struggling districts to improve academic outcomes.

Since then, the topic of school choice has become a political flashpoint in Michigan and across the U.S.

There are currently 285 charter districts with 363 schools in the state, accounting for about a third of all of Michigan’s local education agencies. Those schools served around 149,000 students in the 2023-24 school year, or about 10.7% of Michigan students.

Most of the state’s charters operate in cities. Nearly half of Detroit students attend charters.

Charters are publicly funded but usually rely on management companies to oversee day-to-day operations. Those companies are not held to the same transparency laws as school districts.

More than 80% of charters in the state are managed by for-profit companies that either handle all of the functions of the school or perform individual functions such as payroll and hiring, or budgeting.

Charter schools collected around $1.5 billion in funding from the state this school year.

In Michigan, community colleges, intermediate school districts, universities, and local traditional districts can authorize charter schools. Authorizers can collect up to 3% of state funding given to their charter schools.

Other states have stricter criteria for charter authorization. For example, in Nevada, authorizers are required to submit applications to the state department of education. In Indiana, authorizers are accountable for student academic achievement and must submit annual reports to the state.

Ellen Lipton, a Democratic board member, said that because of its system, Michigan is among the states with the least amount of oversight of charters.

“The governing structure for charter schools in Michigan created really perverse incentives,” she said. “It was really designed to look like there was going to be oversight, but I think intentionally to not have oversight.”

There are still questions about whether charters produce better academic results in students, and how they affect the greater school system. Some studies have indicated that charter school students show more growth than students in traditional public schools in reading and math assessments. One prominently cited report says charters added 16 days of learning in reading and six days in math. But, the “days of learning” metric used in that report is controversial among researchers who say looking at the same results by performance percentile shows not much difference between charter and traditional public school students.

Detroit charters tend to perform better academically than traditional public schools in the city, but the gains are minimal and still well below state averages.

One 2023 study found DPSCD enrolls a higher percentage of students from families living in poverty than charters in the city do. Those enrollment differences can complicate comparisons between traditional districts and charters.

In December 2022, the board passed another resolution calling for laws that would require financial transparency for charters in the state.

The move came after the board learned that only 12 of 166 charter schools responded to Freedom of Information Act requests sent by the MDE. The same request was sent to 112 traditional public school districts, all of which responded.

The board had voted in June 2021 to ask the MDE to send the requests to determine whether charters are held to the same transparency standards as other public school districts.

A package of charter reform bills was introduced by Sen. Dayna Polehanki, a Democrat from Livonia, in March 2022, but failed to move forward in the legislature.

In October, a bill was introduced by Rep. Matt Koleszar, a Democrat from Plymouth, that would require the entities that run charters to make public the average salaries of new and veteran teachers as well as support staff. The bill was referred to the House Education Committee in October.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan home-schooling families push back against talk of a required registry

2024-04-02T15:08:44+00:00

As a House Education Committee meeting ended last month, a group of home-schooling parents and community members began shouting at the lawmakers who wouldn’t allow them to speak.

“Coward,” they yelled out repeatedly at members of the committee.

They weren’t there to talk about shortages of mental health staff in schools, the topic of the meeting. Instead, they wanted to speak out against the possibility that Michigan might one day require home-school parents to register with the state.

Rep. Matt Koleszar, a Democrat from Plymouth and chairman of the House committee, has rankled home-schooling advocates by saying Michigan should require a registry. State Superintendent Michael Rice, who oversees the Michigan Department of Education and is the state’s lead educator, has said the same and is urging lawmakers to act.

Their comments have inflamed fears among home-schooling parents that their freedom to educate their kids at home might be taken away, and that a registry might be just the first step to do that. That’s despite Koleszar saying he has no plans to introduce legislation, and so far no other lawmakers have done so. Parents have vowed to resist calls for reforms and are showing up at meetings like the hearing this month and during the public comment period of State Board of Education meetings.

Kendele Sluka, a mother who home-schools her three sons in Sterling Heights, said she went to the meeting to show the representatives that a large community will fight for its right to educate their kids at home.

“It’s important to show your face and be ready to stand for the home-school community,” she said after the meeting. “I’m just ready to do what I need to do to keep it available in Michigan.”

No one knows exactly how many children are home-schooled in Michigan because home-school families are not required to notify the state or their local school district that they’re educating their kids at home. Not knowing who or where these children are is a concern, some state officials and legislators say.

“I fully respect and appreciate the ability and the right of parents to home-school their children,” Koleszar told Chalkbeat. “I have no objection. We just want to know they’re being home-schooled.”

Rice and some legislators have proposed requiring families to provide notification that they are home-schooling. In a letter earlier this year to Michigan lawmakers on legislative priorities, Rice said parents should be able to choose from among public (including charter), private, parochial, and home schools. But having a record of where children are would make it easier to know which children aren’t being educated anywhere, he said. He said, “the issue of ‘missing children’ is a national problem with potential negative consequences for too many children.”

Rice called the issue one of “student safety.”

“After the pandemic, we lost a lot of students. We don’t know where they ended up. Did they go to private school, parochial school? Did they begin home-schooling? It’s important for us to know that children are in fact being educated,” Koleszar said. “Simply registering or enrolling, even just to check a box to say, ‘I am home-schooling my child,’ at least lets us know where that kid is.”

Many home-school advocates have opposed a mandatory registration or notification system, in part because they say such a system will lead to increased government regulation of home schooling.

Michigan already has a voluntary home schooling registration system. The only home-schoolers who must register are those who need services from public schools or participate in their programs. For everyone else, it’s optional.

According to the Michigan Department of Education, 555 home schools had registered for the 2023-24 school year, including 821 students, as of Feb. 22. But that number is likely a small fraction of the actual number of Michigan’s home-school students, which is around 50,000 by some estimates.

At the committee meeting at Sterling Heights High School, Koleszar and the other representatives quickly left the room as security personnel and law enforcement officers watched as the group continued to yell.

“You said you want to hear from the community, but you didn’t give us an opportunity to speak at all,” Leanne Fisk, a mother who home-schools her daughter, said as she stood up and approached the committee.

The landscape of homeschooling in Michigan

Before 1993, if parents in Michigan wanted to home-school their children, they had to be teachers. But the law changed that year to allow parents to educate their children without a teaching certificate.

Since then, and especially during the COVID pandemic, the number of families home-schooling their children has increased dramatically. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of households home-schooling in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn metro area increased from 3.2% in April-May 2020 to 15.2% in September-October 2020.

Michigan is generally considered friendly to home-schooling because it doesn’t regulate the practice the way many other states do — by having testing and curriculum requirements.

In New York, which has strict rules, parents must notify their local school district of their plans to home-school and submit reports outlining the materials and curricula they plan to use or their plan of instruction. They must comply with attendance requirements and keep attendance records. Their children must take a standardized exam or an alternative evaluation method. Meanwhile, in Oregon, where the laws aren’t as strict, parents must notify their local district that they are home-schooling, and their students must take academic tests at the end of grades 3, 5, 8, and 10.

“For 30 years, Michigan has been one of the best states in the whole United States for encouraging the home-school community and promoting home-school culture,” said Israel Wayne, vice president of the Michigan Christian Homeschool Network, or MiCHN.

“Thousands of families have actually moved to Michigan for the purpose of home schooling, and we’re seeing many of those families now say that if laws are passed to provide needless regulations to their families, that they will move to other states that do not have those requirements.”

MiCHN represents about 11,000 families in Michigan, and Wayne estimates that over 30,000 home-schooled students are part of their network.

Under Michigan law, children must be educated in mathematics, reading, English, science, and social studies. For grades 10, 11, and 12, instruction also must include the U.S. and Michigan Constitutions and civil government, and Michigan’s political subdivisions and municipalities.

The impetus to require notification

A few high-profile cases of home-schooled children who were abused or killed by their parents, and whose parents were not educating them even though they claimed to be, have spurred conversations about mandatory notification.

In December, Koleszar posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Michigan is one of only 11 states that doesn’t count or register home-schooled children. He also noted that “abusive parents are taking advantage of that to avoid being found out ... Michigan cannot allow this loophole to continue.”

A bill to require home schools to register was introduced in 2015, after two Detroit children were abused and killed by their mother, who claimed to be home-schooling them. That bill also would have required children to meet regularly with a mandated reporter of child abuse, such as a physician, social worker, or school counselor. The bill did not get a hearing.

“While I do recognize that a vast majority of home-school parents do everything they can to provide a good education for their children, there have been those rare circumstances where a child has been abused or has lost their life,” Koleszar said. “And when people ask me, ‘Well, it’s so rare — why have a law?’ I would argue that one child losing their life in this scenario is one child too many.”

Home-school advocates have argued that a notification system won’t improve safety. “Having a child’s name on a government database protects exactly no one,” Wayne said. “We already have a law in Michigan that says you’re not allowed to abuse your child, we have a law that says you can’t kill your child …. And yet, people who are law breakers, by definition, don’t obey laws,” so a registration won’t prevent such abuse.

“If it’s only putting your name on a list, then what was the point of it?” said Detroit parent Glenn Woodard, who home-schools his children, ages 9 and 13, with his wife, Jennifer Russell. “It’s kind of hard for me to believe that it is only going to be — you’re just going to go on a list. What does that do? That doesn’t do anything.”

Woodard pointed to one of the high-profile cases, which involved two couples who had adopted dozens of children and were charged with child abuse. “The impetus for this legislation belongs with the failings of the Michigan state Health and Human Services Department,” Woodard said. “The home schooling was not the issue.”

Wayne, of the Michigan Christian Homeschool Network, said, “We don’t believe that this is merely a registration.” It’s about “trying to get the students back into the public schools for revenue, but also very likely, an attempt on their part to try to create difficult regulations” that will make home schooling more cumbersome, he said.

Rice said the proposal is limited to a notification system. “We’re simply concerned that every child who has the right to an education receives an education in one form or another — is accounted for in one place or another,” he said.

Implications of a registry debated

Some home-schoolers have asked what happens after a child is registered.

“Who’s deputized, then, to follow up?” Russell asked. “Who’s deputized to go knock on doors saying, ‘Do you have children in your home? And are they home-schooled, or do they go to public school?’”

During the pandemic, Detroit mom Bernita Bradley started the home school co-op Engaged Detroit, which provides coaching for parents. She opposes requiring parents to register. But, in her work with Engaged Detroit, she advises parents to let their local schools know they’re home-schooling.

One reason she does this is that when kids don’t show up at school, schools will report the parent for truancy. “And truancy in cities like Detroit, in Wayne County — truancy means a court case for a family,” she explained. Parents who notify the school may avoid that.

Bradley said she also understands parents who think, “I really don’t want to let you know where I’m going, because you didn’t care enough to care about my child when my child was in your building.”

Bradley said she thinks there’s more scrutiny now that more people of color and people who are less affluent started home-schooling. And the rapid growth in home-schoolers in Detroit includes many Black families, she said. “I, quite frankly, look at it as this attack now that more Black families and more urban families, people of color, are choosing home school,” she said.

Also, the effects of a registration system in Detroit would differ from the effects in wealthier suburbs, Bradley said. “I think they will have a lot of people who would not report, and so there will be some type of pushback. And that’s scary, because then what type of legal ramifications are they gonna be seeing if people don’t report?” she said. “Historic accountability for brown and Black families has not looked the same.”

If a bill is introduced, it may answer some of these questions.

Both Rice and Koleszar emphasize that they want to mandate notification or registration to help clarify who’s being home-schooled, not to create obstacles for home schooling.

Noting that Michigan doesn’t regulate home-schooling the way many states do, Koleszar said, “I think simply adding a registry is the bare minimum standard. But it’s also a standard that I’m comfortable with.”

Whitmer signs bills that give Michigan’s foster care youth hope for a quality education

2024-03-28T17:50:20+00:00

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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed legislation to ensure that students placed in foster care receive a quality education, a guarantee that has been missing in Michigan and has led to gaps in education for many youth.

The legislation was inspired by the stories of young people who told state education officials and lawmakers that their education was disrupted or inadequate.

The legislation Whitmer signed Thursday was part of a three-bill package that will now require residential facilities to enroll students in school within five days of placement and to provide an education that meets the state’s graduation requirements.

The bill was designed to address complaints from foster youth that they missed weeks of school and in some cases learned that the education they received didn’t meet state standards. The state has an estimated 10,000 kids in foster care, but the total number is unknown because many go uncounted in the current system, advocates say.

“When I heard the heartbreaking stories of foster youth who were working hard at their studies, only to discover their caretakers had given them busy work that wouldn’t count toward graduation, I knew I had to act,” Rep. Stephanie Young, a Democrat from Detroit who introduced the legislation, said in a statement.

Young told Chalkbeat earlier this year that many foster youth have experienced trauma and that “the very minimum we can do is ensure they get the best education they can.”

Whitmer previously signed two other pieces of legislation that were part of the package. One requires the Michigan Department of Education to oversee residential foster care facilities’ educational programs and enforce compliance. The other requires the education department, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and the state Center for Educational Performance and Information to track the number of children in foster care, where they are, and how they’re progressing in their education. That information must be reported to the legislature.

Christian Randle, a high school senior who was in foster care for several years, said this to Chalkbeat earlier this year about the legislation:

“It’s the bare minimum that they can do, because they haven’t been doing anything for years,” said Randle. “It shouldn’t even have taken this long to pass the bills. Just the fact that it’s had to take this long shows a lot about how kids in foster care are treated.”

Randle entered a foster care residential facility at age 11 and worked diligently on his schoolwork to fulfill a promise he made to himself to graduate high school. But when he tried to enroll in a traditional high school two years ago, he found no record of him attending nearly three years of high school.

“Through all that stress and trauma going on inside of that foster care facility, the one thing I was happy about coming out of it was my schooling,” Randle, who now lives on his own, told Chalkbeat. “And that was taken away from me.”

“Michigan’s foster kids deal with so many challenges in their lives, but being denied graduation because their curriculum is inadequate should never be one of them,” Thomas Hickson, Jr., vice president of public policy and advocacy for the Michigan Catholic Conference, said in a statement. “All Michigan’s children deserve a quality education to be able to succeed later in life.”

Chalkbeat reporter Hannah Dellinger contributed to this report.

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Advocates say Michigan lawmakers must do more to fund schools fairly

2024-03-21T19:48:42+00:00

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Michigan passed a historic school budget last year that gave an additional $200 million in funding to schools in impoverished communities. But advocates say more is needed to fund schools equitably.

During the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on PreK-12 hearing on Wednesday, advocates asked legislators to set aside $500 million more in funding for programs to support students considered at-risk this year, saying the need is “urgent.” They also asked the state to give more per-pupil dollars to English language learners and to reexamine what they called a “broken” funding system for students with disabilities.

The additional money would be allocated to the state’s “opportunity index,” a funding formula created last year that gave more dollars to districts serving communities with higher concentrations of poverty. While the advocates applauded legislators for the gains made last year, they urged the committee to allocate more money to students with high needs and continue to narrow long-existing inequities in school funding.

“It is a formula that will enable us to improve the state of education for all children,” said Jametta Lilly, CEO of the Detroit Parent Network, a group that trains and advocates for parents.

Historically, Michigan has been ranked among the worst states in the nation for its gaps in school funding between wealthy and impoverished communities. Previously, the same amount of per-pupil dollars were given to all students considered to be at-risk. Students are determined to be at risk by the Michigan Department of Education if they meet any of 10 criteria, including being from an economically disadvantaged family, being an English language learner, being chronically absent, and experiencing homelessness.

For years, advocates lobbied for the state to change its funding formula to a more equitable system. Ed Trust Midwest, a nonprofit that does nonpartisan policy research work, asked legislators to adopt the opportunity index funding formula as a step toward that goal.

“You listened, and thanks to your leadership, we are in a much different position this year,” said Jeff Cobb, director of government affairs at Ed Trust Midwest, during the hearing.

Last year, Michigan passed a historic $21.5 billion school aid budget with funding gains that benefited the students with the most needs in the state. For the first time, the budget gave more money to districts with higher concentrations of families living in poverty.

The new system created six “bands,” or levels of funding based on the percentage of students from economically disadvantaged families in a district. Within each band, districts received various percentages of additional funding from the state. For example, a district whose student body is made up of 73% of kids from economically disadvantaged households currently receives an additional 13.7% of base per-pupil funding.

While many advocates applauded the new funding system last year, the dollar amounts fell short of what they recommended. Advocacy groups are again asking for the same dollar amount they initially proposed.

Cobb asked the committee to commit to allocating enough money over the next five years so that the opportunity index would eventually give districts $2.9 billion in additional funding for at-risk students each year. In the 2023-24 budget, nearly $1 billion in extra funding was allocated to school systems.

The state still lags behind other states that lead the charge on equitable funding, as well as the best practices research recommends, said Cobb.

Though Michigan increased funding for programs for English language learners last year, the state still ranked among the worst in the nation compared to the percentage of funding other states allocate to such initiatives in 2023, according to Ed Trust Midwest.

“Unfortunately, Michigan has long underfunded English language learners leaving these students at a large disadvantage compared to their peers,” said Cobb.

Jose Orozco, executive director of nonprofit Voces in Battle Creek, said he’s experienced difficulty accessing resources for English language learners in Michigan schools first-hand.

“I know many families who face challenges ensuring that their child receives a high-quality

public education,” he said. “This is often not the school district’s fault, but rather the continuation of a school funding model that dramatically underinvests in English learners.”

Orozco asked the committee to give an additional $80 million for English language learners in this year’s budget.

“This is still far off from where we need to be,” he said. “The weights in law are still below what research recommends and leading states practice, but this investment would set us on a path towards fully funding these students.”

Another funding area the advocates said desperately requires change is how the state funds education for students with disabilities.

Currently, the state partially reimburses districts for costs related to educating students with disabilities, making it one of seven states that use this model. School systems are reimbursed for 28% of education costs for each student in special education in addition to 100% of the base per-pupil funding amount. The amount the state allocates per student has increased in recent years.

“Michigan districts shoulder much of the funding responsibility for students with disabilities but have varying capacities to cover these costs,” said Cobb. “As a result, students with disabilities are being shortchanged.”

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Lawmakers consider Michigan school safety bills prompted by Oxford shooting

2024-03-19T23:52:22+00:00

School mental health professionals, safety experts, and education leaders on Tuesday voiced support for five proposed bills that aim to prevent violence in Michigan schools, saying the measures could save lives.

The bills, which come a year after the deadly mass shooting at Michigan State University and more than two years after the killings of four students at Oxford High School, would put in place more mental health support for struggling students, including creating specific service plans to meet their needs, and more stringent protocols for responding to emergencies.

The proposals also would increase oversight of threat assessment, or the process of determining whether a student poses a risk of physically harming themselves or others.

Melissa Kree, who has been a psychologist at Oxford Community Schools for 12 years, said during a hearing of the House Education Committee that the bills “have the potential to save lives” and would give districts the guidance they “desperately” seek on assessing potential threats.

“This work cannot be ignored,” she said. “The bills before you today have the potential to equip schools with the best practices and policies so that our students, staff, and families can be confident in their districts’ ability to conduct threat assessments and follow school safety protocols in a way that prioritizes both their physical and psychological safety.”

Karen Dunholter, a social worker at Southgate Community Schools, said educators want more training and guidance to make kids safer.

“People want to be trained,” she said. “We want policies and procedures so we are not doing something that we don’t know might be harmful.”

Tuesday’s hearing comes more than two years after most of the proposed legislation was introduced. Republicans have criticized Democrats for allowing the bills to languish in the Michigan Legislature since they were first introduced in 2022. Many Democrats, however, had previously said that gun reform could not be left out of conversations about school safety, and the bills do not change gun laws.

The proposed laws have support from both Democrat and Republican lawmakers.

One of the bills, co-sponsored by Rep. Kelly Breen, a Democrat from Novi, would require every public school to have a behavior threat assessment and management team that would monitor students for concerning behavior. Students who were identified as struggling would be provided with a plan for support.

The bill was based on the findings of a third-party report on the response to the Oxford shooting, which was released in October. That report concluded that the killings could have been prevented if proper threat assessment and suicide prevention were carried out by school staff and law enforcement.

Legislation introduced by Rep. Ranjeev Puri, a Democrat from Canton, would require the Michigan State Police to create standardized terminology for use during school emergencies. A related bill co-sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Young, a Democrat from Detroit, would require all schools and districts in the state to adopt that terminology, which supporters say would create less confusion during crises.

A bill authored by Rep. Nancy DeBoer, a Republican from Holland, would mandate that the Michigan Office of School Safety notify district emergency and safety managers of any tips regarding potential threats to schools in their system as soon as possible or within 24 hours. Local law enforcement would also have to be notified within that time frame.

Another bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Luke Meerman, a Republican from Coopersville, would create a permanent School Safety and Mental Health Commission in the Michigan Department of Education. The existing commission, which was created in 2022, focuses mostly on student mental health and preventing youth suicide. The bill would add more members to the commission, and those members would be experts in threat assessments.

Jason Russell, current member of the School Safety and Mental Health Commission and a former U.S. Secret Service agent, said creating universal language for schools and law enforcement to communicate during emergencies would streamline responses.

For example, school staff and law enforcement may mean different things when using phrases like “room clear.” To law enforcement, that means students are cleared from the room. Law enforcement could also give specific instructions to rapidly move from an outdoor space to inside a building with the command “reverse evacuation.”

To become law, the bills will need to move through several more steps of the legislative process. The committee has not yet voted to advance the bills. If the bills move out of committee, the House would hold a vote. Then, the bills would go to the Senate Education Committee before a vote in the Senate.

“I think we can agree, all of us, no matter what side of the aisle you sit on, that our kids have a fundamental right to a safe and respectful learning environment,” said Breen during the hearing. “And we know that if our kids are not physically or mentally safe, they cannot learn academically.”

Lawmakers avoid discussion of guns

To get bipartisan support for some of the school safety measures, lawmakers involved in writing the bills had to agree not to discuss gun reform, Breen said.

“It was clear that we could not leave politics out of any discussion involving firearms,” she said.

One Republican accused Democrats of “political grandstanding” on the issue. Rep. Angela Rigas, a Republican from Caledonia, said Tuesday in a prepared statement that such grandstanding by Democrats had caused the bills to be stuck in “purgatory.”

“Shootings have and continue to happen at Michigan schools,” she said. “It breaks my heart to see politics take the place of humanity right now.”

Since both mass shootings, Michigan has addressed school safety in different ways, both at the K-12 and postsecondary levels. The state has allocated more than $500 million toward school safety and mental health initiatives since 2022, including $328 million for school safety grants last year.

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also signed into law several gun safety measures last year, including universal background checks and safe storage requirements. Some Republican lawmakers opposed the changes.

Breen, who has taken the lead on legislative school safety efforts, said during Tuesday’s hearing that work on the bills has been time-consuming because lawmakers have spent months meeting with experts and others to gain insight into best practices and needed improvements. The Oxford report also made lawmakers update the bills, said Breen.

Two other bills that were part of the original package on school safety legislation were not discussed in the hearing.

A bill introduced by Kathy Schmaltz, a Republican from Jackson, would make districts implement emergency plans for each school building in their system. Districts would have to update the plans every three years.

The other bill, which was introduced by Rep. Donni Steele, a Republican from Orion Township, would mandate that student identification cards list contact information for the OK2Say safety tipline.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Bill would make kindergarten mandatory for Michigan children

2024-03-12T22:22:12+00:00

Lawmakers want to make kindergarten attendance mandatory in Michigan to improve academic achievement — and the head of the state’s largest district says such a requirement could also help address chronic absenteeism.

Sen. Dayna Polehanki, a Democrat from Livonia who introduced a bill to make kindergarten mandatory, said it’s necessary “if we’re serious about improving academics.”

Students in the state currently don’t have to attend school until first grade, though many do attend kindergarten and most districts offer it.

Detroit school Superintendent Nikolai Vitti, who supports the legislation, said Tuesday during a legislative hearing that requiring kindergarten will improve attendance and student academic outcomes.

Vitti said more than 70% of the kindergarten students in the Detroit Public Schools Community District last year were chronically absent, meaning they missed 18 or more days in the school year. The rates, he said, were lower for first, second, and third grades.

“We want to start as early as possible, creating a culture and an expectation that school is important every day,” Vitti said.

The district has long struggled with chronic absenteeism. During the 2021-22 school year, 77% of the students were chronically absent, in part because of quarantining rules during the pandemic. That rate improved to 66% during the 2022-23 school year.

Vitti pointed out that at the beginning of the school year, about 6% of kindergarten students typically perform at or above grade level on district tests. That number soars to 58% by the end of the year.

“We actually believe that the 58% number would be higher if kindergarten was mandatory. It just sets the stage and the expectations the right way.”

Polehanki, who chairs the education committee, said the impetus of her bill had been to create a continuum from preschool through postsecondary education. She said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s push to provide free preschool for all, regardless of income, is an important initiative. But she said in order to do that, kindergarten must not be optional.

After hearing from Vitti, she said the bill would address academic achievement, but also “do quite a bit to remedy” chronic absenteeism in kindergarten. She said she wants lawmakers to have a broader discussion about addressing chronic absenteeism. Nearly a third of the students in the state were considered chronically absent during the 2022-23 school year.

Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet, a Democrat from Bay City, said the kindergarten chronic absenteeism rate in Detroit “is the most compelling case to say this is the right thing to do.”

Sheryl Kennedy, legislative liaison for the Michigan Department of Education, said the MDE supports making kindergarten mandatory. But she said the department would like to see some changes, such as funding to help districts that might see increased costs from the requirement. She said 17 states and the District of Columbia already have mandatory kindergarten laws.

There was also a back-and-forth between Kennedy and Sen. John Damoose, a Republican from Harbor Springs over language in a slide that accompanied her presentation that said “Demonstrated enrollment in private, parochial, charter, or home school meets the requirements of this bill.”

Damoose questioned the home school language, asking “Can you describe what demonstrated enrollment looks like especially if we’re talking about home schools?”

In Michigan, home-schooled children aren’t required to register with the state, so officials have no idea how many kids are being educated at home. There has been considerable debate recently because State Superintendent Michael Rice and some lawmakers have called on changing the law to require parents who home-school their children to register with the state.

Polehanki said the intent of the legislation is not to demonstrate enrollment among home-schoolers.

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Educators ask Michigan to invest in attracting and retaining school mental health workers

2024-03-12T14:07:13+00:00

Though Michigan schools have hired more counselors, psychologists, and social workers in recent years, educators say there still aren’t enough staff to address the state’s student mental health crisis.

School administrators and mental health professionals asked legislators to invest in programs to attract and retain staff in hard-to-fill positions to address students’ social and emotional needs Monday night at a House Education Committee hearing at Sterling Heights High School. They say that by hiring more staff to focus on student mental health, schools will be safer and academic outcomes will improve. They also asked legislators to extend funding for existing programs such as the student mental health apprenticeship program for training and retention and add more funding for training programs with distance learning options.

Since 2018, legislators have allocated funds to hire more school mental health workers with targeted funding. The state’s schools added 1,300 mental health professionals to its schools in the last five years.

The 2021 school aid budget included a onetime investment of $240 million to add more school staff to address student mental health. In 2023, the state allocated $150 million to improve student mental health, and $328 million has been allocated for 2024.

“It’s a great start,” said Diana Wheatley, a school social worker at New Haven Community Schools in Macomb County, at the hearing. “Let’s keep it going so we can meet the needs of all students.”

Michigan had the third highest ratio of counselors to students in the U.S. at one counselor for every 615 students during the 2021-22 school year, according to the American School Counselor Association, falling short of the ASCA’s recommendation of 250 students per counselor.

Rep. Matt Koleszar, right, a Democrat representing Northville, Plymouth, and parts of Livonia, asks educators questions during the House Education Committee hearing on March 11, 2024 in Sterling Heights.

“That’s startling,” said Rep. Matt Koleszar, a Democrat representing Northville, Plymouth, and parts of Livonia, of the ratios during the hearing.

The ratios of school psychologists and social workers for every student in Michigan for 2021-22 were also higher than are recommended by professional associations, according to the most recently available data.

The state had a ratio of one school psychologist to every 1,445 students. The recommended ratio is one psychologist to 500 students. The ratio of school social workers to students was one to 1,051. The recommended ratio is one social worker for every 250 students.

Michigan is not the only state facing an ongoing shortage of mental health professionals who serve youth.

Since the pandemic, students’ needs have grown, said Lauren Mangus, president of the Michigan Association of School Psychologists, during the hearing.

“Before the pandemic, there was already a mental health crisis,” said Mangus. “During the pandemic, youth depression and anxiety doubled.”

In 2021, an estimated 15% of U.S. youth ages 12 to 17 had experienced a period of at least two weeks of symptoms of major depression, such as thoughts of suicide or feelings of hopelessness, according to the most recently compiled data by the National Institutes of Mental Health.

A 2021 report from the Centers for Disease Control found more than 20% of teens have had suicidal ideation, or serious thoughts of suicide.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Advocates ask Michigan legislators to invest in retaining teachers of color

2024-03-06T19:12:54+00:00

With an ongoing educator shortage, Michigan has invested nearly $1 billion in the last two years in recruiting more teachers.

Now, advocates and parents say lawmakers must do more to retain and support teachers of color who work in communities experiencing high rates of poverty.

Among the suggestions made by those who spoke Tuesday during a meeting of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on PreK-12 were higher pay, culturally responsive support, and stipends for teachers in districts that have difficulty retaining staff.

Overall, Michigan had a teacher retention rate of 73% during the 2021-22 school year, according to the most recently available data compiled by the state. For Black teachers, the retention rate that year was 59%.

Renee Morse, director of government affairs and strategic operations for the nonprofit advocacy organization Launch Michigan, said during the hearing that the state has largely invested in educating and recruiting future teachers. A small percentage of funding has gone toward efforts to retain educators.

“Of the $1 billion investments in the teacher workforce the past two fiscal years, approximately 9.8% has been focused on teacher retention,” she said.

Among those investments were $25 million in scholarships for teachers in training who commit to working in Michigan, $175 million for Grow Your Own programs that allow support staff a free pathway to becoming a teacher in the district they work in, and $50 million for stipends for future teachers getting on-the-job training.

Other speakers told the committee that programs designed to support Black teachers and keep them in the profession would help reduce the achievement gaps in the state.

Data shows Black students in Michigan have lower rates of reading and math proficiency in all grade levels as well as high school graduation compared to their white peers. They are also more likely to be suspended and placed in special education.

“These facts are not indicative of Black students’ abilities or potential,” said Autumn Butler, co-executive director of nonprofit community group Oakland Forward. “But, it is evidence of a system that does not work for the majority of Black students here in Michigan.”

Years of research suggests that all students perform better in schools with a racially diverse teaching staff. Students of color, in particular, have improved attendance, behavioral outcomes, academic achievement, high school graduation rates, and likelihood of enrolling in college when taught by diverse educators.

“Having teachers immersed in the culture of their students means that it is more likely that the teachers have greater sense of cultural competency through their own lived experiences and may have greater sense of connection because often they come from the same communities in which their students live,” said Butler.

Elnora Gavin, a mother and member of the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board, asked legislators during the hearing for equity in funding teacher shortage initiatives.

“Many funding initiatives have produced inconsistent results because they do not account for the structural barriers that Black and brown students and teachers face before they even step foot into the classroom,” she said.

Angela Wilson-Turnbull of the Michigan Education Justice Coalition asked the committee for $600,000 in funding for a research study on teacher retention and recruitment for Black and brown educators in districts with high concentrations of poverty. The MEJC also asked for $15 million to fund a “culturally responsive education toolkit” to address the racial disparities of Black students’ outcomes.

Armen Hratchian, executive director of Teach For America Detroit, which oversees Teach Michigan, a nonprofit that has received state funding to recruit and retain educators, proposed the state create and invest $100 million in programs to support 2,000 teachers and school leaders who are already in high-poverty Michigan schools.

“As you’ve made a nearly $1 billion bet on all those those pipelines and aspiring educators – that’s a good bet – this is the time to make sure these novice teachers have the mentors, the leaders, so that they stay and develop and that they don’t walk that $1 billion out of this profession in five years,” he said.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

March 7, 2024: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Armen Hratchian’s title. His title is executive director of Teach For America Detroit, which oversees Teach Michigan.

March 7, 2024: A previous version of this story incorrectly said Teach Michigan asked legislators for an additional $100 million. Armen Hratchian proposed the state create and invest $100 million in programs that would support teachers and school leaders already in high-poverty Michigan schools.

Dyslexia bills advance in Michigan legislature with some changes

2024-02-29T13:00:00+00:00

Legislation that would require Michigan schools to use a reading curriculum and interventions for students with dyslexia that are backed by science has taken a different shape to satisfy school administrators who questioned the timeline in the bills.

The Senate Education Committee voted Feb. 20 to update two proposed bills to push back key compliance deadlines, clarify the types of classroom instruction that would be allowed, and adjust requirements for teacher preparation programs.

The amended bills are slated to go to the Senate floor for a vote. If passed, the bills would then go to the House.

The legislation, which is geared toward helping students with dyslexia, would also benefit all students learning to read, supporters say. The bills would make school systems and colleges use the “science of reading,” or early literacy instruction that emphasizes phonics along with building vocabulary and background knowledge.

Some critics of the bills agree that Michigan needs to do more to improve its falling reading scores and support struggling readers. However, they argue the state’s current efforts to improve literacy, including offering LETRS training, a professional learning course for teachers, is making a positive impact.

“Michigan has been building our literacy efforts focusing on research-supported instruction for all students,” said John Severson, executive director of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators, during a separate committee meeting earlier this month. “This bill shifts the focus to interventions, significantly impacting those who need instructional support but do not have dyslexia.”

Dyslexia, a hereditary reading disability, affects around 5% to 20% of people. Those who are diagnosed early and receive high-quality instruction go on to become average readers, studies show.

One bill introduced by Sen. Jeff Irwin, a Democrat from Ann Arbor, would require school districts to screen all students for characteristics of dyslexia and difficulty decoding language. It would also require interventions for struggling students to be based on the science of reading. The interventions, which would be tailored to students’ individual needs, could include strategies, such as breaking out into small groups, specialized phonics instruction, or using technology.

The other bill introduced by Sen. Dayna Polehanki, a Democrat who represents parts of Canton and Livonia, would set stricter standards for teacher preparation programs. Teachers in the programs would have to learn the science of reading along with best practices for helping students with dyslexia.

Originally, Irwin’s bill would have given school systems until the beginning of the 2025-26 school year to add screeners for dyslexia to existing assessments. After hearing feedback from school officials, the committee voted to extend that deadline to the 2027-28 school year.

Ruth Johnson, a Republican representing parts of Oakland, Macomb, Genesee, and Lapeer counties, was the only committee member who voted against changing that part of the bill.

“I do not think delaying implementation a full two years serves students well, especially given that our state’s fourth grade reading scores have fallen 11 places since 2019 to 43rd in the country,” she said during the hearing.

The proposed legislation also was amended to move the deadline for the Michigan Department of Education to update its list of approved diagnostic reading assessments back by a year to December 2025. That will give the department and the companies that create assessments more time to comply.

Some school administrators had expressed concerns that the bill included overly prescriptive language, saying they worried instruction and interventions that do not emphasize phonics would be banned entirely.

The amended bill says that those strategies can be used outside of instruction on word recognition and decoding, and that they may also be part of a student’s individualized education program in special education.

School officials said during testimony on the bills that there are not enough literacy coaches, who help train teachers, currently employed in the state to overhaul early reading instruction in a short span of time.

“At what point are we going to have enough capacity?” said Polehanki in response to those concerns during the hearing. “We certainly have the funding. I know it takes time, but that’s not a reason to not test kids for dyslexia, in my opinion.”

Though more money has been allocated in the current state education budget and the governor’s 2024-25 proposed budget for more coaches, administrators said there still aren’t enough people applying for open positions.

Susan Schmidt, a former educator and current member of the Ann Arbor School Board, said she was worried that the bill would only allow literacy coaches to provide training or professional development on dyslexia to teachers.

“What we don’t need are more literacy coaches,” she said during the committee hearing. “What we do need are more highly trained teachers that sit across the table from that child in their classroom every single day.”

Schmidt said the professional training she received from the Michigan Dyslexia Institute was instrumental in her understanding of how she could help students with reading difficulties excel.

“A literacy coach may talk to you and say, ‘I want you to try this in your classroom,’” she said. “But I, the teacher, need that knowledge to empower me.”

The bill was updated after the hearing to say that districts may allow anyone who meets requirements for providing that training to do so.

A requirement for schools to report individual reading plans to their districts was removed from Irwin’s bill because of concerns that it would be burdensome to administrators and might violate personal student information.

Pholehanki’s bill was updated to make it clearer that there will be some basic requirements for all teacher education programs. More extensive parameters would be set for programs focused on reading instruction and special education.

The bill was also amended to allow the MDE to issue two-year waivers to certain teacher preparation programs that do not meet the requirements in the legislation.

Irwin and Polehanki’s bills are also tied to legislation proposed by Rep. Carol Glanville, a Democrat serving Walker, Grandville, the west side and parts of Northeast Grand Rapids, that would mandate the state superintendent establish a 10-member advisory committee on dyslexia within the MDE.

A separate House bill introduced by Rep. Kathy Schmaltz, a Republican who represents parts of Jackson and Washtenaw counties, would make districts employ at least one educator trained in Orton-Gillingham, a multi-sensory teaching methodology that research suggests helps students with dyslexia.

Both House bills were referred to the House Education Committee in October.

What would the revised bills require?

Irwin’s bill would require schools to screen for characteristics of dyslexia and difficulty decoding language by the 2027-28 school year. Students in K-3 would be screened at least three times a year. Every student who shows signs of having the learning disability or trouble decoding would get intervention.
The MDE would have to update its list of approved assessments schools can use to screen students between Aug. 1 and Dec. 31, 2025. Districts would have to select the screeners they would use by Aug. 1, 2027.
By the 2027-28 school year, districts would have to ensure literacy coaches, consultants, and other staff providing K-12 reading instruction or intervention have received professional learning about dyslexia and interventions.
Polehanki’s bill would only allow the MDE to approve teacher preparation programs, or alternative teaching programs that include instruction on dyslexia. Programs that do not grant certificates specific to reading instruction or special education may be able to get a two-year waiver from the MDE.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Here’s what it would cost in Michigan for free preschool, community college, and school meals

2024-02-07T21:14:32+00:00

At a time when academic recovery from the pandemic has been slow, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced a plan Wednesday to increase spending on Michigan’s most vulnerable students.

In her budget proposal, Whitmer also said she wants to invest more in preschool, provide child care workers with payments to enroll their own children in the kinds of programs in which they work, and expands the state’s scholarship program to ensure all high school graduates can enroll in community college, for free, if they choose.

The new investments in the $80.7 billion state budget amount to hundreds of millions of dollars of additional funding for education initiatives at a time when research shows Michigan students overall are still far behind where they were academically before the pandemic. It also comes as school districts across the state face the loss later this year of the federal COVID relief money that has helped boost tutoring and mental health services students have sorely needed.

And it’s possible, Whitmer said, because the state paid off billions in debt in the Michigan Public School Employees’ Retirement System. Those debt payments, she said, freed up $670 million.

“We have the resources to invest in our people,” said Whitmer, who first outlined her proposals during her State of the State address last month.

Negotiations will now begin. Democrats hold the majority in the Senate, but until elections can be held in April for two open seats, the House is split evenly between Democrats and Republicans. Those two seats are in heavily Democratic districts.

Republican leaders were critical of the governor’s budget proposal.

“Last year, Democrats blew through a $9.2 billion surplus and fought for a $700 million income tax hike,” Sen. Jon Bumstead, a Republican from North Muskegon, said in a statement. Bumstead is the minority vice chair of the Senate Appropriations committee. “Now they are presenting an unsustainable budget that spends more money, bloats the size of government, and offers crumbs for average Michigan families still coping with higher costs on virtually everything.”

Here’s what Whitmer is proposing for schools, students, and families:

Increase in per-pupil aid for schools, including for the neediest students

The minimum amount school districts would receive per pupil would be $9,849, an 2.5% increase of $241 per student over this year’s level.

Meanwhile, Whitmer proposed continuing a practice she started several years ago of weighting funding for districts based on the needs of some students. That means schools receive additional money for students who are “academically at risk,” English language learners, career and technical education students, and rural students.

The budget calls for increasing funding by $125 million for those groups of students, which amounts to a 5% increase over the $118 million spent this year.

Community college guarantee for high school graduates

Whitmer’s budget calls for a $30 million increase in funding for the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, which would allow the program to expand to ensure every high school graduate in the state could receive an associate degree or skilled certificate at a community college for free.

With the community college proposal, more than 18,000 students would each save up to $4,820 on tuition each year, according to the budget proposal.

In her remarks to lawmakers Wednesday, Whitmer said the community college proposal would also help the state move closer to a goal to have 60% of the state’s working-age residents have a postsecondary certificate or college degree by 2030. When Whitmer took office in 2018, just 45% had achieved a certificate or college degree. That percentage is now at 51%.

“This would be a transformational opportunity for our students,” she said.

“Investments in community college are key to Michigan’s overall prosperity, as these degrees and certifications bolster the workforce across the state and help meet emerging talent needs of employers,” Brandy Johnson, president of the Michigan Community College Association, said in a statement.

Expanding free preschool for all

Whitmer’s budget includes making the state’s free preschool available to all 4-year-olds regardless of family income – two years ahead of schedule. She had previously proposed phasing in the expansion.

The expansion would cost an additional $159 million, including $63.5 million to allow the Great Start Readiness Program to enroll an additional 6,800 children. The rest of the increased cost would cover increasing the per-student allocation, opening new classrooms in underserved areas, and to help pay for the cost of transportation.

Child care workers would get free care for their children

Whitmer also plans to invest more in the child care sector.

The state would spend $60 million to create a pilot program to provide these workers with benefits to pay for child care for their own children. Budget documents say the median child care worker pay is $13.71 an hour.

“The average cost for child care for one child is $10,600 annually, which means the average child care worker would need to dedicate over 37% of their gross salary to child care costs if they want their child to receive the same care they provide for other children on a daily basis,” the document says.

Expansion of free school meals

Public school students across the state would continue to receive free school meals with $200 million Whitmer proposes including in the budget. Lawmakers included money in the current budget to ensure that each of the state’s 1.4 million children would have access to a free breakfast and lunch.

She said the free meals save families $850 a year on grocery bills and eliminates the struggle of ensuring children get out the door in the mornings with their lunch.

“Knowing that your child will eat no matter what is a huge relief,” Whitmer said.

The free meals have been criticized by Republicans because it is only for public school students, not for children enrolled in private schools or children being home-schooled.

“Why are they left hungry?” Sarah Lightner, a Republican from Springport, asked during the budget presentation.

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan Senate hears the case for requiring the “science of reading” in early literacy curriculum

2024-02-06T23:43:57+00:00

The Senate Education Committee Tuesday began hearing testimony in support of two proposed bills that would require schools to weave the “science of reading” into Michigan’s early literacy education.

The bills, which are aimed at better identifying and teaching students with dyslexia, would also likely benefit all early readers, supporters say. The legislation would mandate school districts and colleges use practices from the science of reading, or literacy instruction that emphasizes phonics along with building vocabulary and background knowledge, in assessments, interventions, and teacher education programs.

One bill introduced by Sen. Jeff Irwin, a Democrat from Ann Arbor, would add standards to existing screeners to identify students who have trouble decoding language and whether they are mastering foundational literacy skills. It would also call for interventions to be informed by the science of reading.

“We need to make sure that that pendulum is swung a little bit back toward those foundational skills of phonics in those early grades by making sure that our educators are bringing the science of reading into our classrooms – in the general ed classroom, in small groups, in individualized help, all the way throughout that classroom environment,” said Irwin.

Another bill introduced by Sen. Dayna Polehanki, a Democrat who represents parts of Canton and Livonia, would set standards for teacher preparation programs to train future educators on methods based on the science of reading as well as best practices to identify and support children struggling to read and students with dyslexia.

Currently, there is no set reading curriculum in the state and districts decide on their own under local control. The state does provide some guidance on using reading programs backed by research, but the proposed bills would provide more explicit direction on which methodology to use.

Michigan has long struggled to achieve literacy proficiency for its students and currently ranks 43rd in the country for reading for fourth graders.

Dyslexia is a common hereditary reading disability that can cause affected students to struggle in school. Studies show most people with dyslexia who get early high-quality intervention become average readers.

“Middle school is where I started figuring out that my brain was different from my peers,” said Deon Butler, now an adult who attended school in Inkster, during testimony in support of the bill. “I couldn’t read or write like them. When the teacher would call on me to read aloud, I would struggle. When I was struggling, everybody would laugh at me.”

Butler said though he managed to graduate with a 2.5 grade point average and got a football scholarship to attend Central Michigan University, he was still reading at a fourth grade level. The star athlete was signed by the Detroit Lions, but was eventually cut because he struggled to read the team’s playbook.

Butler said though schooling failed him, he learned to read from a tutor trained in Orton-Gillingham, a highly structured multisensory literacy program.

“This is urgent,” he said of the bills. “Changes need to happen. Don’t let anymore kids down, especially the kids in my community who have so much against them.”

Caroline Kaganov, parent of a ninth-grader with dyslexia, said during the hearing that students’ ability to access curriculum starts with their ability to read.

“Access to literacy should not depend on if your parent can pay for outside tutoring or if your parent has the knowledge to fight a school district to ensure the correct intervention,” she said. “We as a state are required to provide a free and appropriate public education for every child. We need to ensure that every child can read at a proficient level.”

Alyssa Henneman, an elementary school teacher in Centreville Public Schools, spoke in favor of the bills Tuesday, saying educators need training grounded in the science of reading.

“This training would improve my instruction as well as other teachers’ instruction to know where to focus our interventions to meet the needs of our individual students,” she said.

Those opposed to the bills have concerns there will not be enough funding to implement the requirements it would impose on school systems that are already struggling to hire teachers and combat learning loss.

Irwin said he would push for funding to back the bills in the upcoming school aid budget.

While best practices for reading instruction have evolved over the years, phonics has won over previously popular methods. Current research suggests effective literacy instruction should include five core pillars: phonemic awareness, phonics and word recognition, fluency, oral vocabulary, and text comprehension.

If the bills pass, Michigan would join at least 30 states that have enacted laws requiring instruction based on the science of reading.

Irwin and Polehanki have previously introduced similar legislation and have advocated for years for more help for students with dyslexia. In 2022, the bills passed the Senate nearly unanimously, but the House Education Committee never moved the bills forward.

Last year, a handful of House representatives took up the issue and co-sponsored two proposed dyslexia bills.

Rep. Carol Glanville, a Democrat from Grand Rapids, introduced legislation that would create a dyslexia resource guide and advisory committee within the Michigan Department of Education.

Rep. Kathy Schmaltz, a Republican from Jackson, co-sponsored a bill that would require schools to have at least one teacher trained in Orton-Gillingham. Both have been referred to the House Education Committee but have not yet had hearings.

Testimony on the Senate bills will continue at the next Senate Education Committee meeting on Feb. 13.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

From preschool to community college tuition: What Whitmer wants to give away free

2024-01-25T14:57:45+00:00

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer promised Wednesday to make the state’s free preschool available to all 4-year-olds regardless of family income, two years ahead of schedule.

In her annual State of the State address, Whitmer also said she would urge lawmakers to expand an existing program that provides free tuition to community colleges. The current program is for people ages 21 and up; Whitmer wants to make it available to students graduating from high school.

Those were two of the biggest ideas Whitmer pushed during a speech that was heavy on ideas but no specifics on how the proposals would be funded. More details are expected when she presents her budget proposal to lawmakers, likely in February.

Until then, here’s what you need to know about what she proposed Wednesday:

Expanding preschool program to reach more students

It was a year ago that Whitmer announced plans to make the Great Start Readiness Program, a free preschool program that targets students mostly from low-income families, available to all 4-year-olds in the state. The plan then was to phase in the expansion until 2026. But in her address Thursday, she announced a new timeline.

“In our next budget, let’s deliver pre-K for every single 4-year-old in Michigan, two years ahead of schedule,” Whitmer said to applause.

She said the universal free program would save families $10,000 each year. Preschool can be expensive, and a fact sheet that accompanied Whitmer’s speech said 40% of Michigan’s 4-year-olds do not attend a preschool program.

But expanding it to serve all 4-year-olds may prove difficult. Early childhood program providers have said they have difficulty finding teachers, and the funding they receive doesn’t allow them to pay teachers and other staff a livable wage.

Still, Whitmer says the expansion is needed to give students a good start in their education journey. She said it is key to improving academic performance, which has lagged for years.

“Four-year-olds who go to pre-K arrive at kindergarten better prepared to learn,” she said. “They are more likely to graduate, go to college, and earn more over their lifetime. And we know higher education or skills training leads to higher incomes.”

Free community college for all high school graduates

Whitmer, who is pushing to increase the number of Michigan residents who have a postsecondary degree or certificate, proposes providing free tuition for high school graduates to attend one of Michigan’s 28 community colleges.

The proposal has been lauded since it was first reported Tuesday by the Associated Press.

Free community college tuition “has the potential to attract and retain newcomers to the Great Lakes State,” Amber Arellano, executive director of the Education Trust-Midwest, said in a statement. “Though it will take time to fund such a grand vision, it’s important to set strategic goals for the state to work toward over time.

Whitmer said those pursuing an associates degree or skills certificate at a community college “can save an average of $4,000 on tuition.”

“This is a transformational opportunity for graduating seniors and will help us achieve our Sixty by 30 goal of having 60% of adults earn a post-secondary degree or skills training by 2030,” she said.

Michigan already provides free community college for residents who are 21 years old or older and pursuing an associates degree or an eligible skills certificate.

Whitmer to push to extend free school meals

This school year, the state invested millions of dollars to provide access to free school breakfasts and lunches for every student, regardless of income. The Michigan Department of Education said in November that every district in the state is participating in the program, meaning nearly 1.4 million children have access to free meals.

But the funding was available for just one year, and there are efforts to ensure these free meals are available for future school years. Whitmer said Wednesday that she planned to include the meals in her budget proposal.

Whitmer said the initiative allows students to “focus on learning and so their parents save $850 a year on groceries, per student.”

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach Lori at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

FAFSA form completion could become a Michigan high school graduation requirement

2024-01-23T20:13:14+00:00

Michigan students would be required to complete a federal financial aid form to graduate from high school under a bill that supporters hope will help remove a barrier to the pursuit of higher education.

The proposal would bring Michigan in line with about a dozen other states that have passed laws to make completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid a graduation requirement. A few more states are contemplating a similar rule.

The FAFSA is used to determine a student’s eligibility for federal grants, work-study funds, and loans. It’s also used in some cases to determine whether a student qualifies for state or and private aid, as well as tuition assistance programs offered by the state’s major universities to students from low-income families.

State Sen. Darrin Camilleri, a Democrat from Trenton, said he introduced the bill to help students recognize the post-secondary opportunities available to them.

“In 2023, only about half of graduating high school seniors completed a FAFSA in Michigan, and this year was not an outlier, " he said during a Senate Education Committee hearing in October. “On average, Michigan students are leaving nearly $100 million in federal aid on the table simply because this form is not filled out.”

Skeptics of the bill have been concerned that the FAFSA requirement would force families to disclose sensitive financial or personal information, either to complete the form or to seek a waiver from the requirement. The bill has been modified to address some of their concerns.

Others say it would add a new burden on college counselors to help students comply. The online form can be confusing, and usually requires students and their parents — or anyone else who might help pay for a child’s education — to set up separate accounts and logins and complete their respective parts of the form.

The federal government’s rollout of a new FAFSA form with fewer questions was supposed to make the process easier. But the changes have not gone as smoothly as intended since the soft launch on Dec. 31, with numerous reports of technology issues.

“I’ve spoken to colleagues who have their own kids who are seniors and are filling out FAFSA this year,” said Wendy Zdeb, executive director of the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals. “They thought the form would be easier this year, and they have found that not to be true. It took them a lot more time, and these are people who are already familiar with the process.”

Expect more such challenges for people who are not familiar with the form.

Ninth-graders Omari Pennington and Brayden Lewis said they had never heard about the FAFSA.

They are both interested in going to college but haven’t talked with a counselor at Detroit Public Schools Community District’s Henry Ford High School about the opportunities available to them yet.

Both children of single mothers, Omari and Brayden said it might be difficult for their moms to find the time to fill out the form with them if it were a requirement.

“My mom is busy,” said Brayden. “She goes to work from like 7 to 12 in the morning.”

But both Omari and Brayden said they can see the benefit the bill might have in allowing more kids to see that there is funding available for their education.

States with FAFSA requirements see higher completion rates

Onjila Odeneal, senior director of policy and advocacy in Michigan for the Institute for College Access and Success, said that overall the bill will help a lot of students see college as something they can attain, especially in low-income and minority families.

“A lot of kids are not completing FAFSA because they don’t think post-secondary education is possible for them,” Odeneal said. “It’s important for them to be aware of what’s available for them.”

Filling out the FAFSA unlocks grants and funding from Michigan universities, such as the University of Michigan’s various tuition discount programs and its Go Blue Guarantee, and Michigan State University’s Spartan Tuition Advantage.

The form is also required for students to qualify for money from two key state programs. One of them, the Michigan Achievement Scholarship gives up to $5,500 a year for qualifying students to attend an in-state public university, $4,000 a year to go to an independent nonprofit college, $2,750 for community college, or $2,000 for career training programs. The other, Michigan Reconnect, pays tuition at local community colleges for students age 21 and older.

States that have adopted the requirement have seen big increases in FAFSA completion rates among high school seniors. Texas’ FAFSA completion rate went from about 50% to around 63%. In Louisiana, 2020 research by the Century Foundation found the requirement helped close the gap in FAFSA completion rates between school districts in low- and high-income communities.

However, the research also revealed information gaps and other hurdles for students applying for aid.

For example, the number of applications with incomplete information was higher in districts with higher rates of students of color and students from low-income families. English-learners also had difficulty interpreting the form, and students who didn’t have documented legal immigration status struggled to fill it out because they didn’t have Social Security numbers.

Zdeb, from the principals group, worries that the legislation undermines the efforts of educators to destigmatize the idea of going to trade and technical schools, rather than four-year colleges, after high school. “This is kind of contradicting that message,” she said.

Camilleri noted that the bill would still help many students pursuing those educational options, because FAFSA is also used to determine eligibility for federal Pell grants, which can be used to attend some trade and technical schools.

Bill allows for waivers from FAFSA requirement

Under the most recent iteration of the bill, the law would take effect with this year’s sophomore class — the high school graduating Class of 2026 — and require every public school student to submit a FAFSA form to the U.S. Department of Education, unless they receive a waiver. School districts and the Michigan Department of Education would be required to compile data on how many students complete the form and how many receive waivers.

Parents could sign a waiver to exempt their children from the requirement. Waivers would also be available for students 18 or older, emancipated youth, and youth experiencing homelessness, among other circumstances, such as when parents or guardians are unwilling or unable to submit their part of the form.

The bill would require the newly created Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential to create an information packet on the FAFSA for school districts to distribute to high school students.

School districts would have to come up with funding they need to enforce compliance with the legislation, according to a fiscal impact analysis of the bill.

A big concern for administrators and school groups is whether high schools have enough counselors equipped to take on the new task. Michigan ranks among the lowest in the nation for the ratio of counselors to students, and the problem is especially acute in rural areas.

“There couldn’t be a worse time to put another initiative on our counselors and administrators,” said Zdeb. “Their focus right now is on student mental health and making sure kids can graduate. Putting another thing on them is not good timing.”

Odeneal acknowledged the shortage of counselors but said the bill should provide the impetus and the time — two years before it takes effect — for schools to hire more.

Legislation changed to address privacy concerns

The current version of the bill reflects changes made to address questions about privacy.

Groups including the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center argued that the bill would require parents and students to disclose sensitive information such as immigration status in order to get a waiver from the requirement.

“We were able to work with legislators on some meaningful changes to the bill and we have now shifted our position to neutral,” said Christine Sauvé, the center’s community engagement and policy coordinator, said Monday. “Significantly, the updated version involves community partners in the development of the waiver form and allows vulnerable students to opt out due to privacy concerns.”

The changes were important to protect immigrant and LGBTQ+ students, students who are victims of child abuse and neglect, and other vulnerable populations who may not want or be able to disclose why their parents can’t sign a waiver, Sauvé said.

“The updated bill also adds a requirement for school districts to take reasonable steps to provide language access to students and families with limited English proficiency throughout the FAFSA submission and opt-out process, ensuring that materials will be translated into the language spoken by the family,” Sauvé said.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Advocates for Michigan foster youth hope education reforms will pass this year

2024-01-18T16:30:00+00:00

When Christian Goode transferred from a traditional high school to Lakeside Academy, a state-licensed residential foster care facility near Kalamazoo, some of his academic records never made it over.

As a result, he had to repeat an entire year of classes, and redo school work he had already completed.

“At times, I didn’t want to do it, because I had already done it,” Goode said of the work. “It felt like I was forgotten and no one cared.”

Goode is now 21 — years past high school and living in Van Buren Township. But the holes in Michigan’s foster care system that disrupted his education persist today, and they continue to create turmoil for thousands of students in foster care.

As reported by NBC in 2022, many students describe having to repeat years of school due to lost academic records. Some say they were placed in residential facilities that failed to give them an education that met state graduation requirements. Others said they missed weeks or months of school while waiting to be enrolled after moving to a foster-care facility.

Their experiences are now inspiring efforts in the Michigan Legislature to ensure that students in foster care get more of the education they deserve.

“These are young people who have already been dealt a lot of trauma,” said State Rep. Stephanie Young, a Democrat from Detroit. “The very minimum we can do is ensure they get the best education they can.”

Three bills introduced last year by Young passed the Michigan House in November. Young said she is pushing for the legislation to move quickly through a hearing in the Senate Housing and Human Services Committee and for a vote in the Senate. She says the bills have bipartisan support.

One of the bills would require that residential facilities enroll students in school within five days of placement, and that they provide an education that meets the state’s graduation requirements. Another bill would give the Michigan Department of Education responsibility for overseeing the facilities’ educational programs and enforcing compliance.

The third bill would require the MDE and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to keep better records on the number of children in foster care, where they are, and how they’re progressing in their education.

The state has an estimated 10,000 kids in foster care, but the total number is unknown because many go uncounted in the current system, advocates say. For example, people ages 18 to 23 who are still eligible to receive state services are not included in that count.

Michigan foster youth have a high school graduation rate of about 40% – lagging about 40 percentage points behind the state’s overall graduation rate. That figure doesn’t give a clear picture either, because it doesn’t include youth who drop out or complete high school in residential facilities.

“This problem has existed for years, and we’ve finally decided to come up with a solution,” said Young. “I don’t foresee any major obstacles in moving this thing forward.”

A group of foster youth and advocates spoke at the Dec. 12 Michigan State Board of Education meeting to ask the board to support a package of bills that would reform the way the state oversees education for kids in foster care.

Inadequate record-keeping adds to challenges for youth in foster care

Christian Randle entered the foster care system at age 11, when he said he was abandoned by his mother. He thought he was excelling in his school work for years, and worked hard to fulfill the promise he made to himself that he would graduate high school.

But when he left a residential facility and tried to enroll in a traditional community high school two years ago, he found out there was no record of him attending nearly three years of high school. In fact, Michigan has no centralized electronic system to track foster youth and their educational records.

“Through all that stress and trauma going on inside of that foster care facility, the one thing I was happy about coming out of it was my schooling,” Randle, now an 18-year-old senior at an online school, said in January. “And that was taken away from me.”

“I felt defeated and like I had to restart everything,” he said through tears. “To me, it felt like my life was over.”

The inability to access records also makes it impossible for traditional public schools to identify students who are in foster care, which can deprive those children of resources they need or their rights under federal education law.

For example, schools can’t fulfill the federal Title I requirement to engage with students’ families if they can’t identify who holds a foster youth’s parental rights. Neither can they comply with the federal 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act’s assurance of transportation for foster youth if they can’t identify which students are in foster care.

“They are invisible in schools,” said Saba Gebrai, program director at Park West, a Michigan nonprofit that supports foster youth. “Under the federal law, they have all these protections, but we can’t protect and serve them if we don’t know who they are.”

Because schools can’t see the youths’ case files, administrators can’t identify who has their parental rights. Biological parents, caregivers, and students old enough to hold their own parental rights are routinely denied access to the educational records they are legally entitled to.

Carlos Correa, a former foster youth who spoke about his experience to the Michigan State Board of Education in December, said he regularly struggled to get absences excused when he was in high school.

“They kept insisting that I get permission from my parents to attend my doctors appointments,” he said.

Education for foster youth lacks consistency

Beyond the record-keeping, it’s the quality of education that concerns many advocates for foster youth.

When kids move from one facility to another, often in the middle of a school year, there is no continuity in their curriculum, said Gebrai. The assessments they take to determine what classes or grade levels they should be in vary from facility to facility.

Residential facilities, many operated by private companies, can decide on their own what students are taught.

“Graduation and high school diplomas are not mentioned in the contracts that these facilities have,” said Gebrai. “Each facility is creating its own idea of what school is and what assessments to give, and they are not in communication with each other.”

Many youth who live in the facilities describe being placed in classrooms packed with kids of all ages and grade levels. They say there is often only one instructor or facility staff member overseeing large numbers of students. Some say they are instructed entirely online, and others say they are assigned packets to complete as lessons without instruction from a teacher.

“I was in a place for like one month without receiving education because of constant fights,” said Correa of a residential facility he was placed in.

Existing state laws require parents or facilities only to provide youth with “timely” enrollment in school. That vague language often leads to weeks of missed school for kids moving around in the system, advocates say.

Young said the explicit five-day deadline in the legislation she introduced would clear that up.

Gebrai and other advocates argued for the bill to mandate “immediate” placement, but Young argued for some flexibility. “Kids might be dealing with the trauma of being removed from their house and the only school they knew,” said Young. “Going to a new school the very next day, that’s traumatic. I get that there needs to be some wiggle room.”

According to a fiscal impact analysis of the bills, the laws would cost the state around $600,000 to hire three full-time staff members in the MDE to implement the proposed new requirements.

The residential facilities may contract with public schools to provide curriculum, the analysis says. The school aid budget already allocates $10.5 million to reimburse districts for on-site education for youth.

Foster youth see an opportunity for change

Goode, the former Lakeside Academy student, ultimately got his high school diploma there, and plans to go back to the University of Michigan-Flint in the fall. But he feels he missed out on a “normal” high school experience and childhood.

“I’ve never been to a homecoming dance or prom,” he said. “I’ve never experienced a high school science fair. A lot of things I grew up without and I sat on the outside of it. I can’t change that now.”

But he and Randle see Young’s bills as hope that things can change for other youth in foster care.

Randle, who lives on his own in Southfield and works several jobs to support himself and his cat, hopes to complete high school this year. His dream is to be the first in his family to attend college and to eventually have a career helping foster youth.

He says the changes in the law are long overdue.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Eight key Michigan education stories we’ll be watching in 2024

2024-01-05T19:41:50+00:00

With elections that could alter the state’s political balance, a new agency getting involved in education issues, debates over funding and budgets, and numerous policy changes taking effect, 2024 will be an eventful year for education in Michigan.

Educators and advocates who recorded big victories for their reform agenda in 2023 will look to keep their momentum in 2024 and tackle what they see as some unfinished business — specifically, dealing with staffing needs and locking in more equitable and sustainable funding for public schools.

But they face a number of obstacles and uncertainties, including the potential for economic and political shifts.

“I think a lot of us will be looking at the budget in 2024,” said Bob McCann, executive director of the K-12 Alliance of Michigan, which advocates for public schools. “We put really good building blocks in place in 2023. But can we find a long-term, sustainable solution for funding?”

“When looking at things like social workers, we can’t make the hires we need without knowing there is long-term funding in place,” McCann added. “We need to find ways to make sure these programs will be funded, even in leaner budget years. Those are the critical next steps.”

Wendy Zdeb, executive director of the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals, said it’s essential that reasonable increases in per-pupil funding continue.

“It will depend on state revenue and the economy, so it’s hard to say what it will look like moving forward,” she said. “I’m hopeful about where we’re at now and that it is only going to increase. But history tells us otherwise, and that’s always concerning.”

Here is a preview of some of the top stories Chalkbeat Detroit will be watching in 2024.

School funding: The push for equity continues

The end of federal COVID relief aid for education has increased the pressure on school district finances this year and reignited the conversation about equity in school funding.

Michigan has historically been among the worst states in the nation for big gaps in school funding between wealthy and impoverished communities. Educators and advocates have criticized the state’s current method of funding schools for decades and pushed for an overhaul of the system.

Last year, the state passed a historic $21.5 billion school aid budget that provided gains for the students with the most needs. An “opportunity index” measure in the budget allocates more weighted funding to districts with higher concentrations of poverty. Previously, the state gave the same amount of per-pupil dollars to all students considered to be at risk, regardless of the poverty levels in their districts.

Advocates say this type of funding boost would have to continue for decades in order to correct imbalances for districts that historically were underfunded.

2024 elections: Fate of Whitmer’s agenda at stake

Just over a year ago, Democrats solidified their power in Michigan by retaining the governor’s office and winning control of both chambers of the Legislature by slim margins. As a result, a number of education policy changes and priorities they fought years for became a reality in 2023.

This year’s elections will test the Democrats’ strength. Already, their legislative power is diminished: Two Democratic House members won mayoral races at the end of 2023, and their departure leaves the House with a 54-54 partisan split, at least until new members are chosen in an April 16 special election.

Both seats are in heavily Democratic districts. But given the stakes of the election — potential control of the House and the power to advance or thwart Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s agenda — political analysts are waiting to see if Republicans will make an aggressive push to flip the seats in their favor. A total of 12 candidates have filed to run in a Jan. 30 primary for those seats.

Voters cast ballots at the Robert Bowens Senior Citizens Center in Pontiac during the August 2022 primary. This year's elections will be a test of the political strength Democrats gained in the 2022 election.

Another test will come in the November general election, when the entire House will be up for election.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District will have contests for three school board seats in November, with the potential to alter the dynamic of the seven-seat board.

The Michigan State Board of Education will also have seats up for grabs in 2024, and other potential changes tied to the elections. The only two Republican-held seats on the board are up for election, and Republicans will likely fight hard to keep them.

One of the Republican members, Nikki Snyder, is currently campaigning in the Aug. 5 Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Debbie Stabenbow. And Board President Pamela Pugh, a Democrat whose term expires at the start of 2031, said she plans to run for an open U.S. House seat in 2024.

Candidates for the board are typically announced at party nominating conventions, usually in the summer. The primary elections for the U.S. House and Senate seats will be Aug. 6.

Of course, 2024 is also a presidential election year, and debates over school choice, teacher pay, student mental health, and curriculum have already begun to play out in the campaigns ahead of primary contests beginning this month. Candidates vying for the Republican nomination have also made an issue of learning materials and library books containing mentions of racism as well as sexuality, gender, and LGBTQ+ matters.

Student health: Bills and health centers in the works

Amid the continuing recovery from the pandemic, more legislators from both parties are acknowledging the mental health struggles students are experiencing, and they’re supporting bills to improve access to mental health services. Several more bills were introduced in 2023 and we expect to see movement on them in 2024.

One bill would allow K-12 public school students to take up to five mental-health days a school year as excused absences. State Sen. Sarah Anthony, a Democrat from Lansing who introduced the bill, said she will advocate for it to move quickly through the education committee when the legislative session begins.

Many advocates are still pushing for Michigan to add more counselors to its public schools. The state reported last year it added over 1,300 mental health professionals to schools since 2018, but it’s still short of the average student-to-counselor ratio recommended by the American School Counselor Association.

The 2024 school aid budget includes $33 million for school-based health centers and another $45 million to upgrade existing centers. Watch for the impact of that spending to appear this year.

DPSCD is set to open a total of 12 high school-based health hubs over the next three years with $4.5 million in philanthropic grants. Some of the hubs have already opened, offering medical, dental, and mental health care.

Legislators from both parties are supporting bills to improve access to mental health services. One bill introduced last year would allow K-12 public school students to take up to five mental-health days a school year as excused absences.

Special education: How will the state deal with staffing shortages?

School staffing shortages have been a problem in Michigan schools for years, and they’re particularly pronounced in special education. The state’s list of critical shortage areas for schools includes special education administrators, teachers, and support staff in every disability and role. These shortages can make it difficult to comply with state and federal rules on serving students with disabilities.

Much of the discussion regarding special education shortages has been focused on teachers, and not as much on the support staff whose roles are critical to ensuring that students are evaluated and receive the services they are entitled to. This was highlighted during a meeting of the Detroit school board last month, when a handful of special education support staff urged board members to address the shortages they say have led to increased caseloads.

How schools address shortages in special education and other areas is critical to ensuring that students receive a quality education. Though many efforts are underway to address the problem — including training programs that give aspiring teachers a quicker route to the classroom and programs that aim to get high school students interested in teaching — they won’t provide the solution schools and students need now.

MiLEAP: New agency will take on some education functions

Whitmer in July issued an executive order establishing the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, which focuses on improving educational outcomes for students in preschool through postsecondary programs. Michelle Richard, who was the governor’s senior education adviser, will lead the department, known as MiLEAP.

With the new agency under a cabinet-level leader, the governor’s office will be more directly accountable for educational performance in the state. That is something critics of the state’s current system have demanded for years. Some education stakeholders hope this will allow the governor to make faster changes in education policy.

The department moves forward in 2024 with work on issues such as child care licensing, before- and after-school programming, and college scholarships. Meanwhile, educators, administrators, and policy makers will be watching whether MiLEAP leads to more efficiency or more bureaucracy.

The department is made up of three offices: early childhood education, higher education, and education partnerships. It takes over several functions previously handled by the Michigan Department of Education, including the Office of Great Start, which serves the educational needs of children up to age 8.

‘Right to literacy’ settlement: How will DPSCD allocate $94.4 million?

DPSCD has a big new pile of state money to help address problems with reading and literacy for students in the district, thanks to a settlement in the 2020 “right to literacy” lawsuit.

The state appropriated $94.4 million under the settlement, and DPSCD has until 2027 to spend the money. But big decisions will come this year on how the money can best be used to improve student achievement.

A task force is working on recommendations to the district on how to spend the money, based on community input. Its recommendations are due by June 30. The district doesn’t have to adopt the recommendations, but Superintendent Nikolai Vitti has said the district will consider them.

District officials have been previewing their own ideas for how the money might be spent, including hiring more academic interventionists, increasing literacy support for high school students, and expanding teacher training on how to help students who are several grades below reading level. At a school board retreat in November, school board members brainstormed solutions that included training high schoolers to teach basic reading to young children, and partnerships with maternal health programs and early childhood centers to help educate families about literacy before their children enter school.

One thing to keep an eye on is whether the solutions meet the terms of the legal settlement requiring that the money be invested in programs that follow evidence-based literacy strategies. The money can also be used to reduce class sizes for K-3 students, upgrade school facilities, and provide students with more reading materials.

School safety: Proposals respond to Oxford killings

Legislation and reform aimed at preventing school shootings will remain a top priority for lawmakers in 2024.

Since the Nov. 30, 2021, shooting at Oxford High School, where a 15-year-old killed four students and injured seven others, Michigan has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into improving school safety.

The 2024 school aid budget allocated $328 million to improving student safety and mental health.

Numerous bills addressing school safety were also introduced last year, including one that would mandate that all school buildings be equipped with panic alarms, one that would create a state office of school safety, and one that would require an emergency safety manager in each district.

In November, Snyder, the State Board of Education member, proposed a resolution calling for stricter safety training requirements for school staff and increased accountability for school employees and administrators for safety lapses. The proposal came after an independent report on the Oxford H.S. shooting found multiple failures by school administrators to take steps to prevent the killings.

The board didn’t adopt the resolution, but many members expressed interest in revisiting it after more input from state officials.

Chronic absenteeism: Will schools succeed in improving attendance?

Last year brought some encouraging news with small declines in chronic absenteeism. But even with those dips, large numbers of students in the Detroit district and across the state are missing far too much school.

A sign at Samuel Gompers Elementary-Middle School in Detroit promotes regular attendance. Chronic absenteeism rates have improved in Detroit and across the state, but they remain high.

We’ll have our eye on this issue, because efforts to improve student achievement won’t work when classrooms are missing students on a regular basis, and teachers are constantly having to reteach material that students missed.

Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 18 or more days in a school year. During the last school year, nearly 31% of Michigan students were chronically absent. In the Detroit Public Schools Community District, the rate was 66%.

Important issues to watch in 2024: Will schools find innovative ways to improve attendance? What happens to students whose frequent absences trigger punitive acti on? And will communities band together to address the causes of chronic absenteeism?

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

These are the 6 storylines that defined Michigan education news in 2023

2023-12-21T16:16:06+00:00

This was a transformative year for education in Michigan. Democrats took control of the state Legislature and rolled back some of the reforms enacted during Republican control.

Gone are the requirements for holding back struggling readers, using test scores to evaluate teachers, and giving letter grades to schools.

A new state education department was launched with an eye on improving outcomes for students. The state education budget invested historic amounts of money in the most vulnerable children.

The news went beyond Lansing, of course. Schools in Detroit dealt with budget cuts precipitated by the loss of federal COVID relief funding, which dried up in the district. They also tried to address high rates of chronic absenteeism.

As we head into the holidays and into a new year, here’s a look back at six big story themes from 2023:

Chronic absenteeism continues to threaten pandemic recovery

All the education reforms in the world won’t make a difference if students aren’t coming to school every day. That poses a particular problem in Michigan, where low achievement levels have driven calls for improving the way students are educated and schools are funded.

Those efforts have bumped up against data showing nearly a third of Michigan students were chronically absent during the 2022-23 school year, meaning they missed 18 or more school days; in the Detroit Public Schools Community District, two-thirds were chronically absent.

Chalkbeat Detroit has made reporting on chronic absenteeism a priority, because it’s important for readers to understand the consequences of frequent absences, the reasons students miss school, and the broader factors that are fueling absenteeism.

During 2023, we wrote about how Detroit’s spotty transportation options for students make it difficult for some to get to school every day. We also wrote about a state law enacted in 2015 that punishes parents of chronically absent students. If those parents receive public assistance, the state has the option of yanking that aid. Family poverty is a leading contributor to student absenteeism, and as Chalkbeat reported, some research has found that punitive approaches to chronic absenteeism don’t work. Critics argued the state shouldn’t take away assistance from the very families who need it the most.

Chalkbeat took readers inside Gompers Elementary-Middle School to capture efforts to improve chronic absenteeism. We introduced you to Effie Harris, an attendance agent whose work is at the center of those efforts, and students such as Jay’Sean who were benefiting from a mentoring program that paired students at risk for chronic absence with an adult in the school. We also reported on community efforts to boost attendance.

Finally, we reported on some positive developments after after the dramatic increases in chronic absenteeism during the pandemic. The state’s 30% rate in 2022-23 was down from 38% in 2021-22, and DPSCD’s 66% rate was down from 80% in the previous year.

Democrats take control of Lansing, roll back GOP school reforms

For the first time in decades, Democrats had control of the Michigan Legislature and the governor’s office. They didn’t waste any time flexing that power, and applied much of it to the state’s schools.

Among the big moves lawmakers made during 2023: They repealed Michigan’s A-F letter grade accountability system for schools. They repealed the portion of the Read by Grade 3 law that requires schools hold back third graders who are a year or more behind in reading. They passed legislation that restores the collective bargaining rights of teachers — rights that were removed under Republican control more than a decade ago. Legislation was also enacted to remove student test scores as a factor in evaluating teachers.

Perhaps the biggest move was in the passage of a state K-12 budget that was lauded by many education experts and advocacy groups as groundbreaking, because it reflected an aggressive approach to addressing learning that was lost during the pandemic, and because it allocated more money to some of the most vulnerable students in the state.

Much of the Democratic-led education legislation passed along party lines, with Republicans largely opposed. Some of the opponents told Chalkbeat for a recent story that they believe accountability and transparency have been removed from classrooms.

New state education department launched

Among the other big political issues that grabbed headlines in Michigan was Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s announcement in July that she was creating a new education department focused on improving outcomes for students in preschool through postsecondary programs.

The new department is the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, or MiLEAP. It is taking on some functions previously handled by the Michigan Department of Education, such as early childhood education.

Some cheered the announcement, saying it would give the governor more direct control over some important functions. But others worried that a new department would create more layers of bureaucracy. The State Board of Education, which oversees the MDE, asked the state attorney general’s office to rule on the legitimacy of the department.

The department launched this month with Michelle Richard, a Whitmer adviser, as its acting director.

Federal relief aid is on its way out in Michigan schools

As we’ve reported for more than a year, federal COVID relief funding has helped school districts pay for expanded tutoring, mental health services for students, and other resources needed to recover from the pandemic. It has also helped school districts, particularly those that are financially troubled, become more secure.

But that money has already dried up in the Detroit Public Schools Community District, which undertook the difficult task of cutting positions and laying off some staff during the spring. The federal funds don’t run out until September 2024, but because the district allocated more than half of its nearly $1.3 billion allocation toward a massive facility plan, the district hit what experts have described as a fiscal cliff sooner than most other districts in the state.

Early in the year, Chalkbeat reported on whether school districts are ready for the impending loss of the federal aid. And throughout the spring, we provided consistent coverage of the debate over cuts in the Detroit school district, as some in the community worried that the district could return to the days of state control, when financial crises led to routine cutbacks and school closures.

Detroit district finally gets literacy lawsuit money

The 2016 Detroit “right to literacy” lawsuit was finally fully resolved this year when the Michigan Legislature allocated $94.4 million to support literacy efforts in the Detroit school district. As part of the settlement in that suit, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had committed to including the funding in her budget proposals, but it wasn’t until Democrats took control of the Legislature that her proposal became a reality.

Now, the focus turns to how that money will be spent. There is no shortage of opinions on how that money will benefit students most. A task force required by the settlement held meetings this fall to hear from residents and is required to deliver recommendations to the district. Detroit school board members discussed options during a November retreat.

The money comes at a crucial time. Improving reading skills among Detroit schoolchildren has been a large concern for decades. Reading scores for Detroit students have ranked among the lowest in the nation over the past decade and a half.

Mixed news on early childhood education

State officials have made early childhood education a priority for years now, and this year, lawmakers took a step toward ensuring that any child, regardless of family income, is eligible to enroll in the state’s free preschool program. And Whitmer has also pushed to expand access to child care programs. Meanwhile, a report released this summer said Michigan is improving outcomes for early childhood health and education.

But the early childhood education industry in Michigan is still unstable. Staffing shortages will make expansion efforts difficult. Child care providers have demanded more funding so they can pay their workers competitive wages. And federal COVID relief money that was intended to keep child care centers open during the pandemic dried up in September, leaving some predicting the loss of the money will result in programs closing or increasing costs.

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

A look back at key Michigan education legislation in 2023

2023-12-04T16:08:24+00:00

With Democrats in control of the Michigan Legislature for the first time in decades, a number of education policy changes and priorities they have long fought for became a reality in 2023.

They include some reforms that educators and school administrators have pushed for as well, from a historic school aid budget that prioritized funding for students considered to be at risk, to the repeal of a retention provision in the third-grade reading law, to the elimination of the A-to-F school rating system.

“Educators for a lot of years said they agreed with some of the problems identified by the Legislature, but didn’t feel like they were listening to what was needed,” said Bob McCann, executive director of the K-12 Alliance of Michigan, which advocates for public schools. “On a number of these issues, the end result of this session in large part was that lawmakers were listening to what we were telling them was going to be the most effective way of addressing these issues.”

McCann said that compared with previous years of Republican control, the Legislature sent a clearer signal to educators that it was looking to better understand the needs of schools and how to best support them.

Most notably, this year’s school aid budget set the foundation for changing the way the state funds public education, following some recommendations from the School Finance Research Collaborative, which has developed a roadmap for more equitable school funding.

“It’s impossible to say we liked every piece of every bill, but the fact that there is a lot of input from educators and thoughtful discussion happening, I think is appreciated,” said Wendy Zdeb, executive director of the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals.

Republicans and conservative advocacy groups viewed this year’s Democratic-backed policy changes differently, saying accountability and transparency were removed from classrooms.

“Whether it’s the adding of items to collective bargaining, educator evaluations, changes to the third-grade reading law, or the removal of school report cards, these are anti-student efforts,” said Beth DeShone, executive director of the Great Lakes Education Project, a school-choice advocacy group founded by Trump administration Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

Molly Macek, director of education policy at the conservative Mackinac Center for Public Policy, said that in a record school aid budget, “very little was directed toward improving student outcomes and learning.”

Here’s a look at the key education measures that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and lawmakers enacted this year, and one that’s making its way through the Legislature:

School aid budget boosts funding for the most vulnerable students

The $21.5 billion K-12 budget that passed in a mostly party-line vote in June was lauded by many education experts and advocacy groups as historic and groundbreaking, because it reflected an aggressive approach to recovering lost learning after the pandemic, particularly for the state’s most vulnerable students.

The budget allocated more money to special education, English language learners, and students from low-income households. Many supporters said it addressed “past wrongs” and failings by the state.

In addition to increasing overall per-pupil funding, the budget provided a new way to calculate funding for “at risk” students, setting aside $952 million to give schools 11.5% more money per eligible student.

And the budget included the $94.4 million for literacy programs that was promised to the Detroit Public Schools Community District to settle a 2016 lawsuit alleging that the state denied the city’s schoolchildren a basic education by failing to teach them to read.

Also funded in the budget were free school meals for all students.

Smaller ticket budget items also delivered money to benefit community-based advocacy efforts, education nonprofits, rural districts, and teachers. Among the beneficiaries were programs in Detroit that support student transportation and parent engagement.

Retention provision in third grade reading law is gone

In March, the Legislature voted mostly along party lines — with one GOP vote — to repeal part of Michigan’s controversial law that required third-graders who tested more than a grade level behind in reading to repeat the grade.

The law, which provided many ways for students to get exemptions, was criticized for its disparate impact on children from lower-income families and Black students, who were more likely to be held back than their white or wealthier peers who also struggled with reading.

Supporters of the repeal said holding back students didn’t help their learning outcomes and only did harm.

Defenders of the law said the prospect of retention helped boost test scores. But research on the issue is not conclusive, and suggests any improvement in test performance is short term.

Teacher evaluations delinked from student test scores

In November, legislators passed changes to the state’s teacher evaluation system that eliminated student test scores as a factor in teachers’ job performance ratings. Many educators hailed the change as a big win for teacher retention.

Under the previous system, as much as 40% of a teacher’s rating was based on student test scores. But little evidence emerged that the system led to better student outcomes.

Republicans largely opposed the change, saying it would lead to less accountability for individual teachers.

A-to-F school rating system eliminated

Lawmakers in May scrapped a law that required the state to assign A-to-F grades to schools.

Critics of the system, put in place in 2018, said it was redundant, because Michigan schools are already rated on a 1-to-100 scale to comply with a federally mandated accountability system. They also said the A-to-F grades stigmatized lower-performing schools and encouraged teachers to focus their lessons on standardized tests rather than broader learning.

Republicans had argued that a letter-based grade would be simpler for parents to understand than the 1-to-100 scale.

Teachers regain collective-bargaining rights

Under a bill Whitmer signed into law in July, teachers regained collective-bargaining rights that were stripped away by Republicans more than a decade before.

The change allows teachers once again to bargain on issues such as performance evaluations, staff reductions, teacher placements, discipline, and classroom observations.

The bill was a huge win for teachers unions, but some organizations representing school administrators and school boards opposed it.

McCann and Zdeb said their organizations have concerns over a provision that says seniority can be used as a tie-breaker in deciding teacher placement.

“A seniority-based system hurts young teachers and potentially puts teacher longevity over student needs,” said Zdeb.

Student-inspired bill to address sexual assault is now law

A law that requires Michigan schools to help students understand terms like “consent” and “sexual assault” passed with bipartisan support this summer.

The long-pending legislation was born out of an idea from a group of Detroit girls of color based on their own and peer experiences. The girls found that many of the kids they talked to didn’t know where they could find help or resources for sexual assault survivors.

In June, the Legislature passed a bill that amends state discipline law to protect public school students who report being sexually assaulted from being expelled or suspended more than 10 days in a school year.

According to research and testimony in favor of the bill, responses to trauma can often include behaviors that go against school policy.

Charter schools could face new disclosure requirements

A bill introduced in October would require Michigan charter schools to publicly disclose average teacher and support staff salaries.

Currently, those costs aren’t always clear in charter schools’ financial reports, because they can be lumped in with other expenses paid to for-profit management companies that operate most charter schools.

The State Board of Education has sought more clarity on how much public funding charter schools spend on educating their students, and how much goes to the private management companies.

McCann, from the K-12 Alliance, said the proposed bill is a good start to a larger, “long overdue” conversation on ensuring that charters operate by the same rules as traditional public schools. “Tax dollars are being spent and appropriated, and we need some accountability on the back end when these charter schools fail.”

Macek, from the Mackinac Center, agreed that “some level” of transparency for charter schools would be a positive, adding that she believes “it’s important to not be putting added regulations or restrictions” on the entities.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.