Vote mostly along party lines would nix requirements that third graders behind in reading repeat the grade. Democrats say it didn’t work; GOP said it didn’t have a chance to.
From free school lunches and community college to water line improvements and subsidized field trips to Michigan’s state parks, the Democrat outlines her wish list. It could look very different once it’s approved.
The Democratic governor now has a Democratic Legislature and a giant budget surplus to pursue education priorities, including individualized tutoring, universal pre-school and other progressive policies.
Literacy, tutoring and preschool are among priorities in Whitmer’s education budget proposal, according to details emerging ahead of Wednesday’s release, all topics thought to have at least some Republican backing.
The governor’s proposed budget will call for continuing $9,600 stipends for student teachers and $10,000 scholarships for education majors. But her budget plans for 2024 is a small fraction of last year’s ask.
Michigan is the only state that requires most counselors to get updated training in college and career counseling to maintain their credential. It’s one of many reasons to support their quiet but important work and ensure funding to pay for more of them.
If the state law is repealed, public school teachers and other government employees will still be governed by a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that prevents unions from requiring public employees to pay union dues. But labor leaders want to be prepared if that changes.
Democratic lawmakers are moving quickly to remove the part of the state’s third grade reading law that requires students a year or more behind to repeat the grade. The bill passed out of a Senate committee Tuesday.
East Lansing Public Schools was among several Michigan districts that reduced security years ago to address other budget concerns. But this year has been marked by reports of guns, fights and intimidation, leading school officials to change direction.
Community colleges sustain the biggest drop, but the percentage of recent high school graduates at four-year schools remains well below pre-COVID levels.
Wednesday’s snowfall closed schools across much of lower Michigan. But many districts say they are more likely this year to fall short of the six snow day closures allowed by the state.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will give her first, in-person State of the State address since 2020, before the pandemic hit Michigan. Here is everything you need to know about how to watch it and what topics she is expected to cover.
Parents’ rights groups aiming to stop school discussions on diversity and LGTBQ issues generally lost at the ballot box. But they are not going away, leaving schools and vulnerable students still in great need of public support.
Imposing three-to-five-year funding cycles makes school funding more predictable and enables better district forecasting. Currently, districts rely on the whims of politics one year to the next. It makes it harder for districts to budget, which makes it harder to solve the teacher shortage issue or hire more counselors.
In her fifth State of the State address, set for Wednesday, Whitmer will make the case for more tutors in schools before spring break to help students recover from pandemic learning loss.
Artificial intelligence writing generators like ChatGPT can compose school assignments at the click of a button. Is it the end of writing as we know it? An invitation to cheating? Or a handy tool like a calculator?
Teachers wanted a voice in setting the state’s education agenda. With the Legislature now under Democratic control, four key panels that control education policy and funding will be led by former teachers.
