Notable public ed bills in the 2023-4 session

Major public education measures in the 2023-24 Legislature

• FY 2024 school aid omnibus budget (SB 173, PA 103 ’23): an overall $1.6 billion increase in state P-12 education spending, despite a fall in federal funds; removed prohibitions on districts suing the state and restrictions on collective bargaining agreements.
• FY 2025 school aid omnibus budget (HB 5507, PA 120 ’24): a $1 billion reduction in state P-12 spending, including a 5.1% reduction in payments to local agencies and schools. There was no change in the K-12 foundation allowance; reductions stemmed from $258 million in cost adjustments for the foundation allowance and $868 million saved by removing one-time funding from the previous year.
• FY 2025 school aid supplemental (HB 5504, PA 148 ’24): signed in October of last year, adds $125 million one-time spending for per-pupil payments to public and private schools for mental health and school safety interventions.

• SB 63 (PA 26 ’23) added school buses to the allowed use of local school district sinking funds, in addition to acquiring lands and buildings, purchasing technology and improving school security.
• SB 359 (PA 112 ’23) removed prohibitions built into the Detroit Public Schools restructuring of 2016 that would preclude using years of service or earning advanced degrees from formulas determining teacher and administrator compensation in the DPSCD.

• SB 12 (PA 27 ’23) removed the requirement added in 2016 that students not reading at second grade levels by the end of third grade (as judged by standardized tests) be held back to repeat third grade. The bill leaves in place the requirements for extra supports and parental involvement of students struggling with literacy.
• SB 567 (PA 146 ’24) required schools to begin screening students for dyslexia starting in kindergarten as well as developing a “multi-tiered system of supports” using evidence-based strategies for students identified by the screenings. The bill also required MDE to develop expertise in the area and to create targeted curriculum and materials for use by districts to support students.
• SB 568 (PA 147 ’24) instructed MDE not to certify teacher preparation programs unless they offered instruction in identifying and supporting students with dyslexia.

• HB 4820 (PA 116 ’23 ) relaxed restrictions on what factors could be considered by districts when placing, hiring, firing, laying off, or recalling K-12 teachers. Previously, length of service could not be a primary factor, but the bill requires only that it not be the sole factor in making personnel decisions. The bill also removes language making teacher effectiveness (as judged by the mandated system based primarily on test scores) the primary factor in these decisions, but does require that it be included as a factor. Finally, the bill requires districts to adopt and implement “clear and transparent” procedures for making personnel decisions.
• SB 395 (PA 224 ’23) altered the teacher and administrator evaluation standards adopted in 2011, which made student test scores the predominant measure for evaluation. Under the bill, an evaluation system can use either student growth and assessment data (test scores) or progress on student learning objectives; the bill also lowers the weight of these factors from 40% to 20% of the evaluation. The bill also requires evaluators to meet with teachers and discuss their findings as well as provide written feedback. Evaluators must also complete training every three years to ensure reliable use of the rating system. The names of rating categories were also changed from “highly effective … ineffective” to the three categories “effective,” “developing,” and “needing support.”