At Gompers Elementary-Middle School, located on Detroit’s northwest side, teachers and administrators came together to address the issue of chronic absenteeism, when students miss more than 18 days of school.
The board’s resolution came after a litigious group created a form for Michigan parents to exempt their children from exposure to ‘hyper-sexualization’ in school.
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.
If the state law is repealed, public school teachers and other government employees will still be governed by a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that prevents unions from requiring public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.
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.
A bipartisan House panel created after the deadly shootings at Oxford High School did not address gun safety in its recommendations because it could not reach consensus. Now, with a Democratic led House and Senate, advocates see an opening.
Chronic absenteeism, charter school transparency, third-grade retention and early childhood education are expected to be top issues this year as Democrats take the full levers of power in Lansing.
Children in foster care graduate in four years at half the rate of other students, in part because many take unaccredited classes. Now, lawmakers are under pressure to reform the system.
With Democrats controlling the legislature in January, they could get their wish for greater transparency from for-profit charter school operators. The Democratic majority on the State Board of Education supports such a move.
Democrats could breathe new life into the effort when they take control of the Legislature in January, but the path forward may be complicated by other legislative priorities. The bills include universal screening for K-3 students, specialized instruction and teacher training.
Regional superintendents across the state propose a new, more flexible path for certifying teachers. The plan includes getting future teachers in classrooms earlier in their education and paying them as they teach.
Help is on the way for more of Michigan’s lowest performing districts, which qualify for extra support and funding through a state partnership program.
Over a decade of Republican dominance in Michigan, perhaps no individual shaped Michigan school policy as much as DeVos. Democrats now hope to undo her work.
Republican supporters say the law is a valuable reminder of the need for schools to work closely with parents on what’s taught. A Democratic critic called it an election-year stunt that does nothing to improve student learning.
