Education

SB 168 allocates state funding for Michigan's 29 community colleges for fiscal year 2025-2026 under the State School Aid Act. It provides a total of $506,504,600, broken down into specific amounts for each college's operations, performance-based funding, and costs related to the North American Indian tuition waiver program. The bill directly affects all Michigan community colleges by determining their state budget allocations for the upcoming fiscal year. This is a funding bill with no new policy provisions beyond budgetary adjustments.

SB 234 requires Michigan public school districts and public school academies to create and implement policies limiting student cell phone use during school hours starting in the 2025-2026 school year. The policy must restrict phones during instructional time, breaks, lunch, and recess, while requiring exceptions for emergencies, medical devices, and students with disabilities (as required by law). Schools must detail enforcement methods and post the policy on their websites. This directly affects all Michigan K-12 public schools and their governing boards. The bill does not ban phones outright but mandates structured policies to reduce classroom distractions.

SB 56 adds specific funding allocations to Michigan's School Aid Act for fiscal years 2024-2025. It appropriates $100 from the state school aid fund for public schools, $3.3 million from coronavirus recovery funds for community college academic catch-up programs (for fiscal year 2023-2024 only), and $100 from the general fund for higher education purposes. These provisions directly affect public schools, community colleges, and higher education institutions by providing targeted funding for educational programs. The bill also updates constitutional spending estimates for school aid and higher education funding totals for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

SB 83 allocates $30 million from the state school aid fund and $20 million from the educator fellowship fund for the 2024-2025 school year to create a stipend program for student teachers in Michigan. Eligible student teachers must be enrolled in approved teacher training programs, working in a school district or qualifying public preschool program, and not yet employed as a full teacher. The program provides up to $9,600 per semester directly to student teachers through their training programs, with priority given to those receiving Pell Grants if funds are limited. This affects student teachers pursuing certification and their educator preparation programs, aiming to support their classroom experience during training.