Resolutions

The MASB opposes any attempt by the Legislature to change the current process of electing ISD board members by mandating popular elections. Current law allows for the popular election of ISD board members and can be utilized without further change in law. 

The MASB further opposes any change in law that would add requirements, prohibitions or otherwise infringe on an ISD board’s ability to govern through board policy. 

The MASB opposes any attempt by the Legislature to impede ISD board members or their employees from participating in professional development activities or otherwise carrying out their mission. 

A-3.05 Financial Disclosure  
(Rev. 2000) 

The Michigan Association of School Boards opposes any state legislation that would require candidates for local public offices and public officers at the community level to disclose all of their sources (or their family members’ sources) of personal income and debts. 

A-3.10 Open Meetings Act  
(2005; Rev. 2021) 

Given the uncertainties resulting from court decisions interpreting the Open Meetings Act, the MASB urges the Legislature to amend the law to: 

1. Ensure that public bodies may use truly advisory committees composed of less than a quorum of the body without requiring such committees to meet in open session, as long as all advisory committee reports and recommendations are presented at a public meeting with opportunity for public comment before the body acts on the report or recommendation. 

2. Permit school administrators to conduct closed interviews of applicants for employment with a school district in any position other than superintendent. Any employment interview conducted by the school board must be open to the public. 

3. Allow for board meetings to be held virtually as determined by school district policy, as long as the public has access to participate. 

The Michigan Association of School Boards also supports an amendment to the Open Meetings Act to permit consideration of the sale of real property in closed sessions. 

A-3.15 Nonpartisan School Boards  
(2026) 

The Michigan Association of School Boards opposes legislation that would alter the current minimum enrollment age requirement for entry into kindergarten. The appropriate readiness for entering kindergarten should be made based on the individual student, and a decision should be made jointly by the parents and the school district. 

The MASB also believes that the mandatory age for enrolling students in an education program should move from the current age of 6 to the age of 5. The earlier a child is exposed to an organized educational setting, the more successful that student will be in later grades. 

A-6.15 Early Childhood Education   (2017; Rev. 2026)  

The Michigan Association of School Boards supports a greater focus on and continued investment in early childhood education, especially from birth to age five, in the public schools and other supportive community agencies, recognizing the economically sensible and socially responsible role it plays in quality education. Funding should be adequate to cover all qualifying children. The MASB urges:  

1. intermediate school districts to work with the administration and the Legislature to take a greater leadership role in the education of children from birth to age five.  

2. local school districts to realize the vital importance of early childhood education programs in helping children achieve success in school.  

3. the State of Michigan to sufficiently fund early intervention programs for infants and toddlers with disabilities, developmental delays and those at risk for delays due to certain established health conditions.   

4. the State of Michigan to continue to expand preschool funding to include all 4-year-olds regardless of income and ensure sufficient funding for such programs, such as the Great Start Readiness Program.  

5. the State of Michigan and local and intermediate school districts to encourage and support interagency cooperation in providing early childhood education programs.  

6. The federal government to consistently and sufficiently fund early education programs such as Head Start.   

A-6.20 Instructional Time 
(2021; Rev. 2023) 

The MASB supports a school year incorporating no fewer than 180 days and 1,098 hours of student instruction. Any hours delivered virtually either to individual students or to a student body as a whole should be counted toward the minimum days and hours. Days canceled due to severe storms, fires, epidemics or health conditions should be made up in order to ensure maximum instructional time for students in all districts. 

The MASB believes that counting professional development hours toward the instructional time requirement should be at the discretion of the school district. The school district should consider whether or not the professional development will positively affect student achievement before counting it toward instructional time. 

The MASB also urges the Legislature to provide additional financial support to those districts that operate instructional programs more than the state-prescribed minimum number of days per year. 

A-6.25 Post-Labor Day School Opening  
(Rev. 2006) 

The Michigan Association of School Boards opposes current statute that prohibits schools from beginning classes prior to Labor Day. 

A-6.60 Schools of Choice 
(2003; Rev. 2023) 

The Michigan Association of School Boards supports parental choice in the public school system at the discretion of local boards of education and within the parameters set by each school board. 

Any program allowing parents to choose schools must ensure that: 

1. The program is not part of a federal or state voucher plan for financing nonpublic education.  

2. The program does not foster racial, social or economic segregation or segregation of students with disabilities. 

3. The program addresses educational, labor, financial and administrative issues, such as the stability and continuity of educational programs, grade levels, space limitations, transportation, extracurricular activities and collective bargaining. 

The MASB opposes mandatory school of choice requirements in order to qualify for state or federal funds. 

A-6.65 Public School Academies (Charter Schools)  
(2012; Rev. 2021) 

The Michigan Association of School Boards urges legislation regulating public school academies (charter schools): 

1. Conform with state constitutional requirements. 

2. Limit the authorization of public school academies (charter schools) so that a charter is not granted to a public school academy that merely duplicates programs being offered in a school district and allow the state oversight authority of the opening and closing of a public school academy (charter school). 

3. Include a means of assuring public oversight and accountability, both with respect to the educational programs provided for students and the governance of public school academies (charter schools). 

4. Require public school academies (charter schools) to meet all academic, health, safety, open enrollment and other mandates applicable to public school districts. 

5. Provide that the authorizer that grants a charter to any entity to operate a public school academy (charter school) is directly responsible and accountable for the legal, fiscal and educational operations of every public school academy it charters. 

6. Limit the foundation allowance of each public school academy (charter school) to the basic foundation allowance for school districts in the state. 

7. Differentiate the student foundation level when the public school academy (charter school) operates as a cyber school based on the lower cost of providing an online program. 

8. Require operators of cyber schools to have previous experience delivering effective online learning. 

9. Maintain accountability and transparency of the authorizers and management companies at the same level as elected school boards and the administration of all public schools. 

The MASB also encourages boards of education to investigate whether chartering a public school academy (charter school) would enhance the education opportunities for students in their districts. 

A-6.70 Home Schooling  (Rev. 2006) 

The Michigan Association of School Boards urges the Michigan Legislature to set standards for home schools, including a state registration and monitoring system enumerated by county, which would ensure that each child receives instruction and services comparable to those provided in the public schools in the district of residence. 

A-6.75 Online Education  (2003; Rev. 2026)  

The Michigan Association of School Boards supports the creation of online education options by traditional public schools in Michigan to meet the individual learning needs of students. These systems should work in concert with the traditional system and could be a blended model or completely online, depending on the needs of the district and the students impacted.  

I. Public Finance and Taxation 
A-10.05 Opposition to Financial Support of Nonpublic Schools  (Rev. 2002) 

The Michigan Association of School Boards urges its members and the public to oppose any proposal to subsidize or support elementary or secondary private and parochial schools through tax credits or deductions, vouchers or other direct or indirect payments. 

A-10.10 Federal Financial Support  
(2009; Rev. 2019) 

The Michigan Association of School Boards urges the President and Congress to recognize that public education is primarily a state and local responsibility, with policy decisions best determined at the local board of education level. The role of the federal government in public education must correspond with the funding provided. Local board of education control in public education is served best by a federal policy that: 

1. Recognizes attempts to balance the federal budget shall not be made at the expense of public schooling for students in this country. 

2. Establishes reasonable limits on the regulatory authority of the U.S. Department of Education. 

3. Fully funds all federally mandated programs, including testing, and distributes federal funds appropriated for supplemental, categorical programs on an equitable basis. 

4. Leaves primary responsibility for specific expenditures with the local school district so that such funds can be used to pursue educational priorities set at the local level. 

A-10.15 Federal Spending Priorities (2015; Rev. 2017) 

The Michigan Association of School Boards urges Congress and the President to adequately fund federal programs such as special education and the Every Student Succeeds Act. Other federal assistance programs that are critical to states to achieve the goals of ESSA should also be fully funded. 

A-10.20 Unfunded Mandates and Sanctions  
(Rev. 2004) 

The Michigan Association of School Boards opposes any state or federal legislation that results in increased costs for school districts without full funding. The MASB also encourages the Michigan Legislature to oppose any federal laws or programs that are not fully funded, thus costing the state valuable resources. Unfunded mandates only reduce the current programmatic offerings of a school district at the expense of the students. 

The MASB also opposes using monetary sanctions against school districts in an attempt to achieve certain outcomes. School districts and students are better served when incentives are offered rather than punitive measures.  

A-10.25 State Financial Support   
(2017; Rev. 2026)  

The Michigan Association of School Boards believes every child in Michigan should receive a comprehensive education. The MASB also believes that the state of Michigan must fulfill its constitutional responsibility to ensure sufficient funding to support quality public education and an equal educational opportunity for all. State funding must be sufficient to provide a well-rounded educational program that includes, but is not limited to, the state model core content standards for students in all districts. The MASB also believes that the federal government should provide adequate resources to supplement state funding, including, but not limited to, fully funding the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act.  

To that end, the MASB supports:  

1. A constitutional amendment to limit the allowable usage of the State School Aid Fund to PreK-12 expenditures.  

2. Continued reduction in disparities in per-pupil revenue among school districts, with a final goal of equitable funding for all districts. This includes creating proper weighted formulas for special populations as proposed by the School Finance Research Collaborative and without reducing the revenues of any school district.  

3. Specifically dedicating sufficient state revenue sources to fully fund Michigan’s PreK-12 public education system. If dedicated revenues are reduced, they must be replaced with other dedicated revenues.  

4. Continued focus on research, including the School Finance Research Collaborative, to clearly delineate the cost of providing a world-class education to the children of Michigan.  

5. Requiring that prorated per-pupil funding follow students who transfer between public school academies (charter schools) and/or public school districts after the student count date.  

6. Funding for supplemental, categorical programs consistent with the state’s obligation to assist students with diverse needs as demonstrated by careful study and research. Such special programs should be funded in addition to the target foundation allowance and should be reassessed periodically.  

7. Actively advocating for the sufficient funding of economically disadvantaged students to reflect the needs of the population and with a minimum inflationary increase each year, so that schools may continue to provide these services.  

8. The timely appropriation and disbursement of state and federal funds so that local and intermediate districts can establish their budgets and maintain an adequate cash flow. The Michigan legislature is expected to follow MCL 18.1365, requiring the state budget to be passed and presented to the governor on or before July 1 each year.   

9. All borrowing costs, either incurred by the state or a school district to enable appropriate cash flow due to the state’s payment schedule, should be borne by the state’s General Fund. The distribution system needs to be returned to a system that awards districts all funds in the district’s fiscal year for which the funds were appropriated.  

10. Providing individual districts with the ability to raise limited local revenues for operational purposes.  

11. Full state funding for state-mandated special education programs and services. At a minimum, the state must fund these programs at the Headlee Amendment minimums. The state must not count per-pupil foundation grants against funding for mandated categorical aid.  

12. Financial support for alternative discipline programs.  

13. State financial support for the development and operations of alternative disciplinary education programs, since many students who require these services result from state-mandated expulsions.  

14. State financial support for early middle college programs.  

15. State financial support for pupil transportation operational expenses.  

School infrastructure improvements should be determined by local needs assessments and planning, based upon the specific and unique needs of each community, with assistance provided by the state. Any attempt to restrict the access of public school districts to the school bond loan fund is contrary to good public policy and should therefore be strongly opposed.  

A-10.30 School Infrastructure Funding  
(2003; Rev. 2021) 

The Michigan Association of School Boards believes it is a fundamental responsibility of the state of Michigan to provide infrastructure funding to school districts to ensure equal educational opportunity for all students. 

Educational research shows a significant relationship between the learning environment and student achievement. The MASB believes the Michigan Legislature should set as a priority the infrastructure needs of the public schools in Michigan. 

To that end, the MASB supports: 

1. State funding to assist school districts in replacing and repairing potentially unsafe school buildings and in upgrading facilities to include technological capabilities essential for education. 

2. State equalization of debt retirement levy. 

3. State assistance for the development of property to be used for school construction, including road construction, drainage, sewage disposal, water and any other specific needs to make a site ready for construction. 

4. State funding for pupil transportation capital expenses. 

5. State funding for the expansion of affordable and reliable broadband access. 

The MASB also believes that whenever the United States Congress and the President consider ways to revitalize the United States economy, they should include federal support for school infrastructure in any legislative package that is presented. 

A-10.35 School Fiscal Year  (1996) 

The Michigan Association of School Boards supports retention of the current law establishing a school fiscal year beginning July 1 and ending June 30. 

A-10.40 State Aid and Millage Rollbacks  (Rev. 1996) 

The Michigan Association of School Boards supports legislation that amends the State School Aid Act or other legislation to guarantee that the state will make up any revenue loss due to the rollback (required by Section 31 of Article 9 of the State Constitution) of the 18 mill non-homestead tax levied on a local level, which will protect the fiscal integrity and subsequent operating budgets of affected local and intermediate school districts. 

A-10.45 Interest on School Tax Collections  (1986) 

The Michigan Association of School Boards believes that interest earned on school property tax collections properly belongs to the school districts. The MASB opposes legislation that would allow municipal and township treasurers to retain the interest gained on all taxes collected by townships and cities. Cities and townships should not be permitted to use interest earned from school funds to finance township and city operations. 

The MASB also opposes legislation restricting the ability of local units of government to reach voluntary agreements on school tax collections. 

A-10.50 Property Tax Assessments   (1992; Rev. 2026)  

The Michigan Association of School Boards supports reform of a property tax assessment system that:  

1. Establishes uniform, statewide property assessment practices and procedures.  

2. Appoints qualified and certified assessors.  

3. Assures that taxpayers provide assessors with information needed to facilitate an accurate assessment process.  

4. Strengthens the initial appeals process to encourage the settlement of assessment challenges at the local level.  

5. Properly assesses commercial property at a fair rate for its current use to maintain the integrity of the tax system and local revenues. Including banning the use of unoccupied properties as comparable properties when valuing currently operating commercial property.  

6. Protects property taxes as an important funding stream to support our schools and local governments.  

A-10.55 General Taxation   
(Rev. 2026)  

The Michigan Association of School Boards supports a state tax system that produces the revenues necessary to support quality public education and other needed public services. The tax system should provide for an equal educational opportunity for children throughout the state and should be based upon equitable, adequate and diverse tax sources.  

Any proposal to change, revise or otherwise affect the taxing authority of local and intermediate school districts must contain guarantees to ensure that no district will suffer revenue losses from state-imposed tax reform.  

A-12.70 Public School Employee Compensation and Benefit System  (2013; Rev. 2017) 

The Michigan Association of School Boards supports a school employee compensation and benefit system that is cost-effective yet still allows school districts to attract quality candidates to the education field. 

To that end, and consistent with other public and private sector offerings, the MASB supports: 

1. The right of a local or ISD board of education to determine compensation and benefit levels of the district’s employees. MASB further opposes any legislation or regulation that would infringe on the right. 

2. A retirement health care plan that provides benefits based on years worked in the public school system, not to exceed 80 percent of the premium payment. 

The MASB opposes a change in retirement systems that would create an undue financial burden on public school districts. 

M. Intergovernmental Relations 
A-13.01 State Board of Education (2006; Rev. 2021) 

The Michigan Association of School Boards supports the continuation of a constitutionally established State Board of Education, which functions as a representative decision-making body directly accountable to the citizenry, to provide public education leadership and policy direction, including curriculum standards and guidance, to the school districts of this state. 

The MASB also supports a revision of the composition and election of the State Board of Education to provide for a nonpartisan nine-member board with staggered six-year terms.