Education
Engler may be out at MSU after Nassar comments
Will interim Michigan State University President John Engler make it until a scheduled board meeting first thing Thursday morning? As board members suggest they have the votes to remove Engler, speculation is growing that the GOP former three-term Michigan governor could resign beforehand. Engler has repeatedly been criticized for his handling of the aftermath of […]
Barrier breaker: When Wharton was named MSU president
Clifford Wharton Jr. officially assumed the presidency of Michigan State University on this day in 1970. He was the first African-American to lead a major American university. The Boston, Mass., native, who entered Harvard University at age 16, also became the first Black man to earn a master’s degree in international affairs from the Paul […]
Susan J. Demas: Into the Snyder-verse: The guv’s Lame Duck act doesn’t save his legacy
What can you say about Michigan’s manic, marathon Lame Duck session except that it could have been worse? As Gov. Rick Snyder prepares to leave office after eight years, he desperately needed to restore some of his reputation after his inept and insensitive response to the Flint water crisis. He’ll probably avoid national media lumping […]
Gov. vetoes bill snatching Nessel’s power, signs ballot initiative limits
It was a humdinger of an evening for term-limited Gov. Rick Snyder, who vetoed perhaps the most-watched legislation on his plate. That was the bill that would have clamped down on the power of Attorney General-elect Dana Nessel, who will be the first Democrat to hold the office in 16 years. “We are grateful to […]
Snyder signs $1.3B ‘Christmas tree’ spending plan
Gov. Rick Snyder today signed a more than $1.3 billion spending plan. This caps his eight years in office in which he’s touted signing Michigan’s budgets early and presiding over the state’s “economic comeback.” The term-limited Republican signed the 40-page Senate Bill 601, which passed early last Friday morning. The bill sponsored by Sen. Dave […]
Missed anything in the busiest Lame Duck ever? Catch up here.
Members of the 99th Michigan Legislature made history this year, sending more than 400 pieces of legislation to Gov. Rick Snyder in the body’s busiest lame-duck session in history. Joe Borgstrom, principal of the Lansing economic development firm Place+Main, summed up a lot of the criticism of this frenzied Lame Duck session in a recent tweet. […]
Snyder to weigh cyber school teaching hour changes
During an all-night Lame Duck session, the Michigan House sent Gov. Rick Snyder a bill that Democrats worry could allow cyber schools to count kids among their tutelage they’re not actually educating. House Bill 5907, sponsored by state Rep. Ben Frederick (R-Owosso), passed the House 58-45 early Friday morning along party lines just before adjournment. […]
Updated: MSU stonewalled state probe into Nassar abuse, AG report says
Updated, 3:40 p.m. Dec. 21 What Michigan State University employees may have known about the sexual abuse of hundreds of young girls at the hands of former gymnastics Dr. Larry Nassar may never be fully known, according to a lead state investigator for the state attorney general’s office. Explaining a blistering report accusing the Big […]
Updated: $1.3B budget supplementals shoot to governor
Updated, 8:10 a.m. Dec. 21 In the wee hours of the morning, the Michigan House voted in bipartisan fashion on supplemental budget spending totaling more than $1.3 billion. The Senate gave its final stamp of approval, sending bills to Gov. Rick Snyder. The legislation includes funding for PFAS cleanup, the Soo Locks and school districts […]
Snyder expected to OK tax shift for schools, roads, environmental cleanup
After a day of dealmaking, Gov. Rick Snyder is expected to sign a budget supplemental that will shift revenue from the School Aid Fund (SAF) to carry out road repairs and environmental cleanups. House Bill 4991, sponsored by state Rep. Ed Canfield (R-Sebewaing), passed the Michigan House early this morning in a close 56-51 vote. […]
Bill naming part of M-10 for Detroit educator awaits Snyder’s pen
A bill that would rename a portion of the John C. Lodge Freeway (M-10) in Detroit after legendary educator Violet T. Lewis overwhelmingly cleared the Michigan House on Thursday. The vote was 101-8 and the bill now heads to Gov. Rick Snyder’s desk. The Advance reported that Senate Bill 1137, sponsored by state Sen. Ian […]
Snyder signs bill allowing non-certified teachers in classrooms
Gov. Rick Snyder earlier today signed a bill that will allow those with professional career expertise to substitute teach in grades 9-12 without a teaching certificate. “This legislation will help schools fill teacher shortages in programs that offer high-demand career skills so that our students can be prepared for a 21st century economy,” said Snyder, […]