Legislative Priorities

As a general guide, MASA will promote and support legislation which:

Contributes to the quality of curriculum and the
instruction/learning process for all students.
Provides equitable access and maintenance of public education and employment without regard for religion, race, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, height, weight, familial status, or marital status.
Complements or is consistent with federal actions and does not add a layer of bureaucracy.
Aligns with the School Finance Research Collaborative (SFRC)
Fully supports general powers and local control.

Educator Shortage

MASA supports revising teacher certification law to streamline the process and to entice more educators to enter the profession.
- Increase flexibility and provide more options to become certified, with less red tape.
- Increase ability of ISD’s to provide preparation in high need areas, such as special education.
- Increase funding and opportunities to expand and retain qualified educators for the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP).
MASA supports the elimination of barriers of qualified out-of-state educators to attract them to work in Michigan schools, including increasing reciprocity.
MASA supports efforts to increase educator wages to allow school districts to attract and retain qualified educators to their districts.
MASA supports efforts to strengthen the retirement system for educators.

MASA supports a comprehensive overhaul of the Michigan educator evaluation and accountability requirements.
- Establish a process that is goal-oriented, locally driven, and relevant to community expectations.
- Ensure that the requirements placed on educators are meaningful and inform best practices to achieve high-quality student and staff outcomes.
- Reconsider the frequency of evaluations.
- Redefine the rating category process and reduce the student growth component to better reflect goals.

MASA supports the increase of funding and access to literacy initiatives to respond to the needs of students in school districts.
MASA opposes efforts to retain students for not meeting the standards presented in Michigan’s Third Grade Reading law and supports a repeal of the retention component.

MASA supports a process for Michigan’s pupil accounting manual that is consistent and provides necessary flexibility for districts.

MASA supports efforts to repeal the A-F letter grading accountability system and work to develop a system that is used to improve student outcomes, and recognize that all schools and learners are different and have different and diverse needs.
MASA supports efforts to ensure that the requirements placed on educators are meaningful and inform best practices to achieve high-quality student and staff outcomes.

MASA supports development, deployment, and investments in broadband to unserved and underserved areas.
MASA supports reducing the connectivity gap for students and school staff, which promotes broadband affordability.
MASA supports efforts to improve cyber security in public school districts.

Click here to download a PDF of the 2022-2023 MASA Legislative Priorities.