- Codifying the MPSERS Rate Reduction Headed to Governor
- Legislature Passes School Aid Supplemental
- Dyslexia Screening Bill Passes House
- MASB Legislative Priority Meetings are Coming to Your Region
Codifying the MPSERS Rate Reduction Headed to Governor
On Wednesday, the Senate passed House Bill 5803 which contains the same language as Senate Bill 911 that they passed last week. Following their action, the House passed the bill by a vote of 56-52 and sent it to the Governor for her consideration. HB 5803, sponsored by Rep. Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth), makes the MPSERS 5.75% rate reduction permanent for school districts, eliminates the 3% employee contribution and changes current law, allowing the $670 million to be freed from having to be deposited into the overfunded MPSERS retiree healthcare system. The rate reduction and elimination of the 3% will become permanent on October 1, 2025, as both issues are addressed in this year’s budget.
MASB joined with other statewide education organizations in issuing a statement thanking the Legislature for moving this issue one step away from law. We have worked long and hard to get to this point and your advocacy was crucial in getting this reinvestment of the MPSERS funds back into the classroom.
This change will have a positive impact on our public schools across the state and reflects the work they have taken to pay off the debt for retirement healthcare within the MPSERS system. It will not affect the pension portion of the system, which is on track to be paid off in 2038.
The bill is now before the Governor for her consideration. We enthusiastically await her expected approval.
Legislature Passes School Aid Supplemental
Also on Wednesday, the House and Senate approved a School Aid Supplemental that restored funding to the school safety and mental health grants. This puts the grants at $150 million for fiscal year 2024/2025. The House passed the supplemental by a vote of 98-11 and the Senate by a vote of 23-15.
House Bill 5503, sponsored by Rep. Regina Weiss (D-Oak Park), restores an additional $125 million to the Sec. 31aa school safety and mental health fund, a crucial source of support for districts to enhance safety infrastructure and provide mental health services for students. Combined with the existing $25 million in the budget, districts will receive approximately $100 per pupil.
However, in the Senate, the bill was not given enough votes for immediate effect. This means that the additional funding will not be available until late March 2025, 90 days after the Legislature adjourns for the year. We had hoped it would be available sooner, but districts can still plan for this money to flow in the spring.
HB 5503 is now before the Governor for her expected approval.
Dyslexia Screening Bill Passes House
On Wednesday, the House Education Committee met briefly to adopt minor changes to Senate Bills 567 and 568 and send them to the full House for consideration. These bills would require dyslexia screening as part of state-approved reading assessments (SB 567) beginning in the 2027/2028 school year and require teacher preparation programs to include instruction on identifying and addressing dyslexia in students (SB 568).
MASB continues to have issues regarding SB 567 and the ability of all districts to implement the detailed requirements with fidelity. We strongly believe in identifying any students with signs of dyslexia along with any other reading disabilities, but the prescriptive nature of this legislation is problematic. New requirements would increase work for our already overburdened and understaffed teachers. Additionally, the bill may unintentionally limit access to services for those who have other reading disabilities not related to dyslexia.
We, along with many other public education organizations, sent a memo to the House explaining our concerns and asking for them to be addressed before voting on the bills. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. The bills were passed by the House and later concurred in by the Senate. They are now before the Governor for her expected approval.
MASB Legislative Priority Meetings are Coming to Your Region
Legislative Priority Setting Meetings are scheduled throughout the state in September, October and November. These meetings bring together board members, superintendents and MASB’s Government Relations staff to brainstorm your Association’s focus for the 2024-2025 legislative session. Meetings in Regions 2, 5 and 6 have already taken place. On Monday, Sept 30, we will be in Region 1 and Tuesday, Oct 1, in Region 3.
All events are free and start at 7 p.m. Eastern Time unless otherwise noted. Please join us and encourage your local colleagues—board members and superintendents alike—to participate in these important events. MASB’s legislative agenda is only as strong as the number of voices that create it. If you can’t attend the day of your region’s meeting or missed it, feel free to attend another one that is convenient for you.
You can find a complete list of all the regional meetings and links to the free registration on our website. If you have any questions, please contact the Government Relations Team.