HB 5231 — Summary (Public Acts 210 of 2024; amends MCL 380.503)
Status and effective date
- Enacted as Public Act 210 of 2024.
- Approved by the Governor: January 17, 2025.
- Effective: April 2, 2025.
- Original sponsor: Rep. Regina Weiss. Companion: SB 2457.
Purpose / intent
- Increase transparency about who authorizes and operates charter schools by requiring certain identifying information to appear on school signage, promotional materials, websites, and enrollment applications. The information must also be required by charter contracts executed or modified on or after the law’s effective date.
Key provisions
- Amends section 503 of the Revised School Code (MCL 380.503) to add a contract requirement for public school academy (PSA) contracts. Contracts entered, extended, renewed, or modified on or after the effective date must require the PSA board to display (or verbally provide, if applicable) the names of:
- The school’s authorizing body; and
- The school’s primary educational management organization (if applicable).
- Required locations / materials:
- Property signage erected, repaired, or installed on or after the effective date (unless prohibited by local ordinance or zoning).
- Promotional material (billboards, internet, television, radio) created, modified, or distributed on or after the effective date.
- The footer of the PSA’s web pages.
- The enrollment application submitted by students.
- Definition: “Primary educational management organization” = an EMO responsible for both administrative services/staff and educational/instructional services/staff.
- The physical-sign requirement does not apply to cyber schools of excellence (per related bills/reports).
Who/what is affected
- Public school academies (charter schools) subject to MCL 380.503 and, by parallel bills, schools of excellence, strict discipline academies, and urban high school academies.
- Authorizing bodies (e.g., boards of school districts, intermediate school districts, community colleges, state public universities) and educational management organizations (EMOs).
- Families, prospective students, and local communities who receive promotional materials or visit school sites/websites.
Compliance, timeline, and contract mechanics
- The disclosure requirement must be incorporated into contracts between authorizers and PSAs (and similar charter entities) that are entered into, extended, renewed, or modified on or after April 2, 2025.
- Only signage and materials created/modified after the effective date are subject to the new requirement; existing materials need not be retrofitted.
Fiscal impact
- Nonpartisan fiscal analyses (House and Senate staff) estimate no state fiscal impact and only minimal costs to affected schools (staff time or incremental printing/production costs for new or updated materials).
Stakeholder positions (from committee reports)
- Support: Michigan Department of Education; American Association of University Women of Michigan; Michigan Education Association.
- Neutral: Michigan Association of Public School Academies; Michigan Council of Charter School Authorizers.
- Opposed: Mackinac Center for Public Policy; Great Lakes Education Project Education Fund.
Practical effect
- Establishes a routine, contract-backed transparency requirement so that future signage and promotional content will identify both the public authorizer and, when applicable, the EMO primarily responsible for operating the charter school.
