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Bill Summary · SB 212

Summary — SB 212 (Michigan)

Title: School aid: penalties; exception to minimum days of pupil instruction requirement for district closure during a declared state of emergency; provide for. (Amends MCL 388.1701)
Status: Introduced January 23, 2025; referred to Committee on Appropriations.

Main purpose / intent

SB 212 would amend section 101 of the State School Aid Act of 1979 (MCL 388.1701) to create an express exception to the statutory minimum instructional-hours/days requirement when a school district is closed because of a declared state of emergency. The change is intended to prevent automatic penalties or aid forfeitures for districts that lose instructional time due to statewide emergency closures.

Key provisions (high level)

  • Adds an exception to the current minimum-instruction requirement (present law requires districts to provide at least 1,098 hours and 180 days of pupil instruction) for days/hours lost as a result of a declared state of emergency.
  • Modifies how penalties (forfeitures and proration of state aid) are applied so that closures caused by a declared state of emergency do not trigger the usual aid reductions for failing to meet the minimum hours/days.
  • Keeps other attendance- and proration-related provisions in place (context from MCL 388.1701):
    • Current law prorates aid if less than required attendance thresholds are met (typical threshold: 75% daily membership, with a different 60% rule for added make-up days in certain circumstances).
    • Districts must certify attendance data by statutory deadlines; failure to timely submit or to resolve discrepancies can trigger withholding of state aid and potential forfeiture if not cured by fiscal year-end.
  • The bill would not affect the department’s existing authority to withhold or recoup aid for noncompliance unrelated to declared state-of-emergency closures.

(Note: the full, exact statutory wording of the amendment was not included in the materials provided; the above describes the bill’s stated objective and the likely statutory locus of change.)

Who is affected

  • Local public school districts and intermediate school districts (audited reporting and aid calculations).
  • Michigan Department of Education (administration, audits, and aid distribution procedures).
  • Students and families indirectly, in that districts would not be financially penalized for emergency-related closures.
  • State budget/appropriations insofar as the change could alter timing or amounts of aid withheld or forfeited under current law.

Procedural / timeline notes

  • Introduced Jan 23, 2025; currently referred to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
  • Because the change amends state school aid law, implementation and administrative rules (if any) would be handled by the Michigan Department of Education under existing reporting and audit timetables (e.g., certification deadlines measured in Wednesdays after membership count day).

If you would like, I can:
- Locate and quote the bill’s exact amendment language to MCL 388.1701; or
- Draft a short fiscal/operational impact memo (how districts and the Department of Education would implement the emergency exception).

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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