MiPAAC

08/31/2026

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝?

As Michigan students return to classrooms, a new K-12 Dive article highlights three strategies states should consider when designing special education funding systems and they closely align with the direction Michigan is already moving through the Michigan Special Education Finance Reform Blueprint.

Dr. Tammy Kolbe, a K-12 funding expert with the American Institutes for Research, emphasizes that state special education funding systems need to be evidence-based and student-focused.

Three key recommendations:

1️⃣ Ground funding in what appropriate services actually cost.
Funding should reflect the real resources necessary to serve students—including staffing, instructional time, related services, specialized supports, technology, transportation, and equipment—not simply historical spending patterns.

2️⃣ Adjust funding for differences in student need.
Students with disabilities don't all require the same services or level of support. Funding systems should recognize those differences.

3️⃣ Protect districts from extraordinary costs.
Some students require particularly intensive and costly services. Dedicated High Cost Funds can help ensure districts have resources for those needs without destabilizing services elsewhere. Thirty-six states already have some form of this additional support.

💡 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧.

The MI Blueprint similarly calls for a tiered, weighted student funding model that better aligns resources with student need, alongside a statewide High Cost Fund for students with the most intensive needs.

Michigan's FY27 School Aid Budget took an important step by preserving intent language toward weighted special education funding. Now the work must continue toward full implementation.

As students head , the question isn't simply how much we spend on special education.

It's whether our funding system gives schools the resources they need to deliver the services students actually need to learn, participate, and succeed.

🔗 Read the K-12 Dive article: https://www.k12dive.com/news/3-special-education-funding-strategies-states-can-use-to-support-districts/828522/

A K-12 funding expert with the American Institutes for Research says state special education funding systems need to be evidence-based and student-focused.

08/26/2026

𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐬: 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

Nearly 𝟏 𝐢𝐧 𝟕 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 receives special education services in Michigan public schools, yet issues affecting students with disabilities and their families too often receive limited attention during election season.

Join us on 𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟖 for a nonpartisan Special Education Candidate Forum featuring candidates for Michigan Senate District 29, 30 and House District 80, 84.

Hear directly from the candidates about their priorities for:
🔹 Special education funding
🔹 Student outcomes
🔹 Educator and provider capacity
🔹 IEP implementation and inclusive education
🔹 Family partnership and engagement

📍𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐞𝐢 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 | 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐬

📅𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟖

🕒𝟔:𝟑𝟎-𝟖:𝟎𝟎 𝐏𝐌

Families, educators, advocates, students, and community members are encouraged to attend — and to submit questions for the candidates when registering.

🔗 Register: https://tinyurl.com/2026CandidateForumGrand-Rapids

Help us spread the word and make sure students with disabilities are part of the 2026 election conversation!

Michigan's Children

KConnect

First Steps Kent

Urban Core Collective | PEPPA

08/25/2026

The Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM) is at the Michigan State Board of Education’s Special Education Committee meeting today—continuing to show up, listen, and advocate alongside students with disabilities and families across Michigan.

The newly established bipartisan committee represents an important opportunity to bring greater focus to the challenges and opportunities facing special education in our state and, importantly, to center the voices and lived experiences of students and families as solutions are considered.

Today’s agenda includes a review of special education approaches in other states as well as an update on the Human Restoration Project connected to stakeholder engagement.

AAoM and have spent years working to elevate family experiences, identify systemic challenges, and advance solutions through initiatives including the Special Education Experience (SEE) Survey, the 2025 Michigan Special Education Benchmark Report, and the Michigan Special Education Finance Reform Blueprint. We’re encouraged to see the State Board creating a dedicated space to dig deeper into these issues and strengthen special education across Michigan.

We’re here in person today—and we look forward to staying engaged as the committee’s work moves forward.

📅 Today, August 25 | 2:00–3:30 p.m.
📍 Michigan Department of Education, Lansing

🔗 Agenda: https://www.michigan.gov/mde/about-us/state-board/agendas

08/24/2026

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋: 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐬.

As students return to classrooms, a new U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report provides an important look at where students with disabilities are learning—and what continues to shape their educational opportunities.

GAO FAST FACTS:

➡️ “Seven million children received special education services in school year 2023-24. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, these students should be learning alongside their peers in general education classrooms as much as is appropriate.”

➡️ “We found that the number of students with disabilities placed in general education classrooms for much of their day increased 25% nationally from school years 2012-13 to 2023-24. But this varied across states and school districts.”

➡️ “School officials commonly cited resource availability, parental involvement in placement decisions, and school environment as factors influencing student placement.”

Under IDEA, students with disabilities should learn alongside their nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate, based on their individual needs.

And that last part matters.

Inclusion is not simply about where a student sits.

Meaningful inclusion means students have access to the general education curriculum and the individualized instruction, accommodations, services, and supports in their IEPs that allow them to participate, belong, make progress, and succeed.

As we head , families, educators, and advocates can keep asking:

🏫 Is placement based on the student's individual needs—not available staffing or resources?
📚 Is the student meaningfully accessing grade-level instruction?
🤝 Are the services and supports in the IEP actually being provided?
💬 Does the student experience participation, connection, and belonging—not simply physical presence?

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬.

Access the report and the K-12 Dive article in the comments.

08/21/2026

𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐂𝐄: 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧'𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦

Navigating special education can come with a lot of questions. The Michigan Department of Education's 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 resources are designed to help families better understand Michigan's special education system, their rights, and the supports available to students with disabilities.

The Family Matters webpage includes easy-to-read fact sheets covering a wide range of topics, with links to additional resources for families who want to learn more.

Topics include:

➡️ IEPs and the special education process
➡️ Evaluations and eligibility
➡️ Parent and student rights
➡️ Behavior and discipline
➡️ Inclusion and Least Restrictive Environment
➡️ Transition planning
➡️ Dispute resolution
➡️ And many other special education topics

🌎 Many resources are available in English, Arabic, and Spanish, helping make important special education information more accessible to Michigan families.

🔗 Explore the Family Matters resources:
https://www.michigan.gov/mde/services/special-education/parent-resources/family-matters

📣 As we head , share this resource with a parent, caregiver, educator, or advocate who could use it.

Knowledge is an important part of effective advocacy—and families deserve clear, accessible information about their children's educational rights and opportunities.

08/19/2026

📚 NEW RESOURCE: Moving Beyond Autism Acceptance to Inclusion & Equity

As families, educators, and students head into a new school year, the Autism Society of America and AFT have released 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲—a new guide designed to help school communities better understand and support autistic students.

The guide explores:

➡️ The history of autism in education
➡️ The multifactorial nature of autism
➡️ The difference between a medical diagnosis and an educational determination
➡️ Protections and supports under IDEA and Section 504
➡️ Educational strategies for autistic students
➡️ Cultural considerations and supports
➡️ Practical information for educators, families, and students

The guide's title captures an important distinction: acceptance is important, but students also need meaningful access, inclusion, individualized support, and opportunity.

Understanding students' rights and building the knowledge and capacity to implement those rights in classrooms is essential to creating schools where students with disabilities can fully participate, belong, and succeed.

🔗 Explore Beyond Acceptance: Autism Inclusion and Equity:
https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/2026/Beyond_Acceptance_interactive.pdf

📣 Share this resource with a family, educator, advocate, or school team as we head .

08/17/2026

𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦.

A recent Disability Scoop report highlights a trend schools across the country are facing: 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰.

Michigan is seeing this pressure, too.

📈 The number of Michigan students receiving special education has continued to increase even as overall public school enrollment has declined. https://tinyurl.com/2025-MI-SE-Benchmark

👩‍🏫 Special education faces the state’s most acute teacher shortages, with vacancy and turnover rates higher than any other teaching specialization.
https://epicedpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Teacher-Shortage-Report-Combined-Jan2026.pdf

⏰ And families are already seeing the consequences. In Detroit Public Schools Community District, hundreds of special education evaluations remained in process as of spring 2026, with some exceeding required timelines.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/detroit/2026/04/28/vitti-says-dpscd-must-improve-special-education-evaluation-compliance/

As students return to school, these are trends we need to watch closely:

➡️ Are schools adequately staffed to meet growing student needs?

➡️ Are evaluations and services happening when students need them?

➡️ Do districts have the resources to provide the supports required by students' IEPs?

➡️ Are funding and staffing systems keeping pace with the changing needs of Michigan's students?

These aren't simply budget questions. They are questions of access, opportunity, and students' rights.

Michigan has an opportunity to address the underlying capacity challenges through implementation of the 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭 (MI Blueprint)—aligning resources more closely with student need and creating a more sustainable system for schools, educators, families, and students.

As another school year begins, Michigan students can't wait for systems to catch up.

🔗 Read the Disability Scoop report: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2026/08/11/as-special-education-enrollment-rises-schools-face-mounting-costs/32119/

The number of special education students has gradually increased in recent years forcing districts to bolster their programs, all while grappling with tight budgets and staffing shortages.

08/12/2026

𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

Our state's PTIC (federally funded Parent Training and Information Center), Michigan Alliance for Families (MAF), is offering a series of workshops to help families prepare for the school year and navigate special education with greater confidence.

Upcoming topics include:

➡️ Back to School with an IEP
➡️ Executive Functioning
➡️ IEP: A Closer Look
➡️ Food Allergies at School

Most sessions are virtual, and many offer language access.

📅 View upcoming workshops and register: https://www.michiganallianceforfamilies.org/upcoming-events/

08/03/2026

Last week, RISE Coalition partners sent a joint letter to Michigan policymakers thanking them for taking an important step toward special education finance reform.

By preserving intent language supporting a tiered, weighted student funding model in the FY27 School Aid Budget, Michigan acknowledged what families, educators, advocates, and school leaders have long known: our current special education funding system must better align resources with student need.

This milestone reflects the voices of nearly 1,000 stakeholders who helped shape the Michigan Special Education Finance Reform Blueprint (MI Blueprint) and the continued advocacy of families, educators, self-advocates, community organizations, and legislative champions across the state.

While this is a meaningful achievement, our work is not finished.

➡️ The next step is full implementation of the MI Blueprint.

Modernize special education funding so every student receives the support they need to succeed.

🔗 Read the coalition letter:
https://tinyurl.com/RISE-FY27-ThankYou-Letter

Thank you to the lawmakers and coalition partners who helped move this work forward. Together, we're building momentum toward a more equitable, transparent, and student-centered special education funding system for Michigan.

07/28/2026

"𝐌𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞."

Those words from Detroit parent Vilma Duran are a powerful reminder that delays in special education services have real consequences for students and families.

In the latest blog for (reimagine improved special education), Vilma shares her family's experience waiting months for a needed evaluation and reflects on what that delay revealed about Michigan's special education system—not a lack of caring educators, but a system stretched beyond its capacity.

Michigan has already done the work to identify solutions.

Through the 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭 (𝐌𝐈 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭), nearly 1,000 families, educators, school leaders, advocates, and policy experts helped develop a roadmap for a funding system that better aligns resources with student need.

Now, that roadmap must become reality.

➡️ Students can't get back lost instructional time.
➡️ Families shouldn't have to become full-time advocates just to secure services.
➡️ Schools need the resources and staffing to provide timely evaluations and supports.

The research is complete. The framework exists.𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐈 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝—𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭.

📖 Read Vilma's story: https://medium.com/our-kids-cant-wait/what-my-sons-iep-delay-revealed-about-michigan-s-special-education-system-1b2b2cdb991d