Michigan Lawmakers Propose Major Changes to K-12 School Choice Law Amidst Funding Debate

House Bills Would Require All Public Schools to Accept Out-of-District Students

LANSING — A package of House legislation is targeting Michigan's K-12 school choice system with proposals that would fundamentally alter how public schools operate across the state. The bills would require all public school districts to accept applications from students outside their boundaries and prohibit schools from charging tuition to out-of-district families.

Rep. Pat Outman, R-Six Lakes, introduced the legislation during an Education and Workforce Committee hearing. Outman said the proposal would lead students to enroll based on need, rather than location.

"Whether a family has access to options often depends more on where they live than on what their child needs," Outman said at the hearing. "Michigan's approach to schools of choice is a good system overall, but it's still applied inconsistently and unevenly from district to district."

Removing Penalties for False Information in Enrollments

The legislation would also remove legal penalties for parents who use false information — such as a false address — to enroll their children in a school district. That provision sparked immediate criticism from fellow lawmakers.

Rep. Matt Kolezsar, D-Plymouth Township, questioned the move during the hearing.

"Why are we removing the penalty for intentionally enrolling a student with false or incomplete information?" Kolezsar said. "We're basically saying no penalty for lying."

Rep. Tullio Liberati, D-Allen Park, who sponsored that piece of the package, defended the change. He said some parents lie because it's more convenient if they work closer to a certain district or if their student is being taken care of by a relative who lives nearby.

"It's convenient for them – that's how their kids go there," Liberati said at the hearing. "They know the district. To criminalize that, I just think it's excessive."

Liberati said, however, that the bill would not decriminalize such falsifications.

"You're not making it legal," Liberati said. "There are going to be repercussions that the child will not be able to go there unless they're accepted there."

Prohibiting Tuition Charges for Out-of-District Students

Another bill in the package would prohibit schools from charging tuition to out-of-district students. Public districts including Bloomfield Hills Schools and Birmingham Public Schools currently charge tuition for out-of-district students, according to their websites.

Rep. Angela Rigas, R-Caledonia, is that bill's primary sponsor. She said that prohibition would help with access to education.

The bill closes the statutory caps so that every child in Michigan, regardless of ZIP code, can access the public school that works best for them, Rigas said.

Critics Say It Favors Privileged Families

Opponents of the legislation argue that it would do little to alter the current system and would primarily benefit families with resources. Molly Sweeney is the organizing director of 482Forward, a Detroit-based organization focused on educational change.

"It serves kids who can access other districts, the same that it is now," Sweeney said. "Kids who have more resources to travel and parents with more resources."

Sweeney said she thinks the legislation is a way to avoid increasing school funding.

"This is just a workaround to say, some communities can have great schools, but we're not willing to do what it takes to make sure every community has a great school," Sweeney said.

District Opposition and Administrative Concerns

Some districts that have opted out of optional schools of choice, like Grosse Pointe, have spoken out against the bills. Sweeney said she thinks there are two reasons for that.

"They don't necessarily want to disrupt the current systems they have," she said. "They don't want students from Detroit. They don't want students from other places."

Other critics, like John Severson, the executive director of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators, said the schools of choice law is fine as-is.

"It strikes the delicate balance between parent choice and the receiving district's ability to properly educate the student," Severson said. "Any change in the legislation will upset this balance to the negative."

Bill Status

The legislation is still pending in committee as lawmakers consider whether to expand access to schools of choice across Michigan or maintain the current system where districts can choose whether to participate.