Michigan House Proposes Major Changes to K-12 School Choice Law Despite Education Group Backlash

House Legislation Would Let Students Attend Any Public School, Remove Penalties for False Enrollment Information

LANSING — Michigan House lawmakers are moving forward with legislation that would fundamentally alter the state's K-12 school choice system, according to documents released during an Education and Workforce Committee hearing.

The proposed bills would allow students to attend any public K-12 school in the state for free and require all public schools to accept applications from children living outside their district.

Under current law, districts can choose to participate in schools of choice and decisions about transfers within intermediate districts are made locally.

The legislation also would remove legal penalties for parents who use false information — such as a false address — to enroll their children in a school district.

Supporters Say It Level Plays Field

Rep. Pat Outman, R-Six Lakes, is one of the chief sponsors of the legislation. He 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.

He argued the legislation would ensure Michigan's approach to schools of choice is applied consistently across all districts, rather than depending on where families happen to live.

Rep. Angela Rigas, R-Caledonia, is the primary sponsor of a companion bill that would prohibit schools from charging tuition to out-of-district students. She said the 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 Call It Workaround to Avoid Funding

Opponents of the legislation argue it would do little to alter the current system and serves as a workaround to avoid increasing school funding.

Molly Sweeney is the organizing director of 482Forward, a Detroit-based organization focused on educational change. She said the legislation would increase access primarily for students with a certain amount of privilege.

"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.

Some districts that have opted out of optional schools of choice, like Grosse Pointe, have spoken out against the bills. Sweeney said they don't necessarily want to disrupt the current systems they have and don't want students from Detroit or other places.

Controversy Over Removing Penalty for False Information

The provision to remove penalties for parents who falsify enrollment information sparked immediate criticism from some lawmakers.

Rep. Matt Kolezsar, D-Plymouth Township, asked during the hearing: "Why are we removing the penalty for intentionally enrolling a student with false or incomplete information? We're basically saying no penalty for lying."

The sponsor of that piece of the package, Rep. Tullio Liberati, D-Allen Park, 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," he said.

Education Officials Express Concerns

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 law will upset this balance to the negative."

The legislation is still pending in the committee as lawmakers continue to debate whether these changes would truly expand access to education or simply create loopholes that benefit families with more resources.

Sources:

• Spartan Newsroom: https://news.jrn.msu.edu/2026/04/bills-seek-to-alter-michigans-k-12-school-choice-law/
• Shoreline Media: https://www.shorelinemedia.net/ludington_daily_news/news/state/bills-seek-to-alter-michigan-s-k-12-school-choice-law/article_cf3c9873-6661-4bda-a73e-d9d9cfc201c7.html