This week CMF members and others around the state will have an opportunity to meet the new state superintendent, Dr. Michael Rice.

On Tuesday, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is hosting a reception and invites foundations to join in welcoming the new education leader.

Rice was appointed to the position in May after serving as superintendent of Kalamazoo Public Schools since 2007.

Now at the helm of the MDE, Rice told Michigan Radio and MLive a few of his top priorities include: school funding, early childhood education, literacy, career and technical education and addressing teacher shortages.

Rice told MLive in a recent interview that “investing in public education will help the entire state.”

When it comes to school funding, Rice also serves on the steering and technical committee of the School Finance Research Collaborative, which has provided research and recommendations for equitable school funding in Michigan.

Rice is starting the job amidst the implementation of the new Read by Grade Three law and our state’s new A-to-F school grading system, among other changes.

As Chalkbeat reports, at the August State Board of Education meeting it was shared that MDE will not have the new A-to-F grading system in place by the September 1 deadline.

MDE said data needed to calculate the grades won’t be available until after the deadline.

The Legislature passed the new grading system last December. It will be one of two accountability systems in place for Michigan schools, as an accountability system already exists under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

"After multiple conversations with officials at the U.S. Department of Education, they have confirmed that the system required by state law will not conform with the federal law requirements," Martin Ackley, spokesperson for MDE told The Detroit News. "The result is Michigan schools will be subject to two stand-alone accountability systems, with similar, but slightly different criteria for identification of low-performing schools."

The new system is expected to roll out later in the school year.

Also anticipated later this school year is a set of research- and data-based recommendations to improve Michigan’s pre-K-12 education system coming from Launch Michigan, the statewide coalition of diverse organizations, including CMF, who are working together in support of improving student outcomes. Launch Michigan announced earlier this summer that it is accelerating the development of targeted and actionable recommendations to meet the request of legislative leadership. Their report is expected to be given to Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Legislature by December 1.

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