Dear Neighbor,
As your state Senator and a proud parent, I know the importance of making sure Michigan’s children receive the best education possible. Receiving additional support in the classroom or having access to programs that make getting a college degree and other postsecondary options more accessible opens the doors of opportunity and sets our youth up for future success. I am working every day to make sure we are prioritizing funding for our schools — so that our children and our state — will have a promising tomorrow.
In this newsletter, I am proud to share how we are continuing to build on historic budget investments in Michigan’s students and schools, information about financial aid programs offered through the state and federal government, some great tips on how to foster your child’s academic success, and more.
If there’s anything I can do to help you and your family, please feel free to reach out to me and my office team. If we cannot help you, we will direct you to the appropriate department or resources that can.
You can contact me toll-free at (855) 347-8001, by email at SenEGeiss@senate.michigan.gov or through my website online at SenatorGeiss.com.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Working for you,
Erika Geiss
State Senator
District 1
Michigan’s people-focused 2024 state budget saw historic investments in our students, teachers, and schools. As legislators have worked together to finalize the 2025 budget, my Michigan Senate Democratic colleagues and I have focused on continuing to build on the investments and momentum we started in 2024. It’s our goal to ensure we are meeting the needs and interests of students, teachers and other education professionals, and families everywhere.
As part of the Democratic Majority, my colleagues and I prioritized the input of residents, communities and organizations from around the state, using those perspectives to craft this budget. It’s clear there is a continuous, overwhelming need to invest in Michigan schools to ensure students are given high-quality educations and the support they need to stay successful throughout their time in school and beyond.
On March 12, 2024, the Michigan Senate acted in a bipartisan manner to pass Senate Bills 567 and 568, a comprehensive bill package that I proudly cosponsored to help identify children who present signs of dyslexia and provide evidence-based intervention to help them achieve literacy. Dyslexia is the most common learning disability, affecting up to one in five kids in every classroom. It can have profound effects on literacy and overall educational achievement. However, students with characteristics of dyslexia can become strong readers with early identification and evidence-based reading intervention.
Since their passage in the Senate, this legislation has since been referred to the House Committee on Education where they currently await further deliberation.
Last year, the Michigan Legislature passed Senate Bill 12 to reform Michigan’s punitive third-grade reading law. The bill eliminates the mandatory retention of third-graders based on one reading test while maintaining vital literacy supports and services.
Research on the practice of grade retention in other states shows that the method has little or no impact on student achievement. In fact, it may negatively impact longer-term student outcomes, including mental health. In addition to grade retention not helping kids to read, there is also evidence that the retention piece of the law is implemented inequitably in Michigan, with Black and Latino students, students from families with lower incomes, and students in lower-performing districts more likely to be retained.
This bill focuses on eliminating the state-mandated retention piece but does not
affect the parts of the “Read by Grade Three” law that provide coaching, professional development, and interventions for struggling readers beginning in kindergarten. Since the initial law’s passage in 2016, those parts of the law have produced increased achievement for English Language Arts and will continue to serve students in the future. This legislation ensures Michigan students have the reading support they
need to succeed without the threat of retention.
Automatic Voter Pre-Registration for Teens Getting Their First Driver’s License
Our Democratic Majority has made it a top priority to expand access to the ballot and make it easier for Michiganders to vote. That’s why we worked hard to pass House Bills 4983-4986, which automatically pre-register eligible residents to vote anytime they complete a Michigan license or ID transaction with the Secretary of State, unless they opt-out. This means that teenagers getting their level one driver’s license will be automatically pre-registered to vote! By granting young Michiganders this option — particularly as they’re learning about democracy and civic engagement in school — we are mitigating barriers to ballot access and helping more residents become engaged, lifelong voters!
Cardiac Emergency Response Plans Required for 2025-26 School Year
By the start of the 2025-2026 school year, Michigan schools must have a comprehensive cardiac emergency response plan in place in case of an emergency at a school or athletic event. This new requirement, House Bills 5527 and 5528, was signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in April 2024 after earning bipartisan support in both the state House and Senate. As part of the response plan, school athletic coaches are also required to participate in proper training to respond to a cardiac emergency.
