State Board of Education calls for smaller class sizes after Detroit News investigation Lansing — Michigan's State Board of Education approved a resolution Tuesday calling for limits on class sizes to be put in place by the 2030-31 school year, including a cap of 20 students per class for kindergarten through third grade. The proposal, if enacted by state lawmakers, would represent a sea change for Michigan schools as leaders look to boost struggling literacy rates. Across the state, elementary school classes featuring more than 20 students have been widespread. Mitchell Robinson, a Democratic member of the State Board of Education, authored the resolution and said action on class sizes was "overdue." "Smaller class sizes are going to be a better learning situation for kids and a better teaching situation for teachers," said Robinson of Okemos, a former music teacher. A months-long Detroit News investigation published in April found 206 elementary classes — ranging from kindergarten through fifth grade — across 49 schools over the 2023-24 and 2024-25 years that had at least 30 students in them. Among them was a kindergarten class at Bennett Elementary, where the Detroit Public Schools Community District said 30 students were enrolled. Less than a month after The News' probe, the Democratic-led State Board of Education, which advises state policymakers on education standards, voted 6-1 on Tuesday in favor of Robinson's resolution. The resolution said lawmakers should provide funding in the next state budget for school districts with high rates of poverty to lower their student-to-teacher ratios in kindergarten through third-grade classrooms. By the 2030-31 school year, the resolution said, limits should be instituted to cap class sizes at 20 students per class in kindergarten through third grade, at 23 students per class in fourth grade through eighth grade, and at 25 students per class in high school. "Many studies show that class size reduction leads to better student outcomes in every way that can be measured, including better grades and test scores, fewer behavior problems, greater likelihood to graduate from high school on time and subsequently enroll in college," the resolution said. The resolution added that the Legislature should increase funding to ensure schools are "able to lower class sizes to the mandated levels." In an interview, Pamela Pugh, the president of the state board, labeled the resolution an "urgent call" for action. Pugh said the board hasn't made a similar request in the decade she's served on the panel. All five Democrats who were present for Tuesday's meeting voted in support of the resolution. One Republican, Nikki Snyder of Goodrich, voted yes, while another Republican, Tom McMillin of Oakland Township, voted no. McMillin said he's generally supportive of lowering class sizes but he unsuccessfully proposed an amendment that would have directed that the money for shrinking class sizes come from current administrative costs instead of new funding. "I am certain that we could achieve a significant reduction in class sizes merely if districts redirected their funding and their expenditures away from administrative costs and toward the classroom," McMillin argued. Snyder said she "definitely" supports smaller class sizes and believes decreasing the rate of students per teacher would improve outcomes. The resolution calls for exceptions to the proposed limits for physical education and performing arts classes and career technical education. At least 31 of the 50 states have laws about class sizes, tie funding to small classes or set goals for their schools to attempt to meet and to be accountable to. Michigan currently doesn't have such a standard and the state doesn't track how many students are in each classroom. The News used Freedom of Information Act requests to obtain data from individual school districts on class sizes. Of 797 elementary school classes The News examined for the 2024-25 school year, 63% had at least 25 students in them. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have called for action on class sizes after the reporting from The News and as Michigan's reading scores have fallen behind other states. During her State of the State address in February, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said just 24% of Michigan fourth graders were able to read proficiently. Michigan invests more per student than most states but achieves "bottom 10 results," the governor said. Asked, in April, if she thought having 30 students in a kindergarten class was appropriate, Whitmer, a Democrat, said, "No. Of course, I don't." "I think the science would tell us that we've got to bring down class sizes," Whitmer said in April. On Wednesday, state Sen. Darrin Camilleri, D-Trenton, said he was open to a conversation about timelines for implementing class size limits and about how schools could achieve the proposed standards with staffing and physical space. He noted the Senate Democrats' budget proposal for next year features nearly $500 million that could be used by school districts to lower class sizes. "I think it's going to be a culture change," Camilleri said. cmauger@detroitnews.com Want to comment on this story? Become a subscriber today. Click here. This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: State Board of Education calls for smaller class sizes after Detroit News investigation

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Michigan schools often exceed class size limits despite teacher contract caps Ionia — Across Michigan, teacher union contracts signed by school leaders identify ideal class sizes to promote learning within elementary schools, but often provide paths to easily exceed the caps they picked out themselves. The Detroit News analyzed class size data obtained through public records requests and 20 contracts signed by teachers' unions and school districts, determining that in at least 14 of the 20 districts, or 70%, elementary school classrooms surpassed either limits or goals they recognized as best. The findings demonstrate that many Michigan school administrators recognize the importance of small class sizes, that they have had difficulties achieving their own goals and that the strategy state officials have relied on to prevent overcrowding — collective bargaining — has frequently fallen short. More: Michigan school districts pack kids into classrooms as reading scores falter The examination of teacher contracts was part of a larger, three-month investigation into elementary school sizes in Michigan. Over the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years, The News obtained data for elementary schools in 48 districts and documented 206 individual elementary classes — from kindergarten through fifth grade — that had at least 30 kids in them, according to tallies released by the school districts themselves. Two of the 50 districts The News sought data from didn't fulfill the requests. Michigan Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Dayna Polehanki, a former teacher and a Democrat from Livonia, said having 30 students in an elementary school class "would not be optimal." "I'd like to see class sizes capped in high poverty districts in K-3 to give the kids that time with the teacher," Polehanki said. "So the teacher has that individualized time with that student." Polehanki, who previously taught older students at New Haven High School, recalled once having a class with 35 students. The school district paid her extra money for the large class, she said. "Thirty-five is way too many for a teacher to have," Polehanki said. For many school districts in Michigan, the only limits on class size currently come from collective bargaining agreements between the districts and the local teachers' unions. However, according to the 20 contracts reviewed by The News, the labor agreements generally allow for arrangements where teachers are compensated extra or receive other benefits from the districts if their classes exceed the negotiated and prioritized caps, making the limits easy to circumvent. The fine print Ionia's Rather Elementary School serves about 300 students in west Michigan's Ionia County. The county's official website describes its community as providing "a relaxed and family-oriented quality of life with safe neighborhoods, strong schools and healthy lifestyles." Rather's performance on state testing has hovered around the state average over the last three years, according to data maintained by the Michigan Department of Education. However, its ratio of students per instructor, currently 20-1, exceeds the state average of 17-1. The brown brick school was constructed in 1960. A banner outside of it reads, "Excellence every day." The contract between the Ionia Public Schools Board of Education and the Ionia Education Association specifically aims to limit the size of classes for kindergartners, first graders and second graders to 26 students and for third graders, fourth graders and fifth graders to 28. "The board, administration and teachers recognize that class size and pupil-teacher ratios are important considerations for instruction and maintenance of an optimal learning environment for children," the contract said. However, the contract also allows for the stated limits to be exceeded as long as an elementary school teacher is paid "$500 per semester." In disclosures to The News, Ionia's Rather Elementary School reported having two fifth-grade classes that exceeded the self-imposed limits this school year, with 30 and 29 students, respectively. Last year, Rather had two fourth-grade classes and one fifth-grade class that surpassed the limits. Goals and maximums About 90 miles east of Ionia in Davison is Central Elementary School, which Davison Community Schools describes as "our district's oldest building," opening in 1932. Like a handful of other districts, the contract between the Davison Board of Education and the Davison Education Association features both "goals" and "maximums" for class sizes, an apparent acknowledgment that what would be best for students in the eyes of school leaders isn't currently achievable. "The board and the association recognize that optimum school facilities and class sizes are desirable to insure high quality education that is the goal of both the teacher and the board," says the contract signed by Holly Halabicky, president of the Board of Education, and Sara Howes, president of the local teacher's union. For third grade, the district's stated goal is to have no more than 25 students in a class. But the contract also sets a maximum limit of 31 students in a third-grade class. In a disclosure to The News, Davison reported having three third-grade classes at Central with 30 students each and one with 31 students this year. Davison Superintendent Matthew Lobban said the class size goals represented his Genesee County school district’s ideal instructional environment. "The 'maximums' acknowledge that, despite our best efforts, achieving those goals is not always feasible due to funding constraints, space availability and fluctuations in student enrollment," Lobban said. "Our district continually strives to meet our goals, but we must also ensure compliance with state funding and budget limitations." Similarly, the contract between the Swartz Creek Community School District Board of Education and the local teachers' union details "ideal" class sizes and "suggested maximums." "The board recognizes the importance of maintaining reasonable class sizes for the most effective learning environments," the contract says. The ideal class size for first grade through fifth grade is 25 students. The suggested maximum is 30. Swartz Creek disclosed having two fourth-grade classes at Elms Road Elementary School this year, with 31 students and one with 32 students — seven students above what the district said is "ideal." 'Overage premium' At Swartz Creek, the contract says a teacher with a class that's larger than the suggested maximum is paid "additional compensation," according to the contract. The district has to pay a teacher $250 per semester per student over the suggested limit, the contract says. At Byron Center Public Schools in west Michigan, the rate is potentially more profitable for teachers. There, teachers get $18 per day for each student over the set limit. At Flint Community Schools, the contract sets an "overage premium" in which elementary school teachers get $12 per student over the limits per day. The agreement between the Mount Morris Board of Education and the Mount Morris Education Association identifies "targeted" class sizes and "maximum" class sizes. For first through third grade, the "targeted" size is 28 students per teacher. The maximum size is 32. If the district exceeds the "targeted" size, the teacher can choose to have, "at least 50% of the time," one compensatory day off per semester over the limit or $100 per student over the limit per semester. Among those signing the contract was Mount Morris Superintendent Mickie Kujat. High limits The 20 contracts The News examined were at the following school districts: Anchor Bay School District, Bangor Township Schools, Byron Center Public Schools, Chelsea School District, Coldwater Community Schools, Grand Rapids Public Schools, Ionia Public Schools, L'Anse Creuse Public Schools, Lakeview Public Schools, Lapeer Community Schools, Marysville Public Schools, Mount Morris Consolidated School District, Pittsford Area Schools, Pontiac School District, Swartz Creek Community Schools, Utica Community Schools and Westwood Heights Schools. Through the class size data released by the districts for the last two school years, 14 of the districts clearly had exceeded their own goals or maximums in at least one class, according to The News analysis. Six districts didn't appear to exceed their caps: Bangor Township Schools, Chelsea School District, Grand Rapids Public Schools, L'Anse Creuse Public Schools in Macomb County, Utica Community Schools and Westwood Heights Schools. But because The News examined only one or two schools in each district, it's possible that more than 14 districts exceeded their own standards. Still, some of those districts set high limits that would have been difficult to surpass. For example, the contract between the Bangor Township Board of Education and the Bangor Township Education Association allows up to 30 students in a kindergarten class and up to 32 students in a first-grade class. "Both parties recognize that one factor, optimal class size, is desirable as it contributes to the quality of instruction and learning, which is a mutual goal," the contract also said. Bangor's West Elementary and Central Elementary each reported having classes with 30 or more students in them over the last two school years. cmauger@detroitnews.com This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan schools often exceed class size limits despite teacher contract caps

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When the “Money Follows the Student,” Who Wins and Loses? Michigan’s “money follows the student” funding model influences school choice but exacerbates educational inequities.

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