Insider Intelligence

On Thursday, Governor Rick Snyder announced he will lead a seven-day investment mission to Israel.  The focus will be on trade and investments, improving academic cooperation, and exploring opportunities for collaboration on cybersecurity matters.  The mission will depart on Friday, January 27 and return on Thursday, February 2.  “Governor Snyder has long been a proponent […]

For the Michigan Community College Association (MCCA), launching the Michigan New Jobs Training Program (MNJTP) represented a valuable opportunity to incentivize economic development. For those on the outside looking in, the program was perceived as having the potential to require state funds and adversely affecting existing Michigan Economic Development Corporation programs and goals. The MLC […]

This week, the State Board of Education elected co-presidents, one from each party, as the board is currently split 4-4 on partisan lines.  Elected by their colleagues, Casandra Ulbrich and Richard Zeile will serve as the new co-presidents of the board.  Also elected today, Tom McMillin as treasurer and Michelle Fecteau as secretary. Casandra Ulbrich […]

This week, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported three bills reforming pension plans for newly hired teachers.  The legislation would place school employees hired after July 1, 2017, into a 401k plan.  In the new plan, 4% of employee’s salary would go into the 401k, plus there would be an employer match of up to 3% […]

Tuesday’s General Election brought many surprises to several statewide elections.  In the House of Representatives, the partisan makeup will remain the same, after one incumbent Democratic Representative lost his seat because the party flipped a previously held Republican seat.  However, prior to the election, many pollsters and insiders had expected the Democratic caucus to gain […]

Next week, Michigan voters are taking to the polls to vote on several races.  On Tuesday, the MLC Blog outlined the two open Congressional seats in Michigan.  While Federal level races tend to get the most attention, state races are also important as they have a big effect on Michigan resident’s everyday lives. In the […]

This week, the 21st Century Michigan Education Commission announced a West Michigan event as part of their listening tour.  The public event will be held on Thursday, November 3, at the Gerald R. Ford Academic Center in Grand Rapids.  For more information or to RSVP, please click here. The commission was created by Executive Order […]

This week, the Michigan Supreme Court denied a request by Governor Rick Snyder to issue an opinion on state funding for private schools.  In the 2016-2017 Fiscal Year budget, there was an appropriation of $2.5 million to cover the costs for private schools to comply with state mandates placed on all K-12 schools.  After signing […]