The Overview

If your child is in kindergarten through fifth grade in Michigan, their reading teacher must now be trained in how children learn to read. Teachers have until the start of the 2031-32 school year to finish state-approved courses on phonics, vocabulary and comprehension, and new hires get three years. School boards must make sure staff finish, and the state education department tracks completion through yearly reports.

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed House Bill 5697 into law July 21, and it took effect immediately. Rep. Nancy DeBoer (R-Holland) sponsored it with 32 other House members. Only 38.9% of Michigan third graders scored proficient in reading on the 2025 state test, the lowest in the test's 11-year history, Chalkbeat reported.

What The Law Does

The rule covers certified teachers of K-5 reading, including special education teachers, and other staff who support or supervise literacy lessons. Teachers of only gym, music or art are exempt, as are staff holding only an interim certificate.

The department must approve at least two training providers and publish a yearly statewide report on who has finished. Every requirement depends on lawmakers funding it, and this year's state budget sets aside $75 million for literacy training.

The Demo

Michigan's public schools serve about 1.4 million students, according to Whitmer's office, in a state of about 4.1 million households, according to the Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey. About 44,000 K-5 teachers still needed the training as of March, Bridge Michigan reported.

The Debate

The House passed the bill 104-2 on June 18. The Senate passed it 36-0 on July 3, and the House accepted the Senate's changes 103-3 the same day. Rep. Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth), a cosponsor, said he backed the idea but worried about adding work for teachers with family obligations and second jobs, Bridge reported. The Michigan Education Association, the statewide teachers union, said teachers should be "fairly compensated for any additional time required" and called the $75 million "likely not enough to fully cover the need."

What's Next

The department must approve its providers and a statewide plan within 90 days of the law taking effect, which falls on Monday, Oct. 19. It has already approved the LETRS course and sought at least one more provider.

The law sets the deadline, but funding will decide the pace. The House Fiscal Agency estimated training costs about $1,649 per teacher, or at least $72.6 million for 44,000 teachers, just under this year's $75 million.

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