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MPAAA Newsblast - Later August 2026
26/27 State Aid Budget - Pupil Accounting Changes
Sec 6(4)(m) - (page 13 of the Concurred PDF) - Lines 23 - 26 says that if a student graduates at the end of their 4th year of High school, they may still receive State Aid for their 5th year if they are in an EMC and at least 1 college course is transcribed for HS credit over both the fall and spring count days. So this will allow a student to graduate with a diploma at the end of their 4th year, but still earn FTE during their 5th year.
Sec 6(4)(x) - (page 19 of the concurred PDF) - Lines 7 - 15 allow ALL Districts to be funded in 26/27 by the greater of:
- Their 3-year average membership (average of their 24/25, 25/26 and 26/27 membership), or
- Their standard 26/27 membership
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Whichever is greater
Districts that have seen their FTE decrease in the past few years will have an opportunity to collect additional funding based on the 3-year average. MDE has not yet said whether they will do this for Districts or whether a reporting process will be required.
Sec 6(21) - (starting on page 32 of the concurred PDF) - The funding increases for English learners, or financially disadvantaged.
Sec 15(4) - (Page 56) - Membership adjustments shall no longer be made for educator certification issues or misplacement. Section 163 (see below) now provides the sole remedy for improperly certified or misplaced teachers.
Sec 21f(14) - (Page 88) - Part A says that up to 3 days may be set as virtual to allow testing in buildings that are impacted by the proctoring rules of those tests. Part B says that up to 3 days of virtual instruction may be used to provide instruction for snow days once all potential Section 101 forgiven days are exhausted.
Sec 163(2) - (Page 423) - If the Department finds Teaching staff who are not properly certified, they must give the District 15 days to correct the issue before any penalty is assessed. On the 16th day, a $50,000 penalty is assessed, and that will grow by $1,000 per day until the teacher is properly placed, or a limit of $100,000 is reached.
Looking for feedback on Special Education
We are asking our membership for some information about special education in your organization. There are only a few questions, but the answers will assist the Special Education Committee greatly in setting directions for future work.
The link to the survey is HERE. Please send in your responses by Friday, September 4th.
Recorded Bootcamp Now Available
This is a recorded version of the virtual Bootcamp sessions held on Monday, August 10th - Wednesday, August 12th, 2026.
We've heard from many of our new members that they need more comprehensive training to start them off on the right foot in Pupil Accounting. In response to this request, we've created a 3-day boot camp to give those new to the field a firmer grounding in the basics.
Attendees who complete the Boot Camp will have 6 of the required courses for the Pupil Accounting Specialist completed and have a great start on their MSBO certification.
The link to these recorded sessions will be emailed to you once you register. The recordings will be available until the end of October, and you will have access to a form to receive MSBO certification credit if you wish.
If you are interested in learning more about this recorded event, please click HERE.
2026 MPAAA Mentor Program
MPAAA is continuing this mentor program to allow staff new to pupil accounting, auditing, and data reporting the opportunity to 'partner' with an experienced colleague who can serve as a sounding board for questions and a guide through the intricacies of this profession!
We'll be pairing folks based on three criteria: location within the State, district/ISD size, and SIS software used. We'll ask mentees to assign ranks to each of these categories so they can be matched up on criteria that are most relevant to them.
Process Plan
- July 1st – Newsblast article asking for volunteer mentors AND mentees
- August 31st – Begin the process of pairing mentors and mentees together.
- September 4th - Notify mentor/mentee pairs so they can contact each other.
Mentors Needed
We have struggled in previous years to have enough mentors to hold this program. If you are an experienced Pupil Accountant, Auditor, or Educational Data Specialist, PLEASE consider completing the survey at the link below to volunteer.
To sign up as a mentor or mentee, please complete the survey HERE, and we'll be in touch in early September with your pairing. This survey will close on Friday, August 28th.
2025 Carryover
If you are still working with your mentor/mentee from 2025, and you would like that relationship to continue, please confirm this with your other half and send in a direct email ([email protected]) asking that the pairing be continued into 26/27.
Membership Renewal
For those who wish to continue their membership in MPAAA, please be aware that renewal for the 26/27 year is now available HERE.
The renewal cost is $125, and all renewals will extend your membership to June 30, 2027.
We hope you find your membership in MPAAA valuable and will consider renewing.
Upcoming Conference Dates
We get frequent calls and emails at the MPAAA office asking about future conference dates. We're posting all known dates here and will include this article in each future Newsblast issue, adding new dates as we finalize those arrangements.
26/27
- Fall
- September 14 - 16, Bluewater Convention Center, Port Huron
- September 28-30, Mission Point, Mackinac Island
- Spring
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- May 3-5, Grand Traverse Resort, Acme
27/28
- Fall
- September 21-23, Muskegon Convention Center, Muskegon
- September 27-29, Mission Point, Mackinac Island
- Spring
- May 1-3, Grand Traverse Resort, Acme
28/29
- Fall
- September 18-20, Bavarian Inn Lodge, Frankenmuth
- September 27-29, Boyne Mountain Resort, Boyne Falls
