Spring Conference Registration Open

The MPAAA Spring Conference is May 4-6 at Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City.  Registration is now open, and you can register HERE.

Description & Overview

The Annual MPAAA Spring Conference Schedule has something to offer everyone working in Michigan's Public Education System! We have sessions designed for those new to the world of pupil accounting and data management as well as sessions for veteran staff. Once again, we have invited student information system vendors as well as a few specialty vendors to be there on Monday. This quote from a previous conference attendee says it all, "As always, the conference was very well planned and the speakers very well prepared". We look forward to seeing you at this year's conference!

The educational system in Michigan is changing at an astounding pace. In the past several years, we have seen changes throughout our systems. From Section 25 (aka, "the money following the student") to the addition of more cyber schools and virtual offerings, we are seeing firsthand how different our workplace may look. MPAAA seeks to continue its effort to be your primary 'go-to' resource regarding school funding and the legislation pertaining to school operations and funding. Our conferences are designed to assist anyone working with student data, school funding, enrollment and membership requirements, and auditing. The one thing we can assure you, this conference is not to be missed!

Our "Quick Hits" sessions are back for this conference! These 45-minute sessions cover topics not always able to be covered in a full 90-minute session, and each one will be repeated. You will be able to select two (2) sessions to attend instead of just one (1) for 90 minutes of credit. Hopefully, this will allow you to attend more of the sessions you need and make the conference even more productive.

Our Euchre/Cornhole game night is also back on Tuesday evening, by popular request! Come join the fun!

In addition, for those who wish to participate there is an opportunity to take a historic Asylum Tour in The Village at Grand Traverse Commons, the former Traverse City State Hospital. For more information on this event, please check out the article below.

Speakers

Various speakers from around the state (including CEPI, MDE, MiLEAP, etc.) and local school districts will be in attendance. Scheduled speakers can be found on the agenda posted on this screen.

Hotel Information:

GRAND TRAVERSE RESORT & SPA - 100 Grand Traverse Village Blvd, Acme, MI  49610 - Ph: 231.534.6001

Rooms available here at the rate of:  $164 per night (Hotel Guestroom); $195.00 per night (Tower Guestroom) Plus 6% sales tax, 5% occupancy assessment, and a $18.95 per night resort fee. Groups exempt from State Sales Tax must provide written proof. Please check with the GTR regarding their cancellation policy.

Condominiums may be available at the rate of $205 per night (1-bedroom); $298 per night (2-bedroom); $359 per night (3-bedroom).

Reservations may be made by calling: 231.534.6000 and mentioning the MPAAA group code (MPA2026) to receive the discounted conference rate.  

OR using this booking link: GTR MPAAA 0526

This will be available on Monday, March 2, 2026, at 8 am. Cutoff date for the block of rooms is April 12, 2026.

Check-In is 4 pm; Check-Out is 11 am.

CHERRY TREE INN & SUITES – 2345 US 31 North, Traverse City, MI  49686 – Ph: 231.938.8888

Rooms available here at the rate of $175 per night, plus 6% sales tax, 5% occupancy assessment, and a $15 per night resort fee.

Please check with the Inn when making a reservation for their tax-exempt policy.

Reservations may be made by calling: 231.938.8888 and mentioning the arrival date of May 3 and MPAAA to receive the discounted conference rate.  Please check with Cherry Tree on their cancellation policy. A credit card guarantee is required at time of reservation. Cutoff date for this block of rooms is Wednesday, March 19, 2026.  Check-In is 4 pm; Check-Out is 11 am.

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS & SUITES – 3536 Mt. Hope Road, Williamsburg, MI  49690 – Ph: 231.938.2600

Rooms available here at the rate of $141.25 per night, plus 6% sales tax and 5% occupancy assessment. Groups exempt from State Sales Tax must provide written proof a minimum of 30 days prior to arrival.

 Reservations may be made by calling: 231.938.2600 and mentioning the MPAAA code to receive the discounted conference rate.   OR you may use this link - HOLIDAY INN TRAVERSE 2026

Check-In is 4 pm; Check-Out is 11 am. Cutoff date for this block of rooms is Sunday, April 5, 2026.

 Cancellation of an individual guestroom is before 6pm on the day prior to arrival.

General Information

The conference includes Breakfast and Lunch on Monday and Tuesday and Breakfast only on Wednesday. Session and other presenter materials will be posted on the MPAAA website in advance of the conference and an attendee email will be sent to notify you when the information is posted. Attendees are welcome to print the materials ahead of time for the sessions which you plan to attend. Please use the link below or see the MPAAA website to submit questions to session presenters in advance. Submitting questions in advance will help our presenters research your specific questions before the conference.  

The conference costs $520 for MPAAA members and $625 for non-members. Everyone who registers in March will receive $25 off that cost as an Early Bird discount.  If you cannot register online with a credit card, there is a paper registration form that you can complete and return with a check.

 On-site walk-ins incur an additional $25 fee to attend.

Submit a Session Question

Click HERE to submit a question to a conference presenter ahead of the conference.

Outstanding Service Award

Click HERE to submit an application for a deserving colleague to receive an Outstanding Service Award.  This form must be submitted to the MPAAA office on or before April 3rd. The awards will be presented at the Spring Conference.

 Cancellation Policy & Contact Information

Members and guests will be assessed a cancellation fee of $100 for event registrations cancelled up to four weeks prior to the event start date. There will be no refunds for cancellations occurring after Monday, April 6th.

Please contact our Executive Director, Rob Dickinson ([email protected]), or our Executive Assistant, Jody Lukins ([email protected]), to request cancellation of a workshop or conference for which you are registered, or for any other event / MPAAA-related question.

*NO REFUNDS* will be granted if cancellation is after the Monday, April 6th, cutoff date.

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Asylum Tours for Spring Conference Attendees

MPAAA is pleased to announce that there will be exclusive tours of the Traverse City State Hospital on either Monday or Tuesday night during the Spring conference.

These 90-minute tours will explore the grounds, buildings, and even the underground structures of the old complex, as well as its renovated parts. This link allows you to register ($35 per person) for a tour at 5:30, 6:30, or 7:30 on Monday (May 4th) or Tuesday (May 5th) evening. Note that we WILL be holding our normal Euchre/Cornhole/Games night on Tuesday evening (7-10 PM), so plan accordingly if you wish to do both.

Note that we will not provide transportation to the complex, and you will need to get there and back on your own.

For more information on the tours, please click HERE.

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MPAAA Logo Store reopened

The MPAAA Association Board of Directors is excited to offer additional logo merchandise to our members this spring. We've carefully selected a variety of clothing, drinkware, and other items. In collaboration with a local business, The Great Put On, we've launched a dedicated swag store for you to browse and shop: The link for the store is HERE.

Once the store is open it will remain available through Tuesday, April 14th. After this date, the store will close.  All ordered items by this date will be produced and shipped directly to the customers (there will be some shipping costs as well). We hope you find something you love in the store, and can't wait to see you at the spring conference sporting your newly purchased MPAAA gear!

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Recorded Winter Certification courses now available

In January and February, MPAAA held a series of Bootcamps and Certification courses as virtual sessions.  Recordings of each of the 13 sessions are now available to watch and earn MSBO credit.

The available courses (and the certification tracks they apply to) are listed below:

You can register to take any of these courses HERE.  Once you register, you will be emailed the link to the video, along with any supporting documentation.  You will also receive a link for the credit form you will need to complete and return to receive credit with MSBO.  The courses will be available to watch until the end of April.

MPAAA works hard to make these courses available to its members.  We hope you find them to be useful. 

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Documents Wanted for Data Quality Resource Library

In 2025, the MPAAA created a library of legacy Pupil Accounting and Auditing Manuals for our members.

For 2026, the LEA/Data Committee has proposed creating a Data Quality Resource Library.  This library would include sample documents, checklists, and tools focused on Data Quality and data Governance.  Below are examples of materials the committee is seeking.

Data Quality Documents:

• The checklist you use to go over audit packets when they come back from the schools.
• The list you keep of checks on the system to make sure all fields are completed and correct (how do you find the student that has their middle name in their home's street address because someone was typing ahead as they processed enrollment information)
• What process do you use to identify students in the 2nd and 3rd weeks of school who haven't attended this school year, and how do you determine who to keep and who to drop?
• The spreadsheet you devised to roll student data into to proof before the Count Day.
• The ISD-wide list of attendance codes that makes them easier for auditors to understand.

Data Governance Resources (this gets more into policies and processes to reinforce data quality):

• The process document that helps all of your District's departments coordinate roll-over.
• Any training documents you have for new staff on data input and catching/correcting mistakes.
• Agreements you may have with the ISD or other local partners to share data resources or equipment in the event of a disaster.

We recognize that many of these documents are district-specific, and no one is expected to use them exactly as provided.  The goal is to offer starter resources and reference examples that members can adapt to their local needs or use as inspiration to strengthen data governance practices.

If you have any documents, checklists, or spreadsheets that you are willing to share with this library, please send them to [email protected].  If you can use 'DQ Library' as the subject, it will help me set them aside.

 Our goal is to establish this library within the next couple of months and continue expanding it through the spring, making it a valuable resource for members—particularly those starting new positions over the summer.   

Thank you to the LEA/Data Committee and its chairs, Janell Craig, Luke Kaiser, and Linda Dehooghe, for their interest in this concept.

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Data Quality Corner

MPAAA Data Quality Corner

Each month, the members of the MPAAA LEA/Data Committee have agreed to share a brief article on data quality with our members.

Our March article is from Jennifer Carlson with Muskegon ISD and deals with MSDS Staging Reports

The Importance of Data Quality and Using MSDS Staging Reports to Improve Data Quality

Data quality is a vital part of pupil membership reporting.  This data affects funding, state and local-level decision-making, strategic planning, student equity, district accountability, and public trust.  If data is inaccurate, wrong decisions are made, and the distribution of per-pupil funding can be inequitable.  Poor data quality can lead to FTE deductions, an increased audit risk assessment, and even unintentional fraudulent FTE claims.  It is critical that every school staff member involved in student data takes that responsibility seriously and makes a concerted effort to assure the data is correct.

In Muskegon County, we distribute a weekly data quality email containing reports developed by our PowerSchool team that districts are encouraged to run on a set schedule, based on the time of year and upcoming data collection deadlines.  These reports divide the review process into manageable sections and help ensure data accuracy before reporting files are generated. They identify such issues as missing demographic information, FTE inconsistencies, conflicting residency information, address mismatches, students without classes or with less than a full-time schedule, conflicting date information (including course enrollment, entry, and term dates), reportable suspensions and expulsions not flagged for reporting, and students marked to exclude from reporting. Since implementing these weekly checks, we have seen a county-wide improvement in data accuracy.

Although sharing our data quality reports is not practical due to our system customizations, as well as the use of multiple student information systems statewide, districts can improve data quality by reviewing the MSDS staging reports provided by CEPI.  My recommended list of staging reports, including specific items to review, is available at this link.  

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Future 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, and add new dates as we make those arrangements.

25/26

27/28

28/29

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