On May 19, 2010, Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed into law legislation that reforms the Michigan Public School Employees' Retirement System (MPSERS). In my opinion, the Law has two basic goals: saves money to cover state budget deficit, and provides jobs for young generation. Under the legislation, the MPSERS reforms will save budget nearly $680 million in the 2010-2011 school year and more than $3.1 billion over the next decade. Those figures are based on an estimated 28,000 of the 56,000 eligible school employees choosing to retire between July 1 and September 1, 2010.

Senate Bill 904, which was introduced by Senator Valde Garcia (R) on October 15, 2009, will amend part 25 [Environmental Education] of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to delete the criteria a school must meet in order to receive a ‘green school' title and establish new levels of ‘green-ness' for a school.

Representative Fred Durhal Jr. (D) from Detroit has propsed a plan to offer free tuition to Michigan high school students. The plan would offer all students with a 2.5 (out of 4.0) grade point average,  who are residents in the state for 5 years before graduating, and who had completed one year of community service a free college education. The funding would come from 3 'super' lotteries, a 1% tax increase on Michigan casino revenue (Native American casinos would volunteer the amount), and a voluntary tax form box for corporations, businesses, and private citizens.(Rep. Durhal: Lotto can help pay college tuition)

Rep. Durhal argues that the state of Michigan needs to have more residents with a college education and his proposal would allow the "Average Joe" to get a degree. He goes on to say that his program would cost approximately 1.7 billion dollars over a 4 year period and that he is also unaware how much money his proposal would take in, so the details need to be worked out. Another proposal by Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith (D- South Lyon) would offer a state tax credit for families paying for college.

A look at the state's School Aid Fund for 2009-2010 shows a deficit of approximately $234 million dollars, a significant drop in school enrollment (80% of traditional school districts are losing pupils), and a crumbling infrastructure with no end to the problems in sight.

Governor Granholm issued an executive order on Wednesday September 9th, 2009 that will keep the collections previously maintained by the recently dissolved Department of History, Arts, and Libraries together in order to prevent the valuable resource from being lost. She has also charged the recently created Michigan Center for Innovation and Reinvention to look for ways to preserve and keep open to public these valuable historical and educational resources. This order mainly focuses on the Michigan eLibrary, MelCat, and the collections of rare books, genealogical records, and historical documents.