HB 5923 Summary

• Establishes Part 6F authorizing new specialized public school types including single-gender schools, online schools, globally competitive schools, international cultural schools, residential schools, employer-supported schools, cultural institution-affiliated schools, and municipal schools, with special designation agreements between schools and authorizing bodies.

• Creates adjunct instructor certification allowing individuals with bachelor's degrees, relevant work experience, and passing Praxis scores to teach part-time courses in specialized subjects without full teacher certification, limited to 2 courses per academic year.

• Expands online learning options by requiring public schools to inform students about online courses, allow enrollment in up to 2 online courses per term (expandable with demonstrated success), and apply foundation allowance funds toward online instructional program costs.

• Modifies the Michigan merit standard graduation requirements to allow alternative online learning methods to satisfy the online course requirement, permit out-of-state and international student tuition at specialized schools, and establish governance flexibility for schools with special designations.

• Establishes the Michigan Virtual School to develop online instructional models, expand curricular offerings statewide through electronic delivery, and serve as a broker for college-level equivalent courses and dual enrollment opportunities.