Autism Alliance of Michigan Public Comment
State Board of Education
December 9, 2025
Read here: 2025.1209 Autism Alliance Public Comment_Special Education Benchmark Report and Finance Reform
Good afternoon Board members, Superintendent Maleyko, and Department staff.
My name is Heather Eckner and I serve as the statewide director of education for the Autism Alliance of Michigan.
The Autism Alliance Education pillar advances a Whole Child vision for Michigan by catalyzing advocacy and engagement activities to move an equitable education agenda for children and youth with special education needs focused on funding reform, appropriate identification, access to interventions, system accountability, and decreasing disparities.(1)
Welcome, Dr. Maleyko
We would like to extend a warm welcome to Dr. Maleyko as you join the Department and participate in your first State Board meeting. The Autism Alliance looks forward to working with you as Michigan strengthens its educational system for students with disabilities.
MiPAAC Special Education Advocacy Summit
Last week, the Michigan Parent, Advocate, and Attorney Coalition (MiPAAC) powered by the Autism Alliance hosted the 2025 Special Education Advocacy Day and Summit in Lansing. Parents, advocates, educators, and partner organizations came together with a shared message: Michigan’s special education system is overdue for bold, coordinated, and sustained transformation.
The stories shared by families and practitioners, alongside the data presented, were both sobering and clarifying—affirming that incremental adjustments are no longer enough.
Central to the Summit were the recommendations of the Michigan Special Education Finance Reform Blueprint, alongside the findings of the 2025 Michigan Special Education Benchmark Report, the first statewide report to document Michigan’s uneven access and troublingly low student outcomes across disability categories. Together, the two reports highlight the same reality: Michigan’s current system is not designed—or resourced—to deliver the inclusive, high-quality education that students with disabilities deserve and are guaranteed under the law.
System-level Barriers Demand Systems-Level Solutions
Participants of the Advocacy Summit stressed the consequences of ongoing misalignment.
Districts face chronic staffing shortages, insufficient reimbursements, and outdated allocation formulas. Families encounter persistent delays in evaluations, inconsistent access to interventions, and fragmented supports. And Michigan’s outcomes—graduation rates, dropout rates, and proficiency—continue to fall far below national averages. These system-level barriers demand system-level solutions.
The MI Special Education Blueprint(2) gives Michigan a roadmap:
- A modernized, weighted funding model that reflects the real cost of services across disability categories.
- A statewide High Cost Fund ensuring students with the most intensive needs receive appropriate supports regardless of district wealth.
- An equalization mechanism so every child, in every ISD, has access to comparable opportunities.
- Transparent reporting and a strengthened accountability framework to ensure funds are used effectively and supports translate into improved outcomes.
2025 Michigan Special Education Benchmark Report
The Benchmark Report(3) adds a sense of urgency. Michigan cannot meaningfully close gaps without simultaneously addressing funding adequacy, educator capacity, early identification, inclusive placement, and robust progress monitoring. The Benchmark Report lays out clear metrics that the state can use to measure improvement—not in paperwork compliance, but in student learning, well-being, and long-term success.
Parents and educators at the Summit emphasized that they are not asking for new mandates. They are asking Michigan to build a system capable of meeting the mandates that already exist—to ensure that zip code does not determine access and opportunity, where the least restrictive environment is a reality rather than an aspiration, and that students with disabilities are supported to graduate with real options for college, career, and community living.
We Must Act with Urgency and Clarity
As the State Board welcomes new leadership and sets priorities for the year ahead, the Autism Alliance urges you to keep this charge at the center of your work: Michigan’s students with disabilities cannot wait another generation for the systems they need to succeed.
Implementing the MI Blueprint, acting on the findings of the Benchmark Report, strengthening educator workforce pipelines, and elevating authentic family partnership are essential steps toward rebuilding trust and delivering the improved outcomes all students deserve.
The Autism Alliance stands ready to partner with this Board, MDE, and our legislative leaders to ensure Michigan implements lasting change that our students deserve.
Thank you.
(1) AAoM Public Comment to the State Board of Education available here: https://mipaac.org/advocacy/
(2) https://autismallianceofmichigan.org/education-initiatives/mi-blueprint/
(3) https://autismallianceofmichigan.org/education-initiatives/mi-special-education-benchmark-report/
____
View the December 9, 2025 Michigan State Board of Education meeting –
AAoM’s public comments are at ___ of the afternoon session:
- Michigan State Board of Education Meeting for December 9, 2025 – Morning Session
- Michigan State Board of Education Meeting for December 9, 2025 – Afternoon Session
About the Autism Alliance of Michigan
The Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM) is a 501(c)(3) organization serving as a trusted ally and partner for thousands of families across the state. AAoM’s mission is to lead efforts to raise expectations and expand opportunities for people connected to autism across their lifespan. The organization’s Education pillar drives initiatives that address systemic barriers to education, focuses on student-centered advocacy, and educates families on related topics – working towards its goal to make Michigan a top 10 state for special education outcomes.
For help finding resources, providers, and information contact our MiNavigators at 877-463-2266 (AAOM) or email at navigator@aaomi.org.
More information about AAoM’s Education pillar can be found at: https://autismallianceofmichigan.org/education-initiatives/.
Learn more about how AAoM is elevating the lived experience, identifying system barriers, and amplifying the voices of parents and students with disabilities connected to the special education system in Michigan to inform our collective advocacy efforts:
-
Special Education Experience (SEE) Survey: Report to the Community
The MI Special Education Finance Reform Blueprint (MI Blueprint) is a statewide initiative to create a better system— one that aligns funding with actual student needs and ensures schools have the resources to deliver. This work, led by Autism Alliance of Michigan with support from Public Sector Consultants, is backed by legislation and bipartisan support, and it’s grounded in data, experience, and input from families, educators, and advocates.
-
Michigan Special Education Finance Reform Blueprint (“MI Blueprint”)
https://autismallianceofmichigan.org/education-initiatives/mi-blueprint/
The Michigan Special Education Benchmark Report is the state’s first unified overview of how Michigan’s public education system is serving students with disabilities. The report brings together statewide indicators on access, quality, and outcomes to establish a transparent baseline for improvement. By highlighting longstanding disparities and identifying the conditions that support meaningful progress, the Benchmark Report offers educators, policymakers, and families a clear set of measures to guide strategic decision-making and track improvement over time. This work is designed to inform system transformation—ensuring that every student with a disability, in every community, has access to the supports and opportunities they need to learn, grow, and thrive.
-
Michigan Special Education Benchmark Report
https://tinyurl.com/MI-Benchmark-Report
###
Are you a parent, advocate, or attorney dedicated to student-centered advocacy?
Join MiPAAC! mipaac.org/join-mipaac