Travel Program: Tour Alaska with MARSP! FREE Webinar August 21st
Back by popular demand, MARSP will once again offer the Alaska Discovery Land & Cruise tour in 2026! Join the free webinar on August 21, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. to learn more. Can’t attend live? Register anyway, and we’ll send you the recording by email. Click here to find out what members have to say about our Travel Program!
MARSP Foundation: Driving Careers Forward at the Foundation Golf Outing
On August 12, the MARSP Foundation hosted its 14th annual golf outing, raising funds to support professional development scholarships for Michigan’s public school employees.
Congratulations, Golf Outing Winners!
- Winning Team (pictured): Kirk Roper, Ron Ferguson, Damyon Nicholson, and Sean Lockhart
- Men’s Longest Drive: Kirk Roper
- Women’s Longest Drive: Dianne Gooding
- Closest to the Pin: Kirk Roper
While it’s always a great day on the course, this event is about more than golf—it’s about recognizing the people who dedicate their careers to Michigan students and ensuring they have access to the tools and training they need to grow and thrive.
The Foundation’s commitment to this mission began in 1995, when it recognized that public school employees are expected to keep learning, improving, and serving, yet often lack the financial support to do so. To help close that gap, the Foundation established its Scholarship Fund.
Since then, $134,730 in scholarships have been awarded to help Michigan’s public school professionals improve their skills, earn credentials, and better serve their students and communities. Along with member donations, net proceeds from the annual golf outing help fund these scholarships. Thanks to the generosity of members, supporters, and golfers, the Foundation awarded nine scholarships in 2025 to public school employees across the state. Click here to learn more about our 2025 recipients!
More Ways to Support: Giving & Sharing
Scholarships of up to $1,000 are available to all public school employees—regardless of position—as long as they are pursuing career-advancing opportunities. Applications are accepted from January 1 – March 31 of each year, and grants are disbursed each July, usually for the fall semester of the year in which the scholarship is awarded.
As we approach the 2026 scholarship application season, please share this opportunity with potential applicants and consider contributing to the Scholarship Fund. Together, we are enhancing careers and bringing new skills and innovation to Michigan’s classrooms.
Legislative Update: Slow Budget Talks & Concern Over House Proposal
The state budget remains stalled, with the Governor and House prioritizing a roads deal. We’re unlikely to see a budget agreement before September.
Fiscal Year 25-26 School Aid Budget Proposals
- Executive Budget Proposal & Documents
- Senate School Aid Budget Proposal: sfa.senate.michigan.gov
- House School Aid Budget Proposal
Concerns Over House School Aid Budget Proposal
The House budget proposes restoring a higher cap on how much of a school district’s payroll goes toward MPSERS debt payment. This cap was lowered last year from 20.96% to 15.21%, reducing district costs while maintaining the MPSERS debt repayment schedule. To make this change, the state would need to amend the MPSERS Act.
Our Position: MARSP opposes reopening the MPSERS Act, as doing so makes retiree benefits vulnerable to harmful changes.
The House School Aid budget seeks to consolidate many existing “categoricals”—dedicated funds for specific programs such as early literacy, preschool, and career and technical education—into a larger per-pupil line item. According to the House Fiscal Agency, this would increase per-pupil funding and give school districts more flexibility.
Our position: Effective funding empowers today’s employees and ensures Michigan students have access to critical programs. MARSP urges legislators to examine the purpose behind existing categoricals and pursue funding solutions that support student needs and the ability of school employees to serve effectively.
Your Role: Remind Legislators that Retirees are Paying Attention
Effective advocacy begins before a bill is ever introduced. The best time to develop relationships and trust with policymakers is before there’s a specific “ask” on the table. Don’t wait until the stakes are high to say, “Hello.” A call, email, or short visit is enough to introduce yourself and remind legislators that MARSP members are informed, active, and engaged. That way, when you have a specific request for action (and you will), they already know who you are.
Access links to find your state senator/representative at www.marsp.org/advocacy
VANGUARD Online: Summer 2025 Now Available
Click the button below to access the latest issue of VANGUARD, MARSP’s quarterly publication.
Inside this issue:
- Legislative Update: State Budget Talks Could Impact MPSERS – Here’s What to Know
- Leading With Purpose: Meet Don Johnson, MARSP President
- Exclusive Interview: Royce Humm (MARSP) and Anthony Estell (ORS) Discuss MPSERS Pension & Healthcare Funds
- When in Tuscany: MARSP Visits the Birthplace of the Italian Renaissance
- MARSP Foundation Scholarship Fund: From One Generation to the Next
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