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Board approves SEAC nominees after sharp debate over special-education oversight
Summary
The State Board approved five Special Education Advisory Committee nominees but members debated whether SEAC or the board should address a federal probe of Michigan’s special-education compliance; the board then created a Special Education Committee to conduct statewide listening and review.
The Michigan State Board of Education approved five nominees to the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) after an extended exchange about SEAC’s role in addressing federally identified unmet special-education needs.
Terri Pettit, SEAC facilitator, presented five at-large nominees and described SEAC’s statutory duties and recruitment process. Pettit read the nominees: Bertanji Kendricks Bailey, Tiffany Gauthier, Amanda Havens, Dichondra Johnson, and Toby Ward, and said SEAC sought candidates to reflect statewide diversity.
Board member Snyder pressed Pettit and the presenters about whether SEAC had taken up the federal investigation that found unmet special-education needs in Michigan. “When we talked about this last, your charge of unmet needs — this is absolutely under that umbrella,” Snyder said, arguing that a governor-appointed advisory panel or differently structured governance might more closely meet the federal requirement. Pettit responded that SEAC’s charge, operating procedures, and federal-state roles limit what it can do and that the committee was compiling parents’ concerns to deliver to the board.
After discussion, the board voted to approve the nominees. The motion carried; one member recorded a no vote during roll call on procedural grounds related to the unresolved governance questions.
Immediately afterward the board debated and approved a separate resolution establishing a Special Education Committee of the board to listen to families, review statewide data and practices, and recommend improvements. The resolution names an initial membership and directs the committee to coordinate planning and community visits in partnership with the department. Speakers during debate urged legal and constitutional review of governance arrangements; one board member asked for legislative engagement to address statutory appointment structures.
What’s next: The new Special Education Committee will begin planning in the fall, with board members and department staff expected to participate in listening sessions and district visits. The committee’s creation does not by itself resolve questions about the governor-appointed federal advisory panel; several board members said they would pursue statutory and constitutional analysis.
Vote details: The board recorded the roll-call approval for the SEAC nominees and later approved the Special Education Committee resolution in a recorded vote.
