Isabel Lohman

The high school class of 2022 has been through a lot. From virtual learning in their bedrooms, to mourning the death of loved ones. Four seniors spoke to Bridge about all that they missed, and vowed “never to take anything for granted.”

GOP lawmakers defend a measure that would require schools to publicly post curricula, book titles, writing assignments and other material at the start of the school year or lose 5 percent of funding. Democrats call it a ploy to politicize education.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s proposed education budget plan focused mostly on the state’s struggling K-12 schools. But Michigan universities and community colleges would also get a big spending bump, assuming GOP lawmakers buy in.

In a survey by the Michigan Education Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union, educators noted more shortages and disruption than before and said they are less satisfied with their jobs.

Schools are battling teacher shortages, mental health concerns and more. Gov. Whitmer said she wants to make “bold investments” in education with billions of additional dollars in state and federal funds. Republicans say they are eager to talk, but wary of the tab.

COVID continues to disrupt the number of high school graduates enrolling in college, which has consequences for the state’s economy. School counselors are seeing the pandemic’s toll as the governor seeks to boost student success.

Big storms used to mean snowball fights, not school. But remote technology has made it easier for schools to keep teaching in the pandemic. Educators say there are still kinks to figure out before snow days vanish.

For years, community colleges have sought legislative approval for four-year nursing programs to help staff hospitals short on workers. But the state’s four-year universities fiercely oppose the move, leading to the latest turf battle in Lansing.