Gov. Whitmer's MiLEAP department launches, marking start of education overhaul

When the clock struck midnight early Friday, it ushered in the beginning of an overhaul in Michigan's education policy with the official launch of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's new education department announced earlier this year, which aims to consolidate early childhood and postsecondary education programs in a single department.

Whitmer created the new Michigan Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential (MiLEAP) department through an executive order. Michelle Richard — who previously worked as Whitmer's senior education adviser — took charge of MiLEAP Friday, serving as acting director and leading a department with over 300 staff members joining from four different state departments. A previous kindergarten and first grade teacher, in Whitmer's office, Richard worked on the school aid budgets and supported programs to lower the costs of higher education and skill training.

Whitmer's executive order creating MiLEAP — issued in July — gives the new department a broad mandate to "build a brighter future for Michigan from preschool to postsecondary to paycheck." It will house three offices: one focused on early childhood education, another on higher education and a third on education partnerships.

"Every Michigander deserves a path to 'make it in Michigan' with strong, lifelong learning support and a path to a good job, but for too long, we have thought of education as just K-12," Whitmer said in a statement. "We know that’s not good enough, which is why MiLEAP will tackle bold goals like expanding access to pre-K for all 4-year-olds, offering more affordable paths after graduation to get a higher education or skills training, and forging strong partnerships with our employers so they can get a good-paying, family-sustaining job."

Whitmer's announcement over the summer prompted an outcry from some members of the Michigan State Board of Education (MDE), drawing accusations she sidestepped the state's existing education department. Even though some MDE early childhood programming has transferred to MiLEAP, it won't supplant the old department. Instead, Whitmer wants the two to partner together.

A big change for higher education

Michigan Community College Association President Brandy Johnson said Whitmer’s announcement to create the new MiLEAP department "rocked the higher ed world." Michigan Association of State Universities CEO Dan Hurley echoed the sentiment. "It was a significantly notable announcement in that we have not had in our state's history a sort of office of higher education," he said.

Both were unaware of calls from higher education leaders in the state for MiLEAP but expressed hope that the new department will boost educational attainment levels among Michigan residents and by extension, help them enter high-wage professions.

Whitmer, for her part, has set a goal of increasing the share of working-age adults in Michigan with a skill certificate or college degree to 60% by 2030. MiLEAP now houses the Office of Sixty by 30 previously under the purview of the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.

The new MiLEAP will also take over scholarship programs currently administered by the Department of Treasury. "Having it buried so deeply within Treasury it almost kind of felt like an afterthought which was really in stark contrast to the governor’s goals around 60 by '30 and college affordability," Johnson said.

Johnson hopes MiLEAP will also help coordinate transferring course credits from community colleges to universities. Studies have shown that students who lose credits in large numbers upon transfer are less likely to graduate.

"We have moved mountains to make transfer better in Michigan," Johnson said. "But that being said, I think that it's now time for the state to take a more powerful role as it relates to ensuring that the credits that are earned at community colleges are transferred and recognized and honored by universities."

Hurley sees the potential for MiLEAP to help bolster state efforts to reverse its sluggish population growth. "This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. If we're really serious about competing economically with our 49 state partners in the years ahead," he said.

Whitmer announcement met with opposition from some

While some education advocates applauded Whitmer for establishing the new department, some expressed fears it will fall short in addressing the biggest challenges facing classrooms across the state.

State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh — a Democrat — said Whitmer's new department "threatens the very essence of our education system — a cornerstone of our democracy," in a statement issued in early August after the board unanimously approved a motion directing the state superintendent to request a legal opinion from the Attorney General's Office regarding the constitutionality of MiLEAP.

Whitmer, for her part, pushed back against the comment from a fellow Democrat. "You know what? The biggest threat to education is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result," Whitmer told reporters a couple of days after Pugh issued her statement.

Attorney General Dana Nessel called Superintendent Michael Rice's request for a legal opinion over the summer "premature" because Whitmer's executive order had not yet taken effect to set the stage for any potential infringement on the education board's constitutional authority. "It is at that point, where a specific set of facts exists, that an opinion may be appropriate," Nessel wrote.

In response to Nessel's letter, Pugh anticipated keeping a close eye on the new department. "The State Board will not stand by and watch its authority be threatened or stripped away, at the expense of our children's future," she said.

For his part, Rice said Friday in a statement that MDE has worked with the governor's office to transition early childhood programming to MiLEAP. "Whether or not we agree on the formation of a new department, we're all going to continue to serve kids," Rice said.

Free Press staff writer Lily Altavena contributed to this report.

Contact Clara Hendrickson: chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Whitmer's new Michigan education department, MiLEAP, launches