Notes From the Road: PA146, 35p, and What Districts Actually Need to Know
by: Paul Getzen, Director of Partnerships at Catapult Learning
I’ve spent the last few weeks at Michigan conferences talking with district leaders across the state and two things keep coming up: PA146’s literacy requirements, and the new Section 35p tutoring dollars. Everyone wants to know how the two fit together. Here’s what I tell them.
How PA146 and Section 35p Work Together
PA146 is working within your MTSS already. You’re already doing the screening, the progress monitoring, the reading improvement plans. Full compliance is due by the 2027-28 school year, but the structure’s in place in most districts I talk to.
Section 35p adds real money with real rules. $50 million for 2026-27. Groups of four or fewer, at least two sessions a week, during the school day. Your tutoring partner has to be an approved provider with the state, and applications are due November 19.
The Details of 35p
The design is backed by evidence. Small groups, high frequency, short sessions, that’s the model Stanford’s National Student Support Accelerator found produces 3 to 15 months of extra learning. The state built the funding around what is proven to work.
The clock’s already running. MDE held one technical assistance webinar October 8 and has another October 13, before the NexSys portal opens. Applications are due November 19 at 5 p.m. Awards land January 15, funding reaches your fiscal agent in March, and tutoring realistically starts around April. I’d rather see districts plan now than scramble in December.
Working with Your ISD and Your Tutoring Provider
Your ISD is still your first call. They’re supporting your literacy coaching and MTSS support and that won’t go away. 35p adds tutoring capacity, a different piece of the same puzzle, and your district or ISD will need to serve as fiscal agent on the 35p application.
Staffing and scheduling eat the most time. Building a schedule that fits the school day and getting your data talking to whatever you’re already using for MTSS is the real lift. I’ve watched districts get stuck right there, and it’s where we’ve learned the most working alongside Michigan districts already running MiMTSS.
You don’t have to figure this out alone. Let’s get on a call and walk through a needs assessment together. We’ll surface exactly what your district needs so you walk away with concrete next steps toward a finalized 35p application before November.
About the Author
Paul Getzen is Director of Partnerships at Catapult Learning. Paul works directly with Michigan school partners to ensure successful outcomes for students in the mitten state.
