Michigan Federation of Teachers & School Related Personnel
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Michigan Federation of Teachers & School Related Personnel
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Capitol Report Archives Go to current Capitol Report for links to complete archive. 2001 November October September August July June May April March February January 2000 |
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Privatization of Substitute Teachers School Accountability Bomb Threat Penalties Straight-Ticket Voting to be Eliminated Modified Special Education Rules Package to Move in February Internet Tax Moratorium Confusion Education Funding Still Uncertain Charter School Commission Holds First Hearings Administering Medications to Students Sports Safety Training School Inspection Bill Golden Apple Award Letter Opposing Graded Premium on Website Armed Forces Access to Schools Legislative Alert: Privatization of Substitute Teachers Legislative Alert: Stop the School Aid Cuts: Fully fund School Aid Legislative Alert: Oppose Graded Premium Health Care for Retirees Links to these, and all other current Legislative Action Alerts may be found on the Legislative Hotline page of this website.  Return to Top Privatization of Substitute Teachers Senate Bill 213 (Shirley Johnson, R-13) was introduced to alleviate shortages of substitute teachers which has been attributed to substandard pay, difficult working conditions, and numerous alternative job opportunities. This bill would allow districts to contract with temporary-staffing agencies to supply substitute teachers. The Michigan Federation of Teachers and School Related Personnel believes that allowing school districts to hire its substitute teachers through an agency could have long-lasting detrimental effects on substitute teachers, and possibly on students with whom they work. An agency could offer fewer benefits and lower salaries than the district. The bill would remove some of the safeguards meant to protect the long-term substitute teachers, such as:
Under current law, substitute teachers are not required to be certified, or even degreed. A substitute teacher could be in a classroom for a full year without having completed college or having been interviewed by the district. Senate Bill 213 has already passed the Senate and is being considered by the House Education Committee. We urge you to contact your State Representative in opposition of privatizing substitute teachers. For a form letter which you may email your legislator to Oppose Privatizing Substitute Teachers CLICK HERE. Links to this, and all other current Action Alerts may be found on the Legislative Hotline page of this website. Return to Top School Accountability On December 10, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Watkins introduced the state's new accountability framework entitled, Education YES! A Yardstick for Excellent Schools. The State Board of Education is expected to give it their approval at the February meeting. MEAP scores, annual improvement, and the ability to provide one year of progress for each year a child is in school would count for 75 percent of the total grade for a school. Parental involvement, professional development, attendance, curriculum alignment, and six other measures would make up the remaining 25 percent. The standards schools would have to meet on these categories will not be set for at least a month. It will be another three years before schools are officially graded on the new scale, which would determine whether a school gets accreditation. Based on the school s score, it would receive a grade, A through F. Officials have not determined what grade would be necessary for accreditation. The Michigan Department of Education will collect data from schools beginning in the fall of 2002, and individual school buildings will receive their first interim letter grade in the spring of 2003. The Department of Education will conduct public hearings throughout the state on the new plan. They are tentatively scheduled for: January 16 - Grand Rapids and Lansing January 17 - Detroit and Saginaw Copies of the complete 16-page plan can be obtained from the Michigan Department of Education's website at: http://www.state.mi.us/mde/off/board/news/educationyes.pdf. Note: This document is in  PDF Format and requires the FREE Adobe® Acrobat® Reader available from the Adobe website.
Return to Top Bomb Threat Penalties Under Senate Bill 465 (Garcia, R-St. Johns) pupils under 14 years of age convicted of making a bomb threat would not be eligible for a drivers license until turning 17 and could not begin driver training until they are 16. Pupils from 14 to 21 years of age who are convicted of making a bomb threat would be prohibited from receiving driver training until three years after the conviction. Those who already have a drivers license would have it suspended for three years with a restricted license possible after one year. If passed, the bill would take effect April 1, 2001. This bill has passed the Senate and is currently in the House Education Committee. Return to Top Straight-Ticket Voting to be Eliminated Senate Bill 173 (Bullard, R-Highland) eliminating Michigan voters option to choose a party s slate of candidates with a single selection on their ballot is on its way to the Governor s desk. Despite intense lobbying by labor and democratic interest groups, and virtually no supporting interest groups, Senate bill 173 passed on a party-line vote in both houses. Elected officials are assessing the further ramifications involved with eliminating the straight-party voting option. A few of the strongest one are:
Return to Top Modified Special Education Rules Package to Move in February The Michigan Department of Education anticipates moving a modified package of administrative rules for special education forward in February 2002. No decisions have yet been made regarding the administrative rules that effect special education services in Michigan. The Michigan Department of Education has received more than 18,000 public comments regarding the proposed special education administrative rules revisions. The Department staff has also conducted more than 45 presentations around the state regarding the proposed rules changes. Superintendent of Public Instruction Watkins stated that the modified rules package will support and enhance federal regulations, create flexibility in program design, support current practice, and eliminate outdates Michigan rules. Return to Top Internet Tax Moratorium Confusion Recent news articles have reported that President Bush and Congress have extended the internet tax moratorium for two years. This has been interpreted by many to prohibit states, like Michigan, from collecting sales and use tax from internet and catalog sales. President Bush and Congress did extend the internet tax moratorium for two years. THIS MORATORIUM PREVENTS TAXATION OF INTERNET PROVIDERS AND SERVICES, NOT COLLECTION OF SALES AND USE TAX ALREADY OWED BY THE PURCHASERS OF GOODS. This moratorium also allows states to come together and reach consensus on a workable solution that will allow Congress to authorize states to require remote sellers to collect a state s applicable sales and use taxes. House Bill 4080, now Public Act 122 of 2001, allows Michigan to join twenty other states to complete a simple and more streamlined sales tax process. As you recall, the MFT&SRP lobbied in support of House Bill 4080, as a long-term means of insuring adequate education funding. Return to Top
Return to Top Charter School Commission Holds First Hearings MFT&SRP President, David Hecker, testified at one of two public hearings by the Charter School Commission held December 11 and 12 in Detroit and Grand Rapids. The commission was legislatively created to examine the current state of charter schools in Michigan. For several years lawmakers have considered proposals to increase the number of university-chartered schools from its current limit of 150. Michigan State University President Peter McPherson chairs the commission, with members appointed by Governor Engler and legislative leaders. Included among the members is Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Watkins. Those not able to attend the hearings can make comments by mail or e-mail. The e-mail address is charterschools@list.msu.edu. The mail address is: MSU Office of Governmental Affairs, 484 Administration Building, East Lansing, MI 48824. The commission is scheduled to make a report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature in February. Return to Top Administering Medications to Students We want to thank our 42 members who responded to the medication survey last spring. Representative Hansen (D-Dexter) used some of that data in formulating House Bill 4672 which would require the Department of Education to do all the following before October 1, 2002:
Return to Top Sports Safety Training Senate Bill 278 (Schuette, R-Midland) requires that NEW school athletic coaches hold valid certification in sport safety training. New coaches would have to complete training in sport safety offered by the American Red Cross or complete an equivalent course approved by the State Board of Education. Certification would have to be current during the entire interscholastic season for the athletic activity a person coaches. At least once every two years, coaches would have to provide documentation demonstrating their valid, continuing certification. People already employed or serving as interscholastic coaches on or before the effective date of the bill would be exempt from the training requirement. If a certified coach is already coaching an activity, additional coaches are not required to be certified. Training would not be required if a coach had a physical limitation that made it impractical for him or her to complete the course and obtain the certification. Under the bill, coaches with valid sport safety certification would not be liable in a civil suit for damages resulting from an act or omission in the course of providing physical aid on the job, except for an act or omission constituting gross negligence or willful and wanton misconduct. Senate Bill 278 has already passed the Senate and is currently before the House Education Committee. Return to Top School Inspection Bill Senate Bill 358, (Hammerstrom, R-Temperance) would require new school buildings built under bond issues to have plans reviewed for safety. As passed by the Senate, this bill also requires the state to develop a no-cost, walk through safety inspection program that would look at all school buildings built or remodeled in the state since 1978. For nearly seventy years, schools have been exempted from most regular inspection requirements, even though there have been some noted examples of structurally unsafe schools. Governor Engler vetoed a bill in 1993 requiring such school inspections. This bill has been referred to the House Committee on Regulatory Reform. MFT&SRP supports Senate Bill 358. Return to Top Golden Apple Award The Golden Apple Award was established in July 2000 by Public Act 297 of 2000 to recognize elementary school achievement on fourth and fifth-grade MEAP tests. To qualify, elementary schools with 50 or more students enrolled must have at least 90% of their 4th and 5th grade students take the MEAP tests, and a composite score for the students who took the MEAP test increased by at least 60 points over three academic years; and/or the test scores are among the highest elementary school scores in the state for the year. School districts that meet these requirements will receive a Golden Apple Award of $10,000, plus an additional $1,000 per full-time employee at the 5th grade level and lower, for a minimum award of $50,000 received from school improvement. There is no limit to the number of schools that can win the Golden Apple Award. For 2001, there are 134 recipient schools. MFT&SRP schools included on the list are: (Top 10 Elementary Schools in Each Associated High School Athletic Class Size)
(94 High Achieving and Most Improved Schools )
Return to Top Letter Opposing Graded Premium on Website The Michigan School Employees Retirement Board has proposed a change in law that would increase health care premiums for any retiree with less than 30 years of service by 3% a year. Currently school retirees all pay about 10% of their premium and MPSERS pays the other 90%. Additionally, the proposal would not permit purchased service credit to count towards the thirty years. The new proposal would apply to all employees who are not yet vested and to all new hires. To date, no legislation has been introduced for this purpose. However, the Retirement Coordinating Council asks that you to join them in writing your state senators and representatives expressing your concerns regarding these future retiree health care reductions.
Return to Top Armed Forces Access to Schools Senate Bill 647 (Garcia, R-St. Johns) would provide that if a school district or public school academy allowed employees access to school facilities or activities to address pupils about employment opportunities, the board of the school district or board of directors of the public school academy would have to allow the same access to representatives of the armed forces of the United States. This bill has passed the Senate and is currently in the House Education Committee. Return to Top
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