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 2000 |
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Good News! December Revenues Up Sharply Lobby Day 2002 - Participation Up Nearly 150% Study Praise Pre-School Program New Website for Administrators, Teachers, Parents, & Students Democrats Announce Referendum on Straight Party Voting M.E.A.P. Awards Increased in 2001 Watkins Seeks Online Comment for Accreditation System Federal Education Package Signed Links to current Legislative Action Alerts may be found on the Legislative Hotline page of this website.  Return to Top Good News! December Revenues Up Sharply Total revenues for December came to nearly $1.6 billion, according to figures released by the Senate Fiscal Agency. And the two month's revenues collected for the 2001-02 fiscal year show that the state has raised nearly $3.2 billion, an increase of 4.3 percent over the previous year. While the 2001-02 fiscal year began in October, collections of revenues for the year did not start until November. Total state revenues jumped by 8.9 percent over the previous year in December, to $1.6 billion:
Return to Top Lobby Day 2002 - Participation Up Nearly 150% We have received an overwhelming response to Lobby Day 2002. We have had to increase the meeting room accommodations, add an additional bus from the Detroit area, and regrettably, we still had to turn down several applications because of lack of space. We are thrilled with the interest our members are showing and look forward to meeting with them on February 12! Confirmation letters with detailed information on the agenda, bus schedules, and legislative issues will soon be in the mail. Thank you for your support. Return to Top Study Praise Pre-School Program The Michigan School Readiness Program, one of the casualties of the declining economy, has also been one of the factors in improving MEAP test scores, according to a report released by the Department of Education. The 4-year-olds who participated in the program were more likely to meet state standards in reading and mathematics than their counterparts who did not participate in the program, according to the study by the High/Scope educational Research Foundation in Ypsilanti. The study found that, of the 26,000 children in the program annually, 24 percent more met state standards in reading and 16 percent more met state standards in math once they reached fourth grade. The study showed an annual savings of $11 million due to the 35 percent decrease in students having to repeat grades after participating in the program. Return to Top New Website for Administrators, Teachers, Parents, & Students Detailed information about Michigan's K-12 public schools and public school academies, information about individual and school-level scholarship and grant programs, certification records of licensed teachers, and more are ow available on a new government website. To locate this service, simply visit http://www.michigan.gov, select the Education and Career Development topic at the left of the website, and choose one of the Quick Links on the right. MI School Information Online provides data such as total enrollment, student-to-teacher ratios, graduation or completion rates, and MEAP scores. There is also a clickable map of Michigan that allows individuals to zoom in on a district or school and print location maps. MI Scholarships Online provides information about individual and school-level college scholarships, tuition grants, and the Postsecondary Access Student Program (PASS). License Look-up for Teachers allows citizens to confirm a teacher's license credentials, including type of certification received, expiration date, issuing institution, and subjects in which teachers are certificated. Paying for Higher Education provides parents and students with easy-to-navigate information about the array of higher education funding options available to students. Return to Top Democrats Announce Referendum on Straight Party Voting Governor John Engler signed Senate Bill 173 to become Public Act 269 of 2002, eliminating the option for voter's to use the 100-year-old practice of straight-party voting. But michigan Democratic Chair, Mark Brewer, has announced the party will begin a referendum petition drive to force a public vote on this legislation. To get a referendum, which would suspend the law pending a November vote, Democrats will need 151,356 valid signatures collected by March 21. In 1964, voters overwhelmingly voided a similar law by a nearly two-to-one margin. Experts estimate that 40%, or approximately 1 1/2 million, of Michigan's voters use this option every election. For those voters, it makes voting easier and quicker and it makes the lines shorter for everyone else. If you would like to circulate a straight ticket vote petition, please contact Julie Matuzak, at 800-638-8868 or by email at jmatuzak@mftsrp.org. Return to Top M.E.A.P. Awards Increased in 2001 Students meeting state standards on four of the five segments of the High School MEAP test qualify for a $2,500 scholarship. The Department of Treasury announced that more than half of the students who took the MEAP test in the 2001 school year qualified for the award, causing spending for the program to increase by $14.23 million, to a total $121.9 million. The department announced that 48,760 students qualify for the scholarship based on their MEAP scores, up from 43,068 for the 2000 school year. Of the 2001 total, 43,652 were from public schools. Of those public school students taking the mathematics, reading writing, and science tests, 53 percent qualify for the scholarship, up from 45 percent in 2000. Return to Top Watkins Seeks Online Comment for Accreditation System In addition to the seven public hearings held across the state in January, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Watkins has also implemented a survey on the Department of Education's Website regarding the Education YES! proposal. You may go to their website at www.mde.state.mi.us to complete a twenty-question survey and/or register your comments. Click here to participate in the Education YES! survey Click here for a full copy of the Education YES! report [.pdf format] Click here for the MFTSRP Position on the Education YES! plan Return to Top Federal Education Package Signed The House and Senate approved an educational package before Christmas and it was signed by President Bush on January 8. the package, which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (E.S.E.A.), provides for a total education discretionary spending level of $48.9 billion, a $6.7 billion (16%) increase over last year's spending. In general, ESEA programs saw a 17% increase overall. Title I received a 24% increase; the federal share of IDEA went from 14.8% to 17%; teacher quality grants rose 31% and additional funds were devoted to the Transition to Teaching and Troops of Teachers programs to help alleviate growing teacher shortage problems; reading programs received a 21.5% increase; bilingual education programs were given a 45% increase; safe and drug-free school a 2% increase; and after school programs received an 18% increase. The maximum Pell grant award was boosted to $4,000. A big disappointment was that we have lost a dedicated fund for school repair. The main legislative features include most of the ingredients of President Bush's education plan revealed last January which purported to "ensure that no child in America is left behind." One of his major provisions, private school vouchers, was defeated last summer by Congress. Some components include:
*the state has published a series of Questions and Answers about these topics; read them online or download a printable .pdf version of each: Questions and Answers About Student Testing/Accountability Questions and Answers About Education/Employment Standards for Paraprofessionals Questions and Answers About Teacher Quality Questions and Answers About Flexibility |
