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2002
February
January
2001
2000
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March 2002
K-12 School Aid For Fiscal Year 2002 - 2003
Community College Budget
Higher Education Budget
Substitute Teacher Legislation Moving Swiftly
Reduced Minimum Qualifications for Substitute Teachers
Administration of Medications to Pupils at School
Psychotropic Drug Use Advisory Council
New Accreditation System
Links to current Legislative Action Alerts
may be found on the Legislative Hotline page of this website.

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K-12 School Aid For Fiscal Year 2002 - 2003
Since the Senate and House could not agree on various provisions in Senate Bill 1107, it has been referred to a conference committee to resolve the differences in the two versions. The conference committee is not expected to issue a report until after the legislative spring recess. Below is an updated summary of the provisions proposed in Senate Bill 1107.
| Section |
Current Law |
Senate Bill 1107 |
Section 6 (4) y Declining Enrollment |
Current provision is in Section 22 b.
This section allows districts with 1,550 pupils or less and 4.5 miles per student to use a 3-year average as their pupil membership. |
Continues language for FY 2003 allowing districts with 1,550 pupils or less and 4.5 miles per student to use a 3-year average as their pupil membership.
New language allows a district that educates high school students from a contiguous district to use the square mileage of both districts in determining the number of pupils per square mile under this subsection.
Adds language to allow a district that receives students from a closed public school academy to cont the new students as if they were in attendance on the February count date. |
Section 11 (3) Proration of Public School Academies |
If expenditures exceed available revenue, a proration shall occur to reduce the amount of School Aid Fund monies expended.
If a proration is necessary, the portion of a district's foundation allowance that was received in 1995 is protected from proration for any district that existed in FY 1995. |
Recommends language to protect the foundation allowances of charter schools at the 1994 - 1995 level if there is a proration caused by a reduction in School Aid Fund revenues. |
Sections 20 Per Pupil Foundation Grant |
See foundation allowance chart. |
Increases basic per pupil foundation allowance by $200 from current year. |
Section 20 (3) NEW Hold-Harmless Foundation Allowances |
N/A |
Gives hold-harmless districts the same percent increase in their foundation allowance as the percentage increase in the state maximum foundation allowance. |
Section 21 NEW Declining Enrollment Study |
N/A |
States that the House School Aid Subcommittee will devise a long-term solution to the problem of declining enrollment in small districts. |
Section 22 NEW School Consolidation Grant |
N/A |
Appropriates $1 million in FY 2003. Funding is given at $350 per pupil to districts that consolidate before December 31, 2002. |
Section 31 a (1) At-Risk Funding |
FY 2001 - 2002 appropriation of $314.2 million.
FY 2002 - 2003 appropriation of $319,095,200 was vetoed. |
FY 2003 appropriation increased by $3.5 million to $317.7 million.
Adds language to allow Dearborn Schools to qualify for additional at-risk funds. |
Section 31 a (6) NEW Teen Health Centers |
N/A |
Appropriates $2.4 million in FY 2002. (Projected lapsed At-Risk funding.) FY 2003 funding in Department of Community Health Budget. |
Section 32 b Pa rent Involvement and Education (PIE) |
Appropriates $45 million in FY 2001 - 2002 for parenting grants.
FY2002 -2003 funding was vetoed. |
N/A
Adds a new subsection (8) to allow grant recipients to carry forward funding until it is all expended. |
Section 32 c Interagency Early Childhood Grants |
Appropriates $2 million in FY 2001 - 2002 for early childhood grants.
2002 - 2003 vetoed funding. |
Appropriates $2 million in FY 2003. |
Section 32 d School Readiness |
Appropriates $72.8 million in FY 2001 - 2002 for pre-school programs for At-Risk four-year-olds.
FY 2002 - 2003 funding was vetoed. |
Restores FY 2003 funding to $72.8 million for the partial day program. |
Section 32 e Class-Size Reduction Grants |
Appropriates $26.7 million in FY 2001 - 2002 for grants to reduce class sizes.
FY 2002 - 2003 funding was vetoed. |
Appropriates $26.7 million for current grant recipients in FY 2003. |
Section 32 f Reading Improvement Program Grants |
Appropriates $45 million in FY 2001 - 2002 for reading grants.
FY 2002 - 2003 funding was vetoed. |
N/A |
Section 32 i NEW Intent Language to Fund Certain ASAP Programs |
N/A |
Adds intent language that if School Aid Fund revenue increases over the January 2002 estimated level, the additional funding would be allocated to programs under repealed Sections 32b (PIE), 32c (Interagency Early Childhood Grants), 32d (3) (Full-day wraparound School Readiness programs) and Section 32f (Reading Grants and MLPP). |
Section 33 Payment to Detroit Schools |
Appropriates $15 million to Detroit Schools in FY 2001-2002. |
N/A |
Section 39 NEW FEDERAL Funds from "No Child Left Behind Act" |
N/A |
Provides funding to the FEDERAL "No Child Left Behind Act" grant program. Prior year funding for most of these programs was in the Department of Education budget.
FY 2003 appropriation of $772.2 million. Language added to clarify that the funds must continue to be distributed in accordance with FEDERAL laws.
Language stating that payments of FEDERAL funds shall be paid on a schedule determined by the Department. |
Section 51 a (1) Total Special Education Funding |
Appropriates $794.8 million in FY 2002 and $848.7 million in FY 2003 from state sources for Special Education. |
FY 2002 increase of $1.6 million to $796.4 million and FY 2003 increase of $4.1 million to $852.7 million to reflect updates to the date upon which the cost estimates are based. |
Section 51 c Special Education Durant Payment |
FY 2002 appropriation of $568 million.
FY 2003 appropriation of $611 million to pay court-mandated percentages of special education costs. |
FY 2002 appropriation of $576.1 million.
FY 2003 appropriation of $621.9 million.
Changes reflect revisions to the data upon which the cost estimates are based. |
Section 51d NEW FEDERAL Special Education Programs |
Funding for these Special Education programs was in the Department of Education budget. |
Appropriates $59.8 million for FY 2003 for Handicapped Infants and Toddlers ($16 million), Preschool Grants ($13.5 million), and Special Education ($30.3 million). |
Section 81 (1) ISD General Operations Funding |
FY 2001 - 2002 appropriation of $92.2 million.
FY 2002 - 2003 funding was vetoed. |
FY 2002 - 2003 appropriations of $95,028,100.
Provides a 3.1% increase to match foundation allowance increases. |
Section 93 NEW Wireless Study |
N/A |
Added language allowing the Michigan Virtual University to establish a pilot project using wireless technology to improve academic achievement. |
Section 94 a, b, c NEW Center for Educational Performance and Information |
N/A |
Allows districts to submit the February 2002 pupil count data via the EDN.
Districts would also be allowed to submit corrections or adjustments to their pupil count data.
Requires CEPI to pay districts for costs incurred with the creation of the SRSD system prior to mandating that pupil counts be done through the SRSD system.
Districts and ISDs are not required to file the Registry of Education of Personnel Report until after the Federal Rules are published.
Requires CEPI to make payments to districts at $2 per pupil and $2 for each employee for whom data is required on the first payment date following enactment of this legislation.
Stipulates CEPI shall ensure that Standards and Poor's or any other contractor that analyzes or reports information collected by CEPI, provides its analysis or report to affected districts and ISDs before the analysis or report is released to news media or general public.
|
Section 96 Golden Apple MEAP Incentive Program |
FY 2001 - 2002 appropriates of $800,000.
FY 2002 - 2003 funding was vetoed.
Allocates $1,000 per full-time employee plus $10,000 to the principal for school improvements and sets the minimum grant at $50,000.
Allows unexpended funds to be carried forward to the next fiscal year. |
Eliminates FY 2001 - 2002 appropriations.
Appropriates $132,000 for FY 2002 - 2003.
Reduces the award amount from $10,000 per eligible school to $1,000 per elementary school.
Deletes provisions allocating funding to be carried forward to a subsequent fiscal year. |
Section 99 Math and Science Centers |
FY 2001 - 2002 appropriation of $10.2 million.
FY 2002 - 2003 funding was vetoed. |
Restores FY 2002 - 2003 funding at $10.2 million. |
Section 101 (8) NEW Travel Time |
N/A |
Deletes the set number of hours of travel time to be counted as instructional time for pupils in cooperative education or special education programs. |
Section 105 (17) 90% Pupil Membership Guarantee |
If fewer than 90% of the pupils living in a local district attend school in that district, the district's foundations allowance payment shall be paid as if exactly 90% were enrolled in the district. |
Amends current law by lowering the 89% requirement to 88% in FY 2003 and in 2004.
Limits the eligible districts in FY 2003 to those which received funding in FY 2002 under this provision and prohibits a district from receiving funding under both Section 6(4)(y) and this subsection. |
Section 107 (1) Adult Education |
FY 2001 - 2002 appropriation of $75 million.
FY 2002 - 2003 funding was vetoed. |
Increases appropriation to $80 million. |
Section 108 Partnership for Adult Learning |
FY 2001 - 2002 appropriation of $20 million. |
FY 2003 appropriation of $20 million. |
Section 121a NEW Reimbursement for Costs Due to The Early Collection of State Education Tax |
N/A |
Appropriates $4.6 million to the Department of Treasury to reimburse local treasurers for the costs associated with the early collection of the School Education Tax. |

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Community College Budget
Senate Bill 1100 has passed the Senate and House and awaits the Governor's signature. The Community College Budget contained in total $321.7 million, almost all in general funds, the same amount as the current year. Listed below are some of the major provisions of Senate Bill 1100:
- Retains current funding for community college operations.
- Retains current funding for the At-Risk Student Success Program, making adjustments to individual college allocations as required by the existing distribution formula for the program.
- Retains current funding for Postsecondary Access Student Scholarships (PASS), with no eligibility changes.
- Contains no provisions for tuition restraint and the conditional appropriation based on the repeal of the tuition tax credit language has been eliminated.
- Restores language requiring any amendments to the Public School Employee Retirement Act that require pre-funding of health benefits to also apply to community colleges.
- Restores language that prohibits use of state funds for health insurance that includes abortion services for college employees.
- Restores language that requires the purchase of American goods and services if they are comparable to foreign goods.
- Requires a work group be formed to evaluate and recommend future state university policies as they pertain to the acceptance of credits earned through dual enrollment.
Community Colleges represented by MFT&SRP would receive the following operations and At-Risk Student Success Program appropriations:
| Colleges |
Current Year Operations Appropriations |
Senate Bill 1100 Operations Appropriations |
Current Year At Risk Appropriations |
Senate Bill 1100 At-Risk Appropriations |
| Henry Ford |
22,708,494 |
22,708,494 |
164,807 |
163,814 |
| Kirtland |
3,058,415 |
3,058,415 |
158,732 |
169,343 |
| Lansing |
32,223,042 |
32,223,042 |
157,864 |
162,796 |
| Wayne County |
17,223,721 |
17,223,721 |
149,384 |
142,398 |

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Higher Education Budget
Senate Bill 1105 h as passed the Senate and House and is on its way to the Governor for his signature. The Higher Education Budget contains approximately $1.9 billion for the 2002 - 2003 fiscal year for Michigans 15 four-year public universities and state scholarship programs.
Listed below are some of the major provision contained in Senate Bill 1105:
- Retains FY 2001-2002 funding levels for the Operations line-items, with no reductions for FY 2002-2003, if universities agree not to increase resident undergraduate tuition by more than 8.5%, or $425, whichever is greater.
- Adds $11,300,000 to the Michigan Merit Award Scholarship Program for an FY 2002- 2003 total of $114,323,850.
- Eliminates the appropriation for tuition tax credit contingent on the repeal of the credit.
- Deletes subsections that: allow statutory provisions to supercede Tuition Incentive Program boilerplate; require Department of Treasury to continue Outreach just as the Family Independent Agency did; and appropriate State General Fund if Merit Trust Fund dollars are insufficient.
- Retains funding floors of $4,600, $4,800, $5,800, and $9,100 per fiscal year-equated student.
- Creates a new program that would allow awards of up to $3,000 per year for four years to nursing students who work in Michigan for at least five years after they are licensed. The fund source for this appropriation would be $4 million from the Merit Award Trust Fund. The Michigan Higher Education Assistance Authority shall establish and administer the nursing scholarship program.
- The House adds that a work group be formed to evaluate and recommend future state university policies as they pertain to the acceptance of credits earned through dual enrollment.
Universities represented by MFT&SRP would receive the following appropriation:
| University |
FY 2002 - 2003 SB 1105 |
FY 2002 - 2003* Per Pupil Appropriation |
| Eastern Michigan |
87,637,200 |
4,697 |
| Michigan State |
325,982,300 |
8,137 |
| U of M - Ann Arbor |
363,562,700 |
9,819 |
| Wayne State |
253,644,700 |
11,119 |
**Fiscal Year Equated Student

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Substitute Teacher Legislation Moving Swiftly
Senate Bill 213 (Shirley Johnson, R-13) 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. Agency substitute teachers could perform the same work as full-time teachers, but work indefinitely without the same benefits, salary, or contracts as their peers.
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 on the floor of the House. We urge you to contact your State Representative in opposition of privatizing substitute teachers. For your convenience, you may link to a form letter 'Privatizing Substitute Teachers' on the Legislative Hotline page of this site.

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Reduced Minimum Qualifications for Substitute Teachers
Three other bills moving through the Legislature would change the minimum qualifications for substitute teachers. Under current law the board of a school district or intermediate school district may employ a person without a teaching certificate as a substitute teacher if the person has at least 90 semester hours of college credit from a college or university. And currently, only an annual permit for $25 can be purchased by a substitute teacher.
House Bill 4428 (Richardville, R-56) would specify that the 90 hours could be earned in course work completed at an accredited state community college.
House Bill 4541 (Gilbert, R-82) would reduce the number of semester hours required for a substitute teaching permit from 90 hours to 60 hours.
House Bill 4579 (Julian, R-85) would specify that a substitute teacher permit would be valid for three years. In addition and under the bill, a permit could be purchased for only one year for a $25 fee, or for three years for a $50 fee.
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These bills have been approved by the House Education Committee and are currently on the House floor.

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Administration of Medications to Pupils at School
House Bill 4672 (Hansen, D-Dexter) would require the Department of Education to make a model local policy concerning the administration of medications to pupils at school available to public schools by October 1, 2002. This policy would have to address the type and amount of training that would be required for people who participated in administering medications to pupils at school.
Within one year after the bills effective date, each public school board would have to review, at a public meeting, its local policy concerning the administration of medications to pupils at school. They would be encouraged to align their local policies with the model policy developed by the Department and to provide appropriate training to people who participated in administering medications to pupils at school.
House Bill 4672 has passed both the House and Senate and is awaiting the Governor's signature.

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Psychotropic Drug Use Advisory Council
House Bill 5083 (Woronchak, R-15) would create the Psychotropic Drug Use Advisory Council within the Department of Community Health. The Advisory Council would have to investigate, compile a report, and recommend policies pertaining to psychotropic drug use among children.
The Governor, Senate Majority Leader, and Speaker of the House of Representatives would have to appoint members to the Council representing State departments, general and special education teachers, social workers, child psychologists, child psychiatrists, pediatricians, school principals, school nurses, school counselors, and parents.
The Council would have to submit its report before December 1, 2002, and the proposed section would be repealed on that date.
House Bill 5053 passed the House, was substituted and passed by the Senate, and now must return to the House for concurrence.

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New Accreditation System
On March 14, the State Board of Education approved a new state accreditation system. Under Education YES!, schools will receive grades of A, B, C, D-Alert, or Unaccredited. The system takes multiple measures into account when grading school districts. Every individual school building in Michigan will now receive six individual letter grades and one composite grade:
MEAP Achievement Status (test scores over three years)
MEAP Achievement Change (whether scores are improving)
MEAP Achievement Growth
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23 Points
22 Points
22 Points
|
Engagement
Performance Management System
Continuous Improvement
Curriculum Alignment |
3 Points
3 Points
3 Points
|
Instructional Quality
Teacher Quality - Professional Development Opportunities
Extended Learning Opportunities
Arts Education and Humanities
Advanced Course Work |
3 Points
3 Points
3 Points
3 Points
|
Learning Opportunities
Family Improvement
Student Attendance and Dropout Rate
Four-Year Education and Employment Plans
School Facilities
|
3 Points
3 Points
3 Points
3 Points
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The MEAP portion of the accreditation system would account for 67 percent of the schools composite score, with 23 of 100 points being the three-year average score of each test and 22 points each being average change and the individual student growth. The accreditation system would consider the social studies test in determining school grades.
The Board also voted unanimously to create an Accreditation Advisory Committee to make recommendations for baseline scores to be used for the school performance indicators and the student achievement indicators. The Committee will consist of five nationally recognized experts in accountability, measurement, school improvement, and state accreditation systems. Under a proposed timeline, schools will receive their first report card in December 2002, and a diagnostic guide for improvement.
Board members also said school districts will receive advance notification on individual school buildings accreditation before the information becomes public. A copy of the Education YES! document can be found at the Department of Educations web site, http://www.state.mi.us/mde.
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