- Senate Amends Final PERA Bill, Sends it Back
- House to Consider Repealing Ban on Labor Day Start
Senate Amends Final PERA Bill, Sends it Back
In June, when House Bills 4354 and 4356 were passed and sent to the Governor, conflicts were found between the two. This meant if HB4356 was signed, it would have reinstated all the language that had been repealed by HB4354 and only made privatization a mandatory subject of bargaining. This week, the Senate requested the return of HB4356, amended it to match the new language, and sent the bill back for enrollment. The Governor is expected to sign the corrected bill, finalizing the last piece of the repeal of prohibited subjects of bargaining.
As a reminder, these two bills repeal the following prohibited subjects of bargaining:
- teacher placement
- layoff and recall
- performance evaluation systems
- discharge or discipline of a teacher
- format, timing or number of classroom observations
- merit pay
- notification to parents and legal guardians regarding ineffective teachers
- privatization of noninstructional support services
- the decision whether to enter into an intergovernmental agreement to consolidate services and the procedures for obtaining a contract for the transfer of said functions or responsibilities.
These repeals will go into effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns for 2023.
House to Consider Repealing Ban on Labor Day Start
In June, the House Education Committee unanimously approved House Bill 4671, which would repeal the requirement that schools start after Labor Day unless they receive a waiver from the Michigan Department of Education. MASB supports the bill. Districts should be able to decide locally when the school year should start.
The bill was scheduled to be brought up for a vote on Wednesday. However, it was pulled from the agenda. We hope that it will be brought up next week. In the meantime, we urge you to contact your Representative and ask them to support this bill and make school start date a local decision.