• Senate Passes Changes to Teacher and Administrator Evaluations 
• Senate Education Considers Requiring FASFA Completion as a Graduation Requirement
• Senate Committee Discusses Work-Based Learning 
• House Labor Committee Hears Bill Requiring Personal Information Disclosure 
• House Education Committee Hears from Rural Superintendents 

Senate Passes Changes to Teacher and Administrator Evaluations

On Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee approved Senate Bill 395 without further discussion. However, conversations around some of the remaining issues continued between stakeholders and the bill sponsor.

This bill would make changes to the teacher and administrator evaluation law. The bill would remove the 40% growth based on the M-STEP, change the ratings from four levels to three: effective, developing and needing support, and allow a teacher that receives three effective ratings in a row to be evaluated every other or third year. Additionally, the bill adds due process procedures for reviews of teachers and administrators rated as needing support. 

On Thursday, the bill was brought up for debate in the Senate and passed by a vote of 20-18. It was changed to allow for growth to be included in up to 20% of the evaluation. The exact percentage and criteria for growth would be determined locally.  It also changed the due process section to allow, but not require, mediation after one needing support rating and requiring that a superintendent’s contract include an appeal process for their evaluation.

Senate Bill 395 passed by a vote of 20-18 and is now headed to the House for consideration.  

Senate Education Considers Requiring FASFA Completion as a Graduation Requirement

On Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee began hearings on Senate Bill 463 which mandates completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) as a graduation requirement. 

This would put the final determination of graduation out of a student’s hands, as the FAFSA application requires information and participation from the student’s parent or guardian. 

 While community colleges, college access networks and admissions counselors testified in support of the bill, the majority of K-12 organizations oppose it.  MASB submitted written testimony, along with six other organizations, outlining our opposition. While we agree that the FAFSA is an important tool for college-bound students, current incentive programs and the Mi Achievement Scholarship should be allowed to continue to see if Michigan’s FAFSA completion rate continues to rise before we look at a new state mandate that has the very real potential of creating negative consequences for students.

Further hearings are expected.

Senate Committee Discusses Work-Based Learning 

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved Senate Bill 23, which makes changes to work-based learning experiences and how pupils are counted. Under current law, a student can be counted up to .5 FTE for work-based learning purposes, this bill would increase that to .75 FTE.  The supporters of the bill stated that this would open up more work-based learning opportunities for students and create more meaningful experiences especially for students interested in a skilled trade. 

It is now before the full Senate for consideration.

House Labor Committee Hears Bill Requiring Personal Information Disclosure 

The House Labor Committee began hearings on Senate Bill 169 which requires a public employer to share the personal information of a new employee including personal email, address, phone, wages and other information with the union bargaining unit. MASB understands that unions representing these employees need to be able to know who they are, but we oppose the bill as an unwarranted invasion of privacy.   

MASB testified in committee and submitted written testimony outlining our concerns. We suggested amending the bill to state that the employee must give consent and share their preferred method of communication. Forcing a school district to turn over an employee’s personal information to an organization they may not want to be a part of puts the district in a difficult position with a brand-new employee. 

Hearings are expected to continue.

House Education Committee Hears from Rural Superintendents 

The House Education Committee heard a presentation from a group of superintendents representing rural districts, Stephanie Long, Leland Public Schools; Greg Nyen, Marquette-Alger RESA; Katy Xenakis-Makowski, Johannesburg-Lewiston Public Schools; and Katherine Bertolini, Maple Valley Schools, regarding specific challenges faced by rural districts. They shared personal stories of challenges facing their districts that are magnified by state mandates. They also advocated for eliminating competitive grants in the School Aid Fund, increasing flexibility for state dollars, and ongoing annual funding for Michigan’s most isolated districts. 

The presentation seemed well received by committee members as it outlined how what seems like a simple state mandate can become difficult for a small district with limited staff.  We hope this continues into more conversations on how we can address the needs of rural and isolated districts.