- Budgets Take Next Step
- Senate Committee Considers National Teacher Certification Test
- A Chance to Serve—Apply for a MASB Committee
Budgets Take Next Step
The House and Senate budget proposals are now all before their respective chambers for consideration, possibly as soon as next week.
Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee heard a presentation on Senate Bill 751, the School Aid Budget. It then approved the bill without any changes from the subcommittee’s recommendation and sent it to the full Senate.
On Wednesday morning, the House Appropriations followed suit with its budget, House Bill 5503. Slight changes were made, but nothing of substance and the bill was sent to the House Floor for its consideration.
On our website, we break down the School Aid Budget by relevant sections and compare each proposal, Governor, Senate and House. We urge you to talk to your legislators about the benefits of lowering the MPSERS rate for your district and how these proposals will affect your district.
Senate Committee Considers National Teacher Certification Test
On Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee began hearings on Senate Bill 354 which would replace Michigan’s teacher certification test with one that is nationally approved and administered. The committee heard how a test like this would make it easier for teachers to come to Michigan from other states.
However, the university teaching colleges and MI Department of Education both testified opposed to the bill. Concerns included that a nationally normed test would not cover some of the specific things that Michigan requires on the test and the cut scores for passage vary from state to state. Also, as introduced there is only one vendor that would qualify.
MASB also opposes the bill beginning with the concerns that this law would favor one specific vendor. We also share MDE’s concerns with specific topics on the Michigan test that might not be covered by a nationally normed test, such as literacy or Michigan curriculum-specific topics.
A substitute bill was adopted in committee which changed it to allow for the Michigan test for Michigan college graduates and acceptance of the national test for those coming from out of state or out of country. No vote was taken on the bill, it is unclear if it will be brought up for more hearings.
A Chance to Serve—Apply for a MASB Committee
Are you looking for a way to be more involved in your Association? Do you want to share your expertise and perspective statewide? Serving on MASB’s Government Relations Committee may be the right opportunity for you!
MASB committees bring together school board members from around the state to discuss vital issues and help shape your Association’s positions and actions. The Government Relations Committee monitors state and federal legislation and budgets pertaining to public education and school districts.
To apply, contact Cheryl Huffman at chuffman@masb.org or 517.327.5915 with your interest by June 30, 2023. More information on this and the two other open committees—Resolutions and Bylaws and Legal Trust Fund—is available on the MASB website. You can apply for any of these committees by contacting Cheryl.