Current Concerns of the Legislative
Committee
We need you to decide your opinion about our public schools and
about how the schools support our community. We feel the bills below do not
support our schools or our communites. They will be a burden on our community.
We are tired of cuts to our schools and the undermining of our communities!
1. EAA—Education Achievement Authority This is the brand new state wide district that has the mandate
to overtake the bottom 3% of schools. This means that over the years, the
take-over will continue up the ladder and the state will run more and more
schools. We are concerned about the erosion of local control. The EAA might not
have to test their students. This raises
alarms of whether the students would be receiving adequate education.
2. Mega
Schools of Choice bill HB5923: This bill revisits all of
the charter expansion, cyber school expansion and expanding the entities that
can start schools, including corporations starting schools for their employees,
etc. Michigan already has more choice in schools than most other states. We
also have little or no research to show the benefit of choice to Michigan. We
continue to advocate stopping this legislation. Too much. Too fast. No
research. These new schools also do not have to address special education
students. http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?2012-HB-5923
3. Unbundling funding for education We are most concerned
about this strategy for funding schools. While we still would get the
foundation grant per pupil, if the pupil takes a class outside the district,
the district would be held responsible for keeping track of and giving the
other entity a portion of the foundation grant. This would allow mobile
students to leave the district and take money with them while leaving more
expensive special education students behind. On paper, it sounds like nice
options for students, but it is again tearing at the community that supports
its schools. http://oxfordfoundationmi.com/
