Attention: K-12 Bargaining Teams
The following provisions in the State School Aid Act have broad implications for bargaining. Please keep these topics in mind as you begin the school year and prepare for contract negotiations.

Click to go directly to topic listed:
Minimum Days and Hours of Instruction/Professional Development
Golden Apple Award
Computers for Teachers (http://www.mivu.org)
Virtual High School
Elementary Summer School

Other news
Court Rules Academy Operators Subject to F.O.I.A.
Gender Equity in Sports Hearing Schedule
Thinking About Running For Public Office?--The Michigan Political Leadership Program

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Minimum Days and Hours of Instruction/Professional Development

• The requirement for pupil instructional time increased by 51 hours (for a total of 1098 hours for the 2000 - 2001 school year).
  

• Up to 51 hours of the required 1098 hours may be used as teacher professional development time.
  

• School districts that provide professional development time outside the 1098 hours (not using any of the additional 51 hours for professional development) may apply for a grant based on locally negotiated professional development per diem. Professional development budget is limited to $10 million across the state. If districts’ grants exceed $10 million, each payment will be prorated.
  

• The requirement for 6 hour incremental increases each year after the 2000 - 2001 school year was eliminated.
  

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Golden Apple Award

The golden apple awards shall be based on elementary school achievement on the fourth grade and fifth grade MEAP tests.

• A golden apple award shall consist of $1,000.00 per each full-time employee who works in the eligible elementary school plus $10,000.00 to be allocated to the principal of the school for school improvements, but shall not be less than $50,000.00 per recipient school.
  

• All money allocated per full-time employee shall be used for school improvements, as determined collectively by a majority vote of those employees.
  

• An official list of eligible elementary schools will be published in the Capitol report in September or October, or as soon as they are available.
  

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Computers for Teachers (http://www.mivu.org)

• Teachers will be provided with a personal computer, software, remote Internet access and Web-based professional development starting in the fall of 2000 for a period of up to three years.
  

• The state will not require districts or teachers to participate in this program.
  

• Courses through the Michigan Virtual University will be available at no cost to schools and teachers this fall and may be eligible for SB-CEUs.
  

• A statewide competitive bid process will call for vendor provided technical support services, including Web-based interactive tools, e-mail access and telephone support. (Additional technical support is up to the district to provide.)
  

• Each district will receive an amount per eligible teacher not to exceed $1,200, or the actual cost, whichever is less, to implement this program.
  

• A majority of the school building’s teaching staff who are eligible to receive a computer under this program may vote to use or split the funds among the original program intent and/or the following options with the concurrence of the school building’s administration: a) building- level or classroom-level technology-related improvements or b) teacher professional development in technology.
  

• Funds will be available to districts with eligible teachers in the late fall of 2000 as part of state aid payment.
  

• Certified teachers who provide classroom instruction and are employed full-time in a Michigan public elementary or secondary school operated by a district are eligible to participate in this program. Currently, ISD teachers are excluded! Email your State Legislators about this immediately! Click HERE for a letter that can be automatically emailed to your State Legislator.
  

• If a district chooses not to participate, teachers in that district are not eligible to participate and the district will not receive an increase in state aid payments.
  

• Before computers may be ordered, teachers will need to do the following: 1) complete a web- based self-assessment survey, 2) describe how they plan to use the computer to enhance their own professional growth and teaching through an open-ended section within the web-based self- assessment, 3) demonstrate a minimum level of computer-related technology competencies as defined by MVU, 4) agree in writing to comply with the Teacher Technology Initiative fair use policy, and 5) take a follow-up web-site based self-assessment within one year of receiving a computer.
  

• The district will either lease or own the computers depending upon the results of the statewide competitive bid process, and will be required to place the equipment on long-term loan to eligible teachers.
  

• The district will choose hardware compatibility, the teachers may choose a laptop or desktop computer.
  
  

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Virtual High School

The Michigan Virtual High School will beginning offering online courses during the 2000-2001 school year on a pilot basis. The project is anticipated to be fully operational during the 2001-2002 school year.

The MVHS is committed to serving a wide range of Michigan students including gifted and talented students, students with learning disabilities, at-risk pupils, adult learners pursuing their GEDs, home- schooled and home-bound students, and non-public school students to the extent currently allowed by law.

• Initially, the MVHS will target online advanced placement and dual enrollment opportunities.
  
• MVU anticipates that all schools participating in the MVHS will appropriately recognize student credit earned through online courses and will issue diplomas based on local requirements.
  

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Elementary Summer School

In order to improve elementary school pupil achievement, districts may provide summer school instruction in reading and mathematics.

• To be eligible to participate in summer school instruction during a particular summer, a pupil shall have been enrolled in grade 1, 2, 3, or 4 in the school year that just ended and shall meet at least one of the following criteria:
  

1. Achieved less than satisfactory results, as determined by the district, in the mathematics or reading portion of a department-approved annual standardized assessment of grade- appropriate basic educational skills.
   

1. Scored in the low performance category of the mathematics or reading portion of the fourth grade MEAP test.
   

• A district that receives funding, at a minimum, offer summer school instruction for pupils who were enrolled in third grade in the school year that just ended and met the criteria described in subsection (a).
  

• The model mathematics program shall be in conformance with the national education goals and shall also meet criteria for DED-OESE, Title I program funding.
  

• A district that receives funding shall provide a minimum of 6 weeks of pupil instruction in mathematics and reading. In addition, applications for funding may include the provision of auxiliary services by the district in a manner determined by the district for such services as school lunch and transportation as is necessary to encourage pupil participation.
  

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Court Rules Academy Operators Subject to F.O.I.A.
The Court of Appeals ruled that public school academy management companies, though not themselves governmental bodies, can be included in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit if they may hold the requested records. Judges ruled in Bacon V. The Leona, Group, LLC, docket No. 219900, that the school's management company could be added to the lawsuit against the Walter French Academy seeking documents under F.O.I.A.

Leona argued unsuccessfully both before the appeals court and the Ingham Circuit Court that it is a private company and so not subject to FOIA. The courts agreed that private companies are not specifically covered by F.O.I.A., but said they also cannot be used by governmental entities to hide otherwise public records. But the court specifically said it had not ruled whether such contractor is a public body, nor had it decided which documents requested should be open and who should deliver them.

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Gender Equity in Sports Hearing Schedule
State Representative Doug Hart has formed a blue ribbon panel to evaluate the status of gender equity in Michigan’s high school athletic programs. They will try to determine if high school female athletes are being treated fairly, if schools systems are doing all they can to promote, encourage, reinforce, and celebrate female sports programs, and what specific things could be done to make female sports programs even better. Public hearings have been schedule as listed below:

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Thinking About Running For Public Office?
The Michigan Political Leadership Program (MPLP) at Michigan State University is currently undergoing its annual statewide recruitment of applicants for 24 paid leadership program fellowships.

The program is designed for individuals who are actively involved in civic activities in Michigan. Some Fellows have worked for public policy makers, provided neighborhood or community service, served as elected officials, or managed political campaigns. There are no educational requirements for participation.

The Fellows meet for 10 weekend sessions, running from Friday evening through Saturday afternoon. Five of the sessions are held in East Lansing and the other five will be held in various areas around the state, including Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Higgins Lake area and Midland. Fellowships include meals, lodging and program materials. Participants are responsible for their own transportation.

The program is co-directed by Lynn Jondahl, Executive Director of Michigan Prospect for Renewed Citizenship and former Democratic State Representative of 22 years; and Anne Mervenne, Special Advisor to Governor John Engler and former Ingham County Commissioner. MPLP is administered by MSU's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR) within the College of Social Science. Fellowships are made possible through the MSU Office of the Provost, College of Social Science, and the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research; corporations; foundations; individuals; and alumni contributions.

The deadline for submitting applications and letters of recommendation is September 11, 2000. Select applicants will be interviewed based on their written applications. Acceptance to the program will be announced in mid-November.

If you have any questions or would like to obtain an application form, please contact the MPLP office at (517) 355-6672.

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