Michigan Federation of Teachers & School Related Personnel
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Michigan Federation of Teachers & School Related Personnel
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Capitol Report Archives Go to current Capitol Report for links to complete archive. 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 2003-04 Voting Records |
93rd Legislative Session Begins 92nd Legislative Session Ends Thank You to Our Members Educators Stress Funding Crisis School Board Members Must File by February 8 for May 3 Election State Budget Deficit Set At $406 M For This Year/$737 M For Next 32 Schools Given Blue Ribbons 2005 Legislative Directory Lobby Day 2005
Links to current Legislative Action Alerts
may be found on the Legislative Hotline page of this website.  Return to Top 93rd Legislative Session Begins Not in 44 years have Michigan lawmakers been sworn in facing a political dynamic like the one facing the 93rd Legislature that took office January 12: a Legislature controlled by one party confronting a governor of another party who is facing his or her first re-election effort. And it will be no ordinary two years for the 2005-06 session's 38 senators and 110 representatives because of continued serious budget deficits that will force them and Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm to find the right mix of fixes. The administration and legislators must immediately take corrective action to address a $400 million shortfall in the current year budget, and they may have address revenue shortfalls for the 2005-06 budget year that begins October 1. Actual legislative business will wait two weeks in the House until committees are organized. The House, which welcomed 39 new members, performed the usual opening day functions of electing the speaker and other officers and having House members choose their seats. The Senate schedule envisions some committee meetings the week of January 17. Attached is a list of the 2005 - 2006 Legislators. Committee assignments will be forth coming. Return to Top 92nd Legislative Session Ends Bills not passed by both houses and signed by the Governor during the 92nd Legislative Session are now dead. New bills will have to be introduced starting January 2005. During the 92nd Legislature, 237 laws regarding education were signed into law (130 Education Policy, 50 School Aid, 54 Higher Education, and 3 Retirement). Listed below are highlights of legislation that the MFT&SRP worked on over the last two years. Some of the accomplishments we made during the 92nd Legislative Session include:
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Return to Top Educators Stress Funding Crisis School officials from across the state converged on the State Board of Education meeting on January 11 to outline the cuts they have already made to cover state funding cuts and the reasons they not only cannot take more cuts, but must see increases in the near future to remain solvent. And those officials asked the board to move forward with a proposed study on the cost of providing education in the state. Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Watkins had provided the board last month with a paper pointing out that schools need more than $300 per student in additional funds, about $510 million, to keep up with increasing pension and health care costs and inflation in other spending areas. The paper called for conducting an adequacy and equity study that included discussions with those in the field on their needs. The paper also called on the board to meet with the governor and legislative leaders to develop an action plan to address school financing. District officials from across the state said their current resources are being eaten up by general cost increases and are not available for providing new programs. They said all of the districts have cut budgets as far as they can without affecting classroom programs and increasing class sizes. There seems to be five or six factors coming together that are having a financial impact on the school system, many of which are beyond local control: Proposal A; the state economy; declining school enrollment; pro-rata reductions in per pupil funding; increasing costs in the area of high-needs students; health care and retirement benefits. Some ideas put forward by the speakers on how to bring costs under control included: higher deductibles and co-pays on medical insurance benefits; centralizing health insurance packages at the state level; some tort reform changes; and lowering the standard of evidence required by the Tenure Commission to terminate an incompetent tenured teacher from "just cause" to "good cause." Loss of state revenue from internet sales, the possible need of tax increases to resolve the current budget crisis and keep teacher pay at competitive levels were also discussed. We would like to thank Kevin Harris, President of the Dearborn Federation of Teachers, and Heather Halpin, President of Lake Shore Federation of Teachers, for taking the time to drive to Lansing on a snowy day to testify on behalf of the MFT&SRP at this meeting. We will need all members to be vigilant, stay aware and active in order to quickly respond to these impending legislative initiatives. If you have not signed up on Get Active List, you may do so at www.mftsrp.org/getactive.html. Return to Top School Board Members Must File by February 8 for May 3 Election Under the consolidated elections law passed last year, candidates for local school board elections on May 3 must now file by February 8. Candidates then have until February 11 to withdraw and write-in candidates have until April 29 to file their intent to run. Under the new law, all elections must take place on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May, August, and November. The fourth election could take place the last Tuesday in February. Nominating petitions for a candidate to be elected to a school board must be filed no later than 4 p.m. on the twelfth Tuesday preceding the date of the election. SOME DISTRICTS HAVE OPTED FOR NOVEMBER 8 ELECTIONS. Return to Top State Budget Deficit Set At $406 M For This Year/$737 M For Next Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference Officials pegged the General Fund budget problem for the current year at $406 million. For the coming year, they project a $737 million problem -- a problem legislative leaders have vowed to fix without tax increases, budget gimmicks, or one-time revenue sources. The executive budget recommendation is scheduled to be unveiled February 10. It will consider spending reductions, administrative efficiencies, and ways of using some of the money in reserves. One of the difficult challenges that the governor and lawmakers will likely face is whether to use an anticipated $74.2 million surplus in the FY 2005 School Aid Fund to offset in part what is expected to be a 2005 General Fund deficit of $406 million. Return to Top 32 Schools Given Blue Ribbons The State Board of Education announced that 32 elementary schools were given blue ribbons this year for notching significant educational improvement over the last five years. To qualify for the award, a school must have made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as required by the federal No Child Left Behind law, received an A or B from the state EducationYES! Report card and must not have a Native-American-based school mascot, nickname or logo. The Board of Education alternates every year between giving out blue ribbons to secondary schools and elementary schools. This year, it's elementary schools. MFT&SRP districts receiving the award include: Barth Elementary (Romulus Community Schools) Randall Elementary School (Taylor School District) Magahay Elementary, Browning Elementary, Walsh Elementary (Utica Community Schools) Haviland Elementary, Houghton Elementary, Schoolcraft Elementary (Waterford School District). Return to Top 2005 Legislative Directory The 2005 Legislative Directory is not available online at this time. Return to Top
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