K-3 Reading Bill Passes in House
Yesterday, the full House of Representatives passed HB 4822 (Price), the K-3 Reading bill, on a largely partisan vote of 57-48. HB 4822 will improve early literacy by focusing on annual screening; parental notification and participation; targeted strategies for struggling readers; and intensive intervention for students reading dramatically behind grade level. The most significant change in the bill was that implementation of potential retention will begin with 3rd grade students in 2019-20, two years later than in the Committee-passed bill. GLEP praised passage of the bill, noting the work of Rep. Amanda Price, Chair of the House Education Committee and the bill’s primary sponsor, as well as House leadership for moving the bill. Republicans voting against the bill were Representatives Goike, Heise, Hooker, McBroom, Potvin and Somerville (Muxlow was absent); while Democrats voting for the bill were Representatives Santana, Schor and Brinks. Click here to download the House-passed version of HB 4822.
Teacher Evaluation Bill Easily Passes in the House
SB 103 (Pavlov) a bill to create a statewide framework for the professional evaluation of both teachers and administrators, sailed through the House of Representatives yesterday on a 97-8 vote. Only minor changes were made to the bill, which will likely be concurred in by the Senate and sent to Governor Snyder for his signature. It’s good to see this important piece of legislation has (finally) made it through the legislative gauntlet. Kudos to Senator Pavlov, Senate Ed Chair, and Rep. Amanda Price, House Ed Chair, for making this happen.
Firm Studying Michigan Education Funding Says $25K Per Pupil Isn’t Enough
Per student spending by public schools in the District of Columbia outstrips that of all 50 states. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, as of 2012, D.C. was annually spending a total o
f $25,038 per pupil. Nevertheless, in 2013 Colorado-based Augenblick, Palaich and Associates – the firm recently chosen to produce an upcoming education funding “adequacy” study for the State of Michigan – released a report claiming that D.C. wasn’t spending enough. APA’s Washington funding study concluded that to adequately educate students D.C. needs to increase the amount of funding it provides by 22.1 percent. Read more here from Michigan Capitol Confidential. We can’t wait to see what they have to say about Michigan’s funding levels!!
GLEP to Host Michigan VIP’s at National Education Reform Summit
The 15th Annual National Education Reform Summit will be held Oct 22-23 in Denver, Colorado. The annual event is sponsored by the 
Foundation for Excellence in Education, which is chaired by Condoleezza Rice, is an engaging opportunity to learn from some of the leaders in the education reform movement. GLEP’s Gary Naeyaert and Beth DeShone will be participating, and GLEP will be hosting a group of key Michigan education policymakers at the summit.
New Legislation Introduced
Bills of interest recently introduced include the following:
Education News Clips
Next Week
Monday, October 19
Tuesday, October 20
Wednesday, October 21
Thursday, October 22
Friday, October 23
Do you support what GLEP is doing to improve education in Michigan? Please consider making a donation to help us continue our efforts, and all contributions are very much appreciated!!
Respectfully,
Gary G. Naeyaert
Executive Director
517-281-2690