Posts by waddelk:
Legislatative Update & Save the Date…
Below is the latest update from MEMPSA for your reading pleasure. Also, please mark your calendars for our next ADSA meeting to be held
FEBRUARY 1, 2016 at Bryant Middle School, starting at 4 pm
Hope to see you there!
MEMSPA Advocacy Day
The voice of Michigan’s principals is key in these political times. We are holding our winter MEMSPA legislative Advocacy Day on the morning of March 22, 2016. Please let me know if you are able to join us for a morning breakfast briefing, visit with your district’s House and Senate members, and a lunch debrief. We will schedule an appointment for you to meet your state representative and provide you with talking points and format. This is an important time in Michigan’s education reform movement and we need your voice to influence positive reasonable change. Please plan to join us.
RSVP to paul@memspa.org
Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference
State Treasurer Nick Khouri met with the Directors of the Senate and House Fiscal Agencies today to update revenue estimates for both the current state Fiscal Year and upcoming Fiscal Years at the biannual Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference (CREC).
The state General Fund is expected to end Fiscal Year 2015 with a significant year-end balance, though much of that balance will be utilized to cover ongoing spending pressures such as Medicaid caseload adjustments, employee pay raises, inflationary increases and revenue sharing payments, including accelerating personal property tax reimbursement payments to local units of government and school districts. However, much of that year-end balance is due to a “one-time” increase in income tax collections and deferment of Michigan Business Tax (MBT) credit claims to 2016. As a result, the updated revenue projections for the General Fund do not necessarily differ greatly from the past estimates in May, but rather reflect a shift in some revenues to 2015 and corresponding shift in some obligations to 2016. Overall, while the state will have some one-time revenue to fund priorities such as roads or the public health crisis in Flint, most of the year-end lapse in the General Fund will be utilized to backfill 2016 obligations.
Why do General Fund revenues matter to schools? Governor Snyder and the Legislature have increasingly melded both GF and School Aid Fund (SAF) revenues together in recent years, essentially creating a bigger pot of money with somewhat blurred lines as opposed to past practice when SAF revenues strictly supported K-12 schools. While the SAF has always received revenue from the GF, utilizing SAF revenues to supplement other areas of the budget previously funded only with GF (universities and community colleges) was a practice begun in the last year of the Granholm Administration and accelerated significantly under Governor Snyder.
The SAF projected to see less revenue in the current and coming year than expected due to lower sales tax collections, largely from decreasing gas prices. However, cuts are not likely as overall SAF revenues are projected to continue to increase year-over-year, just not as much compared to prior estimates. The FY 2016-2017 pupil count is predicted to continue to decline as well by roughly 9,800 to a total of 1,480,000 compared to 1,494,800 in FY 2015-2016. However, in a bit of good news, that decrease is 5,200 less than expected when compared to last May’s estimate.
Looking for Nominations…
The A.D.S.A. president elect position has been recently opened again with the appointment of Youssef Mosallam as Executive Director for the Edsel Ford Feeder Track. Therefore, we are looking for president elect nominations. Email Rita Rauch or Kristi Waddell with your nomination. Please ensure that all nominees are willing to accept your recommendation to […]
Legislative Update…
Evaluation Legislation Passes House Senate Bill 103 remains on the House floor awaiting consideration. However, the respective Senate and House Education Chairs appear to be very close to agreement on a final version of the bill, and action may yet happen this month. MEMSPA is encouraged by latest dialogue between the two chambers, and we […]
Tenure Questions?
As you are planning for Teacher evaluations, here is a summary of how tenure is obtained… Tenure is obtained based on the state law. For most teachers that is a 5 year process from date of hire. In teachscape the teacher should check the 1st through 5th year. If a teacher has tenure from another […]
Legislative Updates…
Evaluation Legislation Update Senate Bill 103 remains on the House floor awaiting consideration. However, the respective Senate and House Education Chairs appear to be very close to agreement on a final version of the bill, and action may yet happen this month. MEMSPA is encouraged by latest dialogue between the two chambers, and we are […]
MEMPSA Legislative Update
House Ed Committee Takes Action on Evaluation Legislation After months of deliberation and testimony, the House Education Committee Thursday morning advanced to the floor an amended version of Senate Bill 103. The latest version has a number of changes from the Senate-passed version that attempt to bridge differences between the two chambers on the issue […]
MEMSPA – Teacher and Administrator Evaluation Update
The House Education Committee held another hearing this week on Senate Bill 103. After multiple weeks of testimony from groups and individuals both in support of and in opposition to the bill, the votes do not exist in the committee to move the bill to the House floor at this time. Both Democratic and Republican […]
Legislative Update…
The House Education Committee held another hearing this week on Senate Bill 103. As passed by the Senate 22-15 on May 20, SB 103 would provide a new teacher and administrator evaluation framework beginning in the 2017-2018 school year initially relying upon student growth and assessment for 25% of evaluations. That percentage would gradually scale […]
ADSA Member of the Year Nominations
Hard to believe, but it is already that time of year to nominate all of the hard-working ADSA members to be recognized as the member of the year. Please submit nominations with brief explanation for your recommendation to Andy Denison or Kristi Waddell by Monday, June 8th
Legislative Updates
Teacher & Administrator Evaluation Bills Move The Senate this week passed Senate Bill 103, which would approve new teacher and administrator evaluation standards. The bill passed by a vote of 22-15, with Republican Senators Margaret O’Brien (R-Portage), Ken Horn (R-Frankenmuth), Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge), Tory Rocca (R-Sterling Heights), and Tonya Schuitmaker (R-Lawton) voting no along […]