Superintendent seeks action against state bills affecting schools

To the Editor,To Parent/Guardian, Community Member or Concerned Citizen:Please take action. Call your legislator regarding House Bill 6004 and Senate Bill 1358!The House Education Committee is expected to vote on a proposal during this Lame Duck session which would create a single statewide school district to take over school buildings in the bottom five percent related to performance. However, this statewide district, called the Educational Achievement Authority (EAA), is accountable to a Governor appointed board of directors, not our publically elected state board of education. EAA would also bypass requirements in the school code and this new district is not required to meet the same quality requirements as local public schools, nor does it need to follow the state’s assessment systems. The district would also not have to follow the new teacher evaluation law that we have implemented to ensure your best teachers are in front of our students. Under House Bill 6004 and Senate Bill 1358, this new school district will be able to open schools anywhere it wants in the state and could be comprised of up to 150 schools, which are currently listed in the bottom 5 percent in student achievement. Any school already in the EAA or subsequently placed there, would remain there indefinitely with no procedure for exiting.For further information, the following link below will take you to a video of the Oakland School District’s Superintendent who provides details of the effects these bills will have on public education. http://www.oakland.k12.mi.usPlease call or email your legislator and urge them to vote against these bills.Representative Nancy Jenkins, Anderson House Office Building, 124 N. Capitol, N-991, House Office Building, Lansing, MI 48933, (517) 373-1706.NancyJenkins@house.mi.gov. Senator Bruce Caswell, P.O Box 30036, Lansing, MI, 48909-7536, (517) 373-5932, SenBCaswell@senate.michigan.gov.David P. PraySuperintendent, Clinton