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Tax break for school giving
Senate Bill 382 would allow Michigan
residents to deduct 50 percent of contributions
made to public educational
organizations such as foundations. Such
foundations would have to be involved in
helping a local school district or charter
school, or continuing and adult education.
The foundation would have to
qualify for exemption from federal taxes
as a 501(c)(3) organization in order for a
taxpayer to claim the state tax exemption.
The Senate Fiscal Agency estimates tax
payers would benefit by as much as $25
million per year. The bill was passed out
of the Senate Education Committee and
is before the full Senate.
www.michiganvotes.org/2005-SB-382
Labor Day issues for ISDs
House Bill 5977, introduced by Rep. John
Moolenaar, R-Midland, will allow Intermediate
School Districts that provide
services to a conventional school district
to be exempt from a state-mandated
post-Labor Day start to the school year.
State law was changed in the fall of 2005
that requires all public schools to start
classes after Labor Day, except in cases
where a start date already was specified
by a collective bargaining agreement that
has yet to expire. Many ISDs were already
under contract with local school districts
that have school calendars calling for a
pre-Labor Day start for the 2006-2007
school year. The legislation also would
exempt schools that move to a year-round
calendar from having to comply with the
post-Labor Day regulation.
www.michiganvotes.org/2006-HB-5977
Minimum requirement for
instructional time
Legislation approved by the Michigan
Senate would require public schools
to provide a minimum of 1,098 hours
of instruction in each academic year,
and eliminate a requirement for incremental
increases in subsequent years.
Current law has taken the minimums
for instruction from 180 days and 1,098
hours in 2004-2005 to 189 days and 1,134
hours for 2005-2006, and will eventually
increase to 190 days and 1,140 hours in
2006-2007. Senate Bill 95, introduced
by Sen. Valde Garcia, would eliminate
the incremental increases and allow
school districts to offer a minimum of
1,098 hours of instruction in 180 school
days. SB 95 passed in the Senate and was
referred to the House Education Committee.
www.michiganvotes.org/2005-SB-95
$10 million more for Detroit
House Bill 6042, introduced by Rep.
Marsha Cheeks, D-Detroit, would give
Detroit Public Schools an extra $10 million
from the state school aid fund for the
2006-2007 school year in order for the
district to establish a medical-themed high
school. The school would be for students
who want to pursue a career in the medical
field, particularly nursing, medical billing
and bookkeeping, and science and technology
related to medicine. The school
would offer a certification testing program
so that graduates would be immediately
employable. The bill was assigned to the
House Appropriations Committee.
www.michiganvotes.org/2006-HB-6042
Steroids in high schools
The use of steroids in high schools has
been addressed by two pieces of legislation
from the Michigan House. House
Bill 4118 would require public schools
to include a policy indicating that the
use of performance-enhancing drugs can
affect a student-athlete’s eligibility to
participate in interscholastic sports, and
direct the Department of Community
Health to distribute to schools a list of
what qualifies as a performance-enhancing
drug. Introduced by Rep. Daniel
Acciavatti, HB 4118 unanimously passed
in the House and passed with a single
“no” vote in the Senate. House Bill 4594,
which passed unanimously in the Senate
and with a lone “no” vote in the House,
would expand the state’s definition of a
“drug-free school zone” to prohibit the
possession of steroids within 1,000 feet of
a school, and make the offense punishable
by up to twice the maximums of a $25,000
fine and 10-year prison sentence for possession
of other illegal drugs within 1,000
feet of a school. HB was introduced by
Rep. Leslie Mortimer.
www.michiganvotes.org/2005-HB-4118
www.michiganvotes.org/2005-HB-4594
Freedom for religious schools
A package of bills introduced in the
Michigan House would amend state law
to exempt Bible colleges and other higher
education institutions affiliated with
churches from having to meet certain
state regulations. House Bills 6014, 6015
and 6016 are before the House Higher
Education Committee. Currently, state
law addresses the ownership and oversight
of such colleges by any ecclesiastical
or religious order, society or corporation,
but not a church.
www.michiganvotes.org/2006-HB-6014
www.michiganvotes.org/2006-HB-6015
www.michiganvotes.org/2006-HB-6016
Certification changes
House Bill 5279 would allow teachers
certified in either elementary or secondary
education to teach sixth grade. The
change could help more middle school
teachers become “Highly Qualified”
under the federal No Child Left Behind
act, because most middle school teachers
have secondary teaching certificates
that allow them to teach grades seven
through 12. The bill is before the House
of Representatives.
www.michiganvotes.org/2005-HB-5279
Full-day kindergarten
Senate bill 1306 would mandate that all
public schools offer full-day kindergarten
and that all children who turn 5 before
December 1 be enrolled in kindergarten.
The bill does not address details about
funding, enforcement, or when the program
would begin.
www.michiganvotes.org/2006-SB-1306
Classroom instruction dollars
Legislation recently introduced in the
House of Representatives would require
school districts to issue a report each year
on what percentage of its general fund
budget is spent on classroom instruction.
House Bill 6216 indicates schools should
use the definition of classroom instruction
put forth by the National Center
for Education Statistics. NCES considers
money spent on classroom teachers and
personnel, classroom materials, activities
such as field trips, music, art and athletics,
and tuition paid to out-of-state schools
or private institutions for special needs
students as counting toward instruction.
Not included in the NCES definition
is administration, operations and maintenance,
food service, transportation,
support personnel, media specialists,
counselors and nurses. The bill is before
the House Education Committee.
www.michiganvotes.org/2006-HB-6216
Tax exempt school stores
House Bill 6217 seeks to exempt resale
thrift shops operated by non-profit
private schools from real and personal
property tax. The store must be operated
by the non-profit entity that runs
the school, and the proceeds from the
sale of items must be used to benefit the
students enrolled in the school. The bill
was assigned to the House Tax Policy
Committee.
www.michiganvotes.org/2006-HB-6217
Merit Scholarship
Senate Bill 1335 would replace the Michigan
Merit Award Scholarship with a new
plan to give students $4,000 while they
pursue a post-secondary education. Currently,
high school students can receive
$2,500 toward college expenses if they
score well on the MEAP. SB 1335 would
give students $1,000 in each of their first
two years of college, plus another $2,000
after completing two years, as long as the
student maintains a 2.5 grade point average.
The program would be available to
students in associates and bachelor degree
programs, as well as vocational training.
The bill is assigned to the Senate Appropriations
Committee.
www.michiganvotes.org/2006-SB-1335
