Ann Arbor Parents for Schools

The House Education Committee held more hearings today on the remainder of the bills in the so-called “parent empowerment” package. We offered testimony opposing one bill in particular: Senate Bill 619, which would remove any limits on the number or enrollment of entirely online charter schools, called “cyber schools” in the bill.

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We’ve updated our legislative briefing on the “school choice” package of bills to reflect the final version of SB 618 being sent to the Governor, as well as other legislative action.

The update document is in PDF format, and we will be updating it regularly as the bills make their way through the Legislature. The download link is at the end of the article.

The document is current as of 12/16, reflecting the bills as reported from committee or as passed by the Senate or House.

When would you guess the following two sets of quotes were written? You might be surprised.

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No matter what some people say, local public schools don’t make a “profit.” But many charter school operators do. Is that what’s best for our kids?

After years of quiet, malign neglect, the issue of profit in our public schools has become a topic of public discussion. What’s the problem? The problem is that we are starting to see a separation between the “school” and the companies that run the schools and hire the people who actually teach our kids. That is where the issue of profit raises its ugly head. Because where there’s profit, there’s also an incentive to use the political process to create more.

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MIPFS was one of only a handful of groups who had a chance to testify on Senate Bill 618 before the House Education Committee. We called for the House to defeat SB 618 or, failing that, make critical changes to the bill which would protect students and our community-governed public schools.

SB 618 would, among other things, remove the cap on charter schools. In addition, it would remove the geographical limits on charters authorized by community colleges, ISDs or school districts.

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