Some local union leaders say they won’t support state’s proposal
By LORI HIGGINS
FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER
Michigan’s quest to receive up to $400 million in federal education aid could be jeopar dized because some local union leaders are refusing to support the state’s plans.
The Michigan Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers-Mich igan issued a letter this week urging their local leaders not to sign a memoranda of un derstanding that is necessary for districts to receive the money.
They say union leaders are being asked to sign an agree ment for a plan they haven’t seen, and they say draft ver sions of the plan in some cases includes controversial issues that were not part of bills Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed Monday to improve public schools.
Among the items at issue: the MEA says the state is in cluding a proposed new li censing system for teachers and a formula that would be used to determine how stu dent academic growth would be factored into a teacher’s evaluation, something the MEA says the Legislature in tended to leave up to local dis tricts to decide.
Their refusal could leave the state without the neces sary union buy-in to compete for $4.3 billion available through the federal Race to the Top, a stimulus-funded program designed to spur in novation in schools.
Michigan is estimated to receive between $200 million and $400 million.
But Granholm may have brokered a tentative compro mise during a meeting she held Tuesday afternoon with state Superintendent Mike Flanagan and representatives of the two state unions.
Union leaders received an e-mail from the MEA after the meeting that expressed opti mism that they would have more time to view the state’s final application before having to sign the agreement.
Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd was not specific, but said she expected a positive outcome.
For now, though, union leaders like Ted Peters, presi dent of the Southfield Educa tion Association, are refusing to sign.
“There are too many unex plained items out there right now,” Peters said.
States must submit appli cations by mid-January, but the Michigan Department of Education has set a Thursday deadline for local school dis tricts to submit paperwork of support.
Flanagan added a wrinkle Tuesday saying districts can submit agreements without the union signature.
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