EAA Passes Following Marathon Session

After more than six hours of session Thursday, the House of Representatives passed legislation to codify the Education Achievement Authority (EAA), permitting the expansion of the program beyond the 15 Detroit schools to 50 total throughout the state. The EAA is currently an agreement between Detroit Public Schools and Eastern Michigan University.

Around 6PM, three amendments were adopted to House Bill 4369 that evidently pulled enough votes together to move the legislation. The measure, sponsored by Representative Lisa Posthumus Lyons, ultimately passed 57-53 with Republican Representatives Jon Bumstead (R-Newaygo), Ben Glardon (R-Owosso), and Peter Pettalia (R-Presque Isle) voting no.

The late amendments that took the reform over the top include an option for a school to come under the oversight of their intermediate school district as an alternative to the EAA. Another significant change was a requirement that, upon hiring a public school employee that is part of the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System (MPSERS), that employee remain in MPSERS.

House floor debate was frequently emotional as proponents and opponents came to the podiums, including a roughly 15-minute speech from former Democratic Representative John Olumba (I-Detroit) in support of the EAA expansion.

posted by PAA Online , Friday, March 22, 2013 10:29 AM
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