During testimony
before the House Education Committee Karen McPhee, Governor Rick Snyder’s
education advisor, told the committee that the Governor is not supportive of Senate
Bill 103. The bill would establish standards for educator evaluations and
training for those individuals conducting the evaluations throughout the state.
Ms. McPhee originally stated that the Governor was supportive of the standards,
without directly addressing his stance on SB
103, until eventually being pressed to give a direct stance by
Representative Lee Chatfield (R-Levering).
Representative Adam
Zemke (R-Ann Arbor) refuted the estimate that training those conducting the
evaluations could cost nearly $100 million, saying that the estimates prepared
by the House and Senate Fiscal Agencies range from $8 to $30 million.
Senator Phil Pavlov
(R-Saint Clair), sponsor of the bill, says that the proposal would allow for
more local control than the proposal introduced by Representative Zemke last
session. Opponents of the current proposal argue that the lack of local
regulation will allow districts to continue their current evaluation processes,
which many say are not working as they should be.
The Michigan
Education Association and some Democrats, such as Representative Andy Schor
(D-Lansing), questioned whether the proposed legislation is in the best
interest of educators and children. Representative Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan) also
questioned the bill, stating that a statewide set of standards may not be able
to fairly evaluate educators throughout the diverse districts in the state.