SENATE BILL No. 71

 

 

January 28, 2003, Introduced by Senators KUIPERS, CASSIS, ALLEN, Van WOERKOM,

     BISHOP, CROPSEY, HARDIMAN, STAMAS and GOSCHKA and referred to

     the Committee on Education.

 

 

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "The revised school code,"                                                  

                                                                                

    (MCL 380.1 to 380.1852) by adding section 1294.                             

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 1294.  (1) A school district may apply to the                          

                                                                                

2   superintendent of public instruction for an educational                     

                                                                                

3   flexibility and empowerment contract under this section for the             

                                                                                

4   school district or for 1 or more schools operated by the school             

                                                                                

5   district.  An ed-flex contract allows the superintendent of                 

                                                                                

6   public instruction to waive state statutes and rules designated             

                                                                                

7   as part of a performance-based contract with clearly defined and            

                                                                                

8   measurable performance goals.  A school district also may apply             

                                                                                

9   to the superintendent of public instruction for waiver of certain           

                                                                                

10  federal requirements, in accordance with federal law allowing               

                                                                                

11  federal education waivers to be issued by this state.                       

                                                                                


                                                                                

1       (2) Before applying for an ed-flex contract, the board of a                 

                                                                                

2   school district must adopt a resolution indicating the board's              

                                                                                

3   intent to apply for the educational flexibility and empowerment             

                                                                                

4   contract.  If the contract is not intended to cover the entire              

                                                                                

5   school district, the resolution shall specify the schools to be             

                                                                                

6   covered.  Before adopting the resolution, the board shall hold at           

                                                                                

7   least 1 public hearing at which the types of waivers sought and             

                                                                                

8   the need for the waivers are explained and public comment is                

                                                                                

9   allowed.                                                                    

                                                                                

10      (3) A school district shall submit an application for an                    

                                                                                

11  ed-flex contract to the superintendent of public instruction in             

                                                                                

12  the form and manner prescribed by the department.  The                      

                                                                                

13  application shall contain at least all of the following:                    

                                                                                

14      (a) A specific listing of the statutes and rules proposed to                

                                                                                

15  be waived.  If the application is intended to also serve as an              

                                                                                

16  application for federal waivers under federal law, the                      

                                                                                

17  application also shall include a specific listing of the federal            

                                                                                

18  statutes and regulations proposed to be waived.                             

                                                                                

19      (b) A statement specifying the need for waiver for each                     

                                                                                

20  statute or rule proposed to be waived, including the purpose and            

                                                                                

21  intended results for each waiver.                                           

                                                                                

22      (c) A description, for each school year and for the overall                 

                                                                                

23  term of the contract, of the specific measurable goals for                  

                                                                                

24  improved pupil performance in the school district or school.                

                                                                                

25  These goals shall include, but are not limited to, goals for                

                                                                                

26  improving MEAP scores.                                                      

                                                                                

27      (d) A description, for each school year and for the overall                 

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   term of the contract, of the measurements to be used to determine           

                                                                                

2   whether the pupil performance goals under subdivision (c) have              

                                                                                

3   been met.                                                                   

                                                                                

4       (e) An explanation of how the contract and the waivers will                 

                                                                                

5   assist the school district or school in achieving its specified             

                                                                                

6   performance goals.                                                          

                                                                                

7       (f) If the contract is not intended to cover the entire                     

                                                                                

8   school district, the specific schools to be covered.                        

                                                                                

9       (g) A copy of the board resolution required under subsection                

                                                                                

10  (2).  If the application is intended to also serve as an                    

                                                                                

11  application for federal waivers under federal law, the                      

                                                                                

12  application also shall include an explanation of how the public             

                                                                                

13  notice requirements of federal law have been met.                           

                                                                                

14      (4) Within 60 days after receiving an application under                     

                                                                                

15  subsection (3), the superintendent of public instruction shall              

                                                                                

16  approve or disapprove the application and notify the school                 

                                                                                

17  district of the decision.  If the superintendent of public                  

                                                                                

18  instruction approves the application, the superintendent of                 

                                                                                

19  public instruction shall promptly enter into an ed-flex contract            

                                                                                

20  with the school district.  If the superintendent of public                  

                                                                                

21  instruction disapproves the application, the notification to the            

                                                                                

22  school district shall include notice of the specific reasons for            

                                                                                

23  the disapproval, and the school district may submit a revised               

                                                                                

24  application.  If the superintendent of public instruction does              

                                                                                

25  not act on an application and notify the school district of his             

                                                                                

26  or her decision within the time limits required under this                  

                                                                                

27  subsection, the application is considered approved and the                  

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   superintendent of public instruction shall promptly enter into              

                                                                                

2   the proposed ed-flex contract with the school district.                     

                                                                                

3       (5) The superintendent of public instruction shall not                      

                                                                                

4   approve an application submitted under subsection (3) unless he             

                                                                                

5   or she finds all of the following:                                          

                                                                                

6       (a) That the performance goals contained in the application                 

                                                                                

7   are sufficiently specific and will, if met, constitute improved             

                                                                                

8   pupil achievement.                                                          

                                                                                

9       (b) That the contract will allow the school district to                     

                                                                                

10  enhance learning and to operate in a more effective, efficient,             

                                                                                

11  or economical manner.                                                       

                                                                                

12      (6) In approving applications submitted under subsection (3),               

                                                                                

13  the superintendent of public instruction shall give priority to             

                                                                                

14  applications that are focused on reducing pupil achievement gaps            

                                                                                

15  based on race, gender, and socioeconomic status.                            

                                                                                

16      (7) The department shall prescribe the form of an ed-flex                   

                                                                                

17  contract.  The contract shall include at least all of the                   

                                                                                

18  following:                                                                  

                                                                                

19      (a) All matters addressed in the application.                               

                                                                                

20      (b) Assurance that the school district will report its annual               

                                                                                

21  progress toward its performance goals.                                      

                                                                                

22      (c) An agreement that, in order for the contract to be                      

                                                                                

23  renewed, the MEAP scores for the school district or school must             

                                                                                

24  demonstrate adequate annual progress toward meeting the                     

                                                                                

25  performance goals and must attain a specific measurable benchmark           

                                                                                

26  by the end of the contract.                                                 

                                                                                

27      (d) An agreement on the contents of the empowerment report to               

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   be filed by the school district at the end of the contract term.            

                                                                                

2   The empowerment report shall summarize the performance goals                

                                                                                

3   achieved during the term of the contract and the programs,                  

                                                                                

4   curriculum, or other innovative approaches used to achieve these            

                                                                                

5   goals.                                                                      

                                                                                

6       (e) The term of the contract, which shall not exceed 5                      

                                                                                

7   years.                                                                      

                                                                                

8       (8) The superintendent of public instruction may terminate an               

                                                                                

9   ed-flex contract before the end of its term if the superintendent           

                                                                                

10  of public instruction determines that the school district or                

                                                                                

11  school has experienced 2 consecutive years of declining pupil               

                                                                                

12  performance, based on the performance goals and measurements set            

                                                                                

13  in the contract.  The superintendent of public instruction is not           

                                                                                

14  required to terminate an ed-flex contract if he or she determines           

                                                                                

15  that the decline is due to exceptional or uncontrollable                    

                                                                                

16  circumstances.                                                              

                                                                                

17      (9) At the conclusion of the term of an ed-flex contract, the               

                                                                                

18  school district shall submit its empowerment report describing              

                                                                                

19  how the school district or school met or did not meet the                   

                                                                                

20  performance goals set forth in the contract.  The superintendent            

                                                                                

21  of public instruction may renew the ed-flex contract if the                 

                                                                                

22  performance goals have been met.                                            

                                                                                

23      (10) The superintendent of public instruction may not waive                 

                                                                                

24  any health and safety requirements as part of an ed-flex                    

                                                                                

25  contract.                                                                   

                                                                                

26      (11) The superintendent of public instruction shall submit an               

                                                                                

27  annual report to the legislature on the status of the educational           

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   flexibility and empowerment program under this section, including           

                                                                                

2   a report on ed-flex contracts issued during the year, and on                

                                                                                

3   progress made toward attainment of performance goals.                       

                                                                                

4       (12) As the initial educational flexibility and empowerment                 

                                                                                

5   contracts issued under this section expire, the department shall            

                                                                                

6   post information on its website on the educational innovations              

                                                                                

7   and best practices used to achieve pupil performance goals under            

                                                                                

8   the contracts.                                                              

                                                                                

9       (13) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (10), any                   

                                                                                

10  provision of this act or the state school aid act of 1979, or of            

                                                                                

11  any rule promulgated under this act or the state school aid act             

                                                                                

12  of 1979, is subject to waiver under an ed-flex contract.                    

                                                                                

13      (14) As used in this section:                                               

                                                                                

14      (a) "Ed-flex contract" means an educational flexibility and                 

                                                                                

15  empowerment contract issued to a school district under this                 

                                                                                

16  section for the school district or for 1 or more schools operated           

                                                                                

17  by the school district.                                                     

                                                                                

18      (b) "Empowerment report" means the final evaluation report                  

                                                                                

19  required to be filed at the end of the term of an ed-flex                   

                                                                                

20  contract under subsection (9).                                              

                                                                                

21      (c) "MEAP scores" means the scores achieved by the pupils of                

                                                                                

22  a school district or school, as applicable, on all Michigan                 

                                                                                

23  educational assessment program tests administered to pupils of              

                                                                                

24  the school district or school.                                              

                                                                                

25      (15) This section shall be known and may be cited as the                    

                                                                                

26  "educational flexibility and empowerment law".