In a joint statement issued late Friday, Aug. 14, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield, and Minority Floor Leader Christine Greig announced a bipartisan deal on the upcoming 2020-2021 school year.
“Today, we reached a bipartisan deal that will give students, parents, educators, and support staff much needed support, flexiblility, and certainty as we approach the new school year,” the statement read. “The deserve peace of mind about what the next few months will hold in store, and this legislation will provide it.”
According to a story in The Detroit News, a one-page outline of the plan obtained by the paper indicates the package:
• Establishes “parameters” to ensure teachers regularly “interface” with students.
• Encourages districts to prioritize in-classroom instruction for K-5 students when safe.
• Require benchmark assessments to track student performance in reading and mathematics, and determine students needing help
• Requires districts to consult with local health departments to develop plans.
• Ties 75 percent of a district’s official enrollment figure to last year, before the pandemic hit.
• Waives normal hours and days of instruction, but say schools must provide the amount of instruction necessary to deliver the “educational or course content” that would have normally been provided.
No other details are known at the moment, and the agreement is expected to go to the Senate on Saturday, Aug. 15, and the House on Monday, Aug. 17.
According to a news reports, state Rep. Pamela Hornberger, chair of the House Education Committee, said the Legislature approved a total of $583 million in federal coronavirus relief funds for Michigan schools.
