Why are public schools breaking Michigan law?

Interesting how the public schools call for people to follow the law when it suits them and then turn around and not follow the law when it appear not to.

The Michigan legislature passed a law in 2010, signed by Governor Granholm, which required all school districts to put into practice some form of a merit pay system.  This merit pay system would reward effective teachers.

As being reported in the Michigan Capitol Confidential news site “Many public school districts have refused to reward its best teachers with "merit pay" in the five years since a state law was passed mandating the practice.”

You have to ask yourself why most school districts decided to not follow the law.

Why do Michigan school districts not believe in rewarding effective teachers?

Who is controlling these school boards?

You would think if the school districts are breaking the law there are consequences, if we break the law there are consequences to face.

Well there are no consequences they face.  You are probably asking yourself why, well because the Michigan Department of Education doesn't track whether the law is followed and even if they did it would mean nothing because they have no authority to enforce the law.

Yes you heard that right, there is no teeth to the law.

Michael Van Beek, the director of research at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy is quoted in the article stating “based on our research, school districts have, by and large, decided not to reward great teachers, even though state law clearly requires it, if policymakers want to encourage more great teachers, they will need to add punitive measures for violating the law so that districts can’t keep ignoring it.”

So how do our schools in Michigan determine what a teacher is paid?  Like an old fashion assembly line worker, by the amount of years you and get out of bed and drag your body to work.

Michigan school districts continue to pay teachers based on the number of years they’ve been employed in a district and the number of academic credentials they’ve accumulated.

Why do our school districts believe that teaches should not be treated or evaluated as individuals but simply as bodies?

Why should highly effective teachers be compensated at the same rate as poorly or average effective teachers as long as they all have the same number of years they were able to get out of bed and come to the school building and academic credentials?

Why should highly effective teachers be paid less than poor or average effective teachers because they have less years of experience and/or academic credentials?

Because the unions says so.

So then the question is why does the unions not believe highly effective teachers should be paid more?

I really do not know, do you?

Now the good news is that our new State Superintendent of Education Brian Whiston says he supports merit pay.  He is quoted in the article saying “pay should be based on what you are teaching (subject), your evaluation, years of service, education, what extras you bring to the position (extra training, certifications, experiences), and I would like to also look at incentives for teachers that teach in certain areas of the state. I think that teachers who do a great job (get a years or more of growth) should receive additional compensation. If that is what is meant as merit pay then yes I support it.”

The question is will he do something about it.

This is all very interesting and points out many interesting questions on the agenda of these parties involved.

What are your thoughts?

Let’s discuss this today on my show The Live with Renk show, which airs Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to noon, to let me know your thoughts at (269) 441-9595.

Or please feel free to start a discussion and write your thoughts in the comment section.

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