Major differences emerged today between Assembly and Senate leaders on their separate school accountability bills. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and GOP Sens. Paul Farrow and Luther Olsen said their bill would create two separate oversight boards – one for public schools and another for charter and private schools who participate in the Choice program - to force failing schools to improve. The Assembly bill, scheduled to get a public hearing Wednesday, would create one Academic Review Board to set deadlines failing schools would have to meet. But Senate Republicans said two oversight boards are needed because charter and Choice private schools operate much differently than public schools. Another difference between the two houses of the Legislature: the Assembly bill would force failing public schools to become charters after seven years, but there is no similar provision in the Senate bill. Also, the Assembly bill would cut off state dollars to failing charter and Choice schools after seven years, while the Senate bill would cut off state dollars for new students in Choice schools and let existing Choice students stay in those schools. Under the Senate bill, failing charter schools would not have their charters renewed. Finally, Assembly and Senate GOP leaders disagree on how to resolve their differences. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said a Senate-Assembly conference committee could be created to work out the differences. Fitzgerald said, however, “That’s not going to happen.”
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 21:35:50 +0000
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