TEACHER & ADMIN. COMPENSATION; MODIFY S.B. 359:
SUMMARY OF BILL
REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 359 (as reported without amendment)
Sponsor: Senator Stephanie Chang
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Revised School Code to delete requirements specifying the factors a community district may or may not consider when determining compensation for teachers and school administrators hired after September 1, 2019.
For teachers and school administrators hired after September 1, 2019, a community district must maintain a method of compensation that primarily considers job performance and accomplishments. A teacher or school administrator's performance must be evaluated based on the applicable annual evaluation.
A community district may not use the length of service or achievement of an advanced degree as a factor in compensation levels for teachers hired after September 1, 2019, but as follows:
-- For a teacher with a secondary level teaching certificate who has a subject area endorsement and who teaches in that subject area, an advanced degree achieved in that subject area may be considered as a factor in the teacher's base compensation.
-- An advanced degree in elementary education may be considered as a factor for a teacher's base compensation if that teacher has an elementary level teaching certificate and teaches in an elementary grade.
The bill would delete these provisions.
MCL 380.1250 Legislative Analyst: Abby Schneider
BRIEF RATIONALE
Teachers hired after 2019 by Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) do not have the ability to collectively bargain and their compensation is based solely on student performance. Some people believe that basing the compensation of DPSCD teachers on student performance alone is unfair because other teachers in the State are evaluated on other factors, such as their experience and education. Accordingly, it has been suggested that limitations on community district compensation evaluation be removed and the right for teachers hired by a community district to collectively bargain be reinstated.
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have an indeterminate, but likely minimal fiscal impact on schools, intermediate school districts, and public school academies. Schools would not be required to change current compensation plans unless they conflicted with a collective bargaining agreement. Schools may have to change administration compensation plans in the future, which could add minimal costs or could result in overall savings if fewer factors were required for determining employee compensation.
Date Completed: 6-14-23 Fiscal Analyst: Cory Savino, PhD
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.