CHARTER SCHOOL STAFF; REQ. SALARY DISCLOSURE H.B. 5269:

SUMMARY OF HOUSE-PASSED BILL

IN COMMITTEE

 

 

 

 

 

 

House Bill 5269 (as passed by the House)

Sponsor: Representative Matt Koleszar

House Committee: Education

Senate Committee: Education

 

Date Completed: 11-10-24

 

CONTENT

 

The bill would amend the Revised School Code to require each public school academy (PSA), school of excellence, strict discipline academy, and urban high school academy to post the average salary for new and veteran teachers and support staff on its public website by November 1 of each year.

 

The bill would take effect 90 days after its enactment.

 

The Code allows an authorizing body to contract with an interested person or entity for the creation of a PSA, school of excellence, strict discipline academy, or urban high school academy. As these schools are created by charter contracts, they are referred to as charter schools. (For more information, see BACKGROUND).

 

Under the Code, a PSA, an urban high school academy, a school of excellence, or a strict discipline academy, with the approval of an authorizing body, may employ or contract with personnel as necessary for the operation of the charter school.

 

The bill would require, by November 1 of each year, each PSA, school of excellence, strict discipline academy, and urban high school academy to post the following information on its public website:

 

--   The average salary for new teachers and the average salary for veteran teachers employed by the charter school or employed by an educational management organization and assigned to the charter school or, if there were fewer than five new teachers or five veteran teachers at the charter school, the average salary for all teachers employed by or assigned to the charter school.

--   The average salary for support staff employed by the charter school or employed by an educational management organization and assigned to the charter school.

 

"New teacher" would mean an individual who has held a teaching certificate for less than five years. "Veteran teacher" would mean an individual who has held a teaching certificate for five or more years. "Support staff" would include, but would not be limited to, student-facing paraprofessionals, food service workers, bus drivers, and literacy coaches.

 

Additionally, the Code provides that a PSA, school of excellence, strict discipline academy, or urban high school academy may take action to enter into binding legal agreements with persons or entities as necessary for the operation, management, financing, and maintenance of the charter school. The bill would modify this provision to require that an agreement would have to comply with Sections 7 and 18 of the State School Aid Act.

 

(Section 7 provides that costs for school operating purposes include all expenditures necessary to carry out the powers and financial obligations of the district or intermediate school district. Section 81 concerns how expenditures are determined reasonable. It also requires school districts and intermediate school districts to maintain financial transparency.[1])

 

MCL 380.504a et al.

 

BACKGROUND

 

Generally, the board of a school district, the board of an intermediate school district, the board of a community college, the board of a public university in the State, or two or more of these bodies working jointly under an interlocal agreement may serve as an authorizing body for a PSA, school of excellence, or strict discipline academy. An urban high school academy may only be authorized by the board of a State public university.

 

The Code requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to approve a school of excellence if the proposed school is modelled on a high-performing school or program. An authorizing body may operate a school of excellence as a cyber school if the school s education management organization demonstrates experience in delivering a quality education program that improves pupil academic achievement, among other requirements. The Code allows for the creation of up to 15 cyber schools of excellence. Additionally, a PSA that demonstrates superior academic performance may be converted to a school of excellence. Strict discipline academies are established to serve suspended, expelled, or incarcerated young people.

 

Legislative Analyst: Abby Schneider

 

FISCAL IMPACT

 

The bill would have no fiscal impact on the State and a minimal fiscal impact on PSAs, which would be required to calculate and post the average salary of various categories of employees. This would likely be completed by existing staff.

 

Fiscal Analyst: Ryan Bergan

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.

 


[1] For more information, see MCL 388.1618.

 

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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.