senate

April 24, 2008

Holding back students who cannot read at grade level is out. But in its place is a proposal to require that all districts have programs in place to identify and help those students who are struggling with reading and that all teachers and administrators be trained in reading instruction.

The Senate Education Committee unveiled the new version of SB 842 and the newly-introduced SB 1275 on Thursday and committee Chair Sen. Wayne Kuipers (R-Holland) said he would like to have the issues resolved and report the bills in the next couple of weeks.

Michigan's major taxes netted nearly $1.2 billion in March, up by a whopping 22.3 percent over the same month a year ago, according to the figures released Thursday by the Senate Fiscal Agency.
For the 2007-08 fiscal year to date the state has collected $7.7 billion, up 5.9 percent from the same time a year ago.
The state saw major increases in income tax, sales tax and oil and gas severance tax collections, while dealing with declines in Single Business Tax, use tax and real estate transfer tax collections.

Senate Republicans tied a rock to the ankles of Gov. Jennifer GRANHOLM's latest education reform ideas, but Democrats and Republicans alike supported a School Aid Fund (SAF) budget today that bumps up the state's payment to local school districts between $108 and $216 a student, setting the funding floor at $7,346 a child.

With little fanfare or controversy, the Senate today passed budgets for K-12 education, community colleges and higher education.
The Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 $94.2 million K-12 budget is $2.2 million less than the FY 2008 budget. It's slightly less than Gov. Jennifer GRANHOLM's $94.7 million proposed budget.
SB 1096, sponsored by Senate Appropriations Chairman Ron JELINEK (R-Three Oaks), passed 36-1, with Sen. Nancy CASSIS (R-Novi) dissenting. She said the General Fund increased at the rate of inflation plus 1 percent, so she couldn't support it.