I’ve received word that a substitute bill to expand the EAA in Michigan is being rushed through the state Senate with a vote to come as early as today. The bill is, according to my sources, being championed by Republican Senator Bruce Caswell with the goal of getting it passed quickly before the Senate goes on it summer break in two days.
Senate Democrats are leading the charge to stop this oh-so-typical last-minute rush to implement sweeping policy changes without public input.
With only two days left before the Senate adjourns for the summer, we’ve just heard that the Senate Republicans are once again trying to jam through their disastrous legislation to expand the failed Education Achievement Authority (EAA) – a state-run authority that strips control away from local community schools.The Senate Democrats have been fighting against the EAA since its inception by Governor Snyder. We opposed its creation and we continue to oppose its expansion. We were reminded of its fundamental flaws in April when we invited teachers, parents and education experts to share their experiences with the EAA. Their stories confirmed what we suspected all along—the EAA is a failed experiment that must end.
Just last month, an investigation by the Detroit News discovered that nearly $240,000 of taxpayer money had been spent on lavish trips, IKEA furniture and a chauffeured car by the EAA Chancellor and his staff. Clearly, this is far from the type of administration we should be trying to force on schools throughout the state, yet that’s exactly what this terrible plan would do.
The disastrous EAA is already failing and even endangering the students it is responsible for—we can’t risk expanding this debacle to even more communities across our state.
We must act now!
Sign our petition today and tell Senate Republicans that the EAA must be stopped!
Michigan Senate Democrats
You can do two things. First, call your senator and urge them to vote NO! on this bill.
Second, click the image below and sign the Senate Democrats’ petition.
