MIRS News Service is reporting this week that the Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) and Health and Human Services (DHHS) issued a joint statement clearing Planned Parenthood affiliates in Michigan of any illegal activities related to donations of fetal tissue. The two agencies have been investigating Planned Parenthood after Republican Senator Phil Pavlov called for the investigation in the wake […]

That’s gonna leave a mark

Republicans are going Code Red to defend their desire to exempt charter schools from any sort of additional scrutiny, including being held to the same educational standards as public schools are. Toward that effort, state Senator Phil Pavlov went on the attack against the State Board of Education for even suggesting it. Pavlov is the chair of the Senate Education Committee. He then went on to blame the State Board of Education for the dire financial situation schools like those in Buena Vista and Pontiac find themselves in.

State Board of Education President John Austin, someone whose name has been talked about as a terrific choice for Lt. Governor of Michigan given his experience in education, is not taking this lying down. He put out a statement today, slamming Sen. Pavlov for his blatant politicization of our education system in Michigan. It’s a thing of beauty.

Read it over the jump.

Dude, slow down

It looks like expansion of the Education Achievement Authority (EAA) in Michigan is going to be put on hold, at least until this summer. Why? Because Republican Senator and Education Committee Chair Phil Pavlov is unhappy. Why is Phil Pavlov unhappy? Because the EAA legislation passed by the House only allows for FIFTY SCHOOLS to be taken over by the state and put into their “school district for wayward schools”. Apparently Sen. Pavlov wants to be able to take over even MORE schools than that.

Could it be because the EAA has become such a cash cow? I’ll explore this question after the jump.

What’s the polite phrase for “dick move”? This past week, Michigan Republicans passed House Bill 4929 that prohibits school districts from doing automatic deductions from teachers’ paychecks to pay for their union dues. It was touted as a cost-saving measure by some. How much will it save? See, that’s the thing: Nothing. According to the most recent Senate Fiscal Analysis: […]

The effort to recall Senate Education Chair Phil Pavlov got underway on January 7th. The group working toward his recall now has a webpage, RecallPavlov.org, and is actively seeking petitioners, petition signatures and financial support. Senator Pavlov voted to support the odious “anti”-bullying bill that was not anti-bullying. He has supported legislation that reduces tax credits used by many Michiganders […]

When you have done nearly all there is to do to hurt teachers, what remains? It’s simple, really. Outsource their jobs. Privatize the actual education of our children. And that’s just what Michigan Senator Phil Pavlov (25th District), who cancelled his only townhall meeting this summer, is planning to do. School districts could hire school teachers through a private company, […]