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Directive: Private schools get public dollars

By GRAHAM JAEHNIG

gjaehnig@mininggazette.com

HANCOCK – A new appropriation provides $2.5 million to private and parochial schools for costs identified in the Michigan Department of Education Nonpublic Schools Mandate Report.

The appropriation calls for the MDE to create, by January, a reimbursement form that lists previously identified mandates, and private and parochial schools will have until June 2017, to submit their requests.

According to Michigan Association of School Administrators (MASA), however, the appropriation is in direct violation of the Michigan Constitution, which specifically prevents public resources from being appropriated directly or indirectly to aid or maintain any private, denominational or other non-public school.

The voters of Michigan overwhelmingly rejected the use of public monies for private schools in 2000, defeating a ballot proposal by 69 percent.

While this appropriation will reimburse private schools for mandates also placed on public schools, public schools will receive no additional funding.

“I guess the biggest frustration for all the locals is you’re providing this $2.5 million to all these nonpublic schools for them to do something that we’re already doing,” said George Stockero, superintendent for the Copper Country Intermediate School District.

There are a total of 44 nonpublic mandates, divided into six categories, including school operations, student/staff safety, student health, accountability, educational requirements and building safety.

“I looked to see these things we’re going to pay private schools (for what) we’re already doing,” Stockero said. “These are just some of them:

“We have to send into the state all our immunization (records) of all of the students. We have to do all our student records; our licenses for speech; we have “EpiPens” now – we have to do paperwork for that. Our attendance records, we have to have to send in our postsecondary enrollment options; give all of our career and technical preparation programs; and all the work that goes into putting those things in. These are just a few of them.”

Gov. Rick Snyder has acknowledged there are legal questions surrounding the appropriation and is looking for ways to address them.

“We believe that it’s not constitutional, and the governor does recognize that,” Stockero said, “and has actually sent it to the Supreme Court for an advisory opinion.”

Stockero said the mandates are state-regulated and every year, public schools must send paperwork into the state, while they are not paid for the time it takes to compile data, create reports and send them where they need to go.

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