The shame for Michigan begins on June 30, 2011, when lawmakers passed a set of bills (HB 4625-4628) that drastically alter the teacher tenure laws in Michigan. In essence, teachers will now have little protection against being fired other than for reasons "not arbitrary and capricious," the lowest standard for removing an employee.
I went to the Capitol on Thursday with my good friend and local union president to experience first-hand this legislative process. It was a new experience for both of us. I was both fascinated and horrified at what I witnessed. I had contacted my senator, Senator Jim Marleau (R), and expressed my concerns about these bills that I knew would soon be brought to the Senate. Amazingly, I received an email from one of his aides that stated that Sen. Marleau did not support these bills, but instead, supported Senate Bill 503 which was true tenure reform. I was greatly relieved to hear this, however, SB 503 was dead in the water. I desperately tried to speak with my senator in the lobby yesterday, waiting for hours with numerous other lobbyists. Sen. Marleau never left the chamber to speak with constituents.
When the Senate came to vote on these bills, we sat in the gallery and watched the proceedings. I was shocked at how disrespectful the Republican side of the floor was toward the Democrats. As several Democrats got up to speak to the issues, Republican senators were milling about, having conversations with others, not even paying attention to what was being said. I guessed that this was because they had already made up their minds how they would vote. I should add here that Representative Paul Scott was seen going in and out of the Senate Chamber schmoozing with Sen. Pavlov and Sen. Marleau. At one point, I saw Sen. Marleau pat Rep. Scott on the shoulder. As you may know, Rep. Scott is heavily involved with Michelle Rhee's organization, Students First, which helped to get this legislation on the books. I was disgusted.
There are only 12 Democrats in the state Senate, and every one of them voted against these horrible bills. When Coleman Young, II (D) took the podium, he gave an amazing speech about how these bills will not help the children of Michigan. He received a rousing round of applause from the gallery. Lt. Gov. Calley then warned us in the gallery that we are not allowed to demonstrate inside the Capitol and if it continues, we would be removed. Sen. Gleason (D) also gave an emotional speech where he stated that this was a "sad, shameful day in Michigan."
Watching the voting was like watching a sporting event. My eyes were focused on the the "scoreboard" as senators punched in their votes. We watched as their names lit up either green (for) or red (against). Some of the senators hesitated, creating suspense in the gallery. I posted the results on my Facebook page as it happened. My senator voted for every one of those bills, even though his aide had told me that he didn't support them. That's politics, and that's why I never want to be a politician. The final score was HB 4625: 25-13, HB 4626: 25-13, HB 4627: 20-17, and HB 4628: 20-18. As you can see, some Republicans did not vote the party line.
After voting was concluded, a few Democrats got up to speak. They wanted their comments on the official record as to why they were against the legislation. At his point, several of the Republicans packed up and left, even though the meeting had not been officially called adjourned. The Senate floor was noisy and it was difficult at times to hear what was being said. This, to me, was the ultimate sign of disrespect. They got what they wanted, it was late, time to go home...
MEA lobbyists had a debriefing after session adjourned. The defeat of the day was very heavy in the room. MEA officials tried to give us a pep talk, but it was not an easy sell. Lu Battaglieri, MEA executive director, told us to not forget what happened. He told us that the battle was lost, but not the war ( a little cliche, but very appropriate). He also said to tell everyone we know what happened in order to hold those who caused it accountable. That is the purpose of this blog. I want all of my friends to know that the MEA and its supporters tried very hard to fight this legislation, but we failed. We now have new battles on the horizon...
No comments:
Post a Comment