ED-FLEX WAIVERS: SCHOOL AID ACT - H.B. 4724: FLOOR ANALYSIS
sans-serif">House Bill 4724 (as reported without amendment)
Sponsor: Representative Judy Emmons
CONTENT
The bill would amend the State School Aid Act to make the requirements of the Act and the rules promulgated under it subject to waiver under an Educational Flexibility and Empowerment ("Ed-Flex) contract, as proposed by House Bill 4693 (S-1).
House Bill 4693 (S-1) would create the "Educational Flexibility and Empowerment Law" to permit school districts to apply for, and authorize the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to approve, an Ed-Flex contract. The State Superintendent could waive for a district State statutes and rules that were part of a performance-based contract with clearly defined and measurable performance goals, or certain Federal requirements in accordance with Federal law allowing educational waivers.
House Bill 4724 is tie-barred to House Bill 4693.
Proposed MCL 388.1609 - Legislative Analyst: Claire Layman
FISCAL IMPACT
The Department of Education could face increased administrative costs associated with reviewing and processing Ed-Flex waivers if this legislation resulted in increased waiver requests.
The bill could result in decreased local costs, but the ultimate fiscal impact would depend upon how many waivers were sought, the type of waivers sought (e.g., those that would result in increased efficiency or economy), and the degree of success by the school districts in accomplishing the goals of the waivers. In other words, if a district sought a waiver in order to operate in a more economical manner, and if by receiving the waiver the district did see reduced costs with the same or a higher level of educational achievement, then the fiscal impact of this bill would be a reduction in local costs. However, it is not possible to state that this would be a certain outcome.
Date Completed: 1-27-04 - Fiscal Analyst: Kathryn Summers-CotyFloor\hb4693 - Bill Analysis @ www.senate.michigan.gov/sfa
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.