My painful education in education legislation.

When I learned that my personal hero, Representative Lisa Lyons(R), had sponsored House Bill 6004, I just knew she did it for the good of Michigan.  Not just one part of Michigan, but the whole gol darn state. (She is that kinda gal, but more about that in due course.)

Rep. Lyons’ HB 6004 sets up a statewide school district, which has the authority to seize local school property -property paid for by local taxpayers. The state than can decide who the property will leased or sold to, without the consent of those same local taxpayers.  The local school district and local school board will not have any say in the matter and will be basically treated with all the dignity of a used napkin.

This is where it gets good. HB 6004 was recently amended (by Rep. Lyons in version H-3) so that the Grand Rapid Public Schools will be exempt from the authority of the aforementioned statewide district. Now, while the Grand Rapids Public Schools aren’t in HB 6004 sponsor Rep. Lyons’ current legislative district, coincidentally, they are in her (potential) future Senatorial district.

When I read this, my brain struggled with it like a mastodon trying to free itself from a tar pit.  How could this be? What’s good enough for the rest of the state has to be good enough for Grand Rapids?  Right?  Right?

I turned this over and over in my mind until my grey matter got twisted around like a Rubik’s cube.  Then it occurred to me that I should reframe the question.  If HB 6004 isn’t good enough for Grand Rapids, is it good enough for our very own Rochester?  Hmmm…

I guess I, for one, would rather not learn that one the hard way.

(This post refers to the H-3 version of bill HB 6004, page 50, line 20 through page 51, line 26.  The requirements for exemption are crafted to apply to the Grand Rapids Public Schools.  Representative Lisa Posthumus Lyons is Chairwoman of the House Education Committee and I’d bet she’d like to hear from you.)