The Board will actively seek to influence legislation to promote policies that adequately fund schools, to promote school improvement, and to preserve local governance.
1. Funding Schools for Student Achievement – The higher education level a student attains improves virtually every indicator of social and economic well-being, and is especially critical in response to growing international competition. Northview Public Schools believes educational opportunity should be a function of the taxable wealth of the state, not the taxing ability of a local district. Differences in educational expenditures should be based on the educational needs of each district’s students. The state’s funding formula should be adequate to provide a suitable level of funding for all students and districts to achieve expected outcomes, and adjusted annually.
2.
a. Northview Public Schools supports the state using its major revenue sources to achieve a balanced and equitable mix of revenues that are suitable to support public services, including funding for quality P-12 education. Taxes should be broadly based to ensure all Michigan citizens share fairly in the cost of public services.
b. Northview Public Schools opposes legislation that would modify “total program” funding of P-12 public education through various mechanisms that are essentially “carrot and stick” approaches. It is also important that the state stop requiring schools to add new programs through unfunded mandates. This would not exclude providing fair and equitable funding for all schools while using, among other factors, performance-based evaluations.
c. Northview Public Schools supports increased reimbursement levels for categorical programs including, but not limited to, special education, transportation, and vocational education. Northview Public Schools supports the funding of a technology categorical program to support districts’ technology needs resulting from increased data requirements by the state and increased instructional technology needs for academic achievement.
d. Northview Public Schools opposes any state or federal legislation that diverts public funds for nonpublic and private for-profit schools through a tax credit,voucher system or any other such plan that is not within the control and discretion of local boards of education.
e. Northview Public Schools opposes any state or federal mandate that does not include adequate funding for local school districts to effectively implement new requirements. Northview Public Schools supports deregulation or relaxing non-essential state reporting and other administrative requirements that would free up more time and resources at the school and local district level.
f. Northview Public Schools supports legislation that would financially assist districts when students are placed in group homes, foster homes, or detention facilities within their boundaries.
g. Northview Public Schools supports legislation that increases the pool of funds available for reimbursement to districts with students with several special needs or other high levels of excess costs.
h. Based on the extensive research indicating the importance of early childhood programs, Northview Public Schools supports using adequate funding from the School Aid Fund for these types of programs and appropriately funded full-day kindergarten programs.
i. Northview Public Schools believes that its board, staff, and constituents should be actively involved in programs that proactively support our educational programs. This can be done through active involvement in groups like the Grassroots Organization of Kent County and the Friends of Kent County Schools.
j. Northview Public Schools supports additional appropriations to address the disparity among school districts in the ability to pay for operational expenses and capital facilities as it relates to health, safety, and growth issues so all Michigan children have access to adequate facilities.
3. Improving schools – Northview Public Schools affirms the need for every school to demonstrate continuous improvement and be accountable in meaningful and useful ways to its owners and stakeholders.
a. Northview Public Schools supports legislation that improves the equity in how student assessments are used as required by Michigan Accountability Measures and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
b. Northview Public Schools supports legislation that ensures all educational organizations receiving public funds to educate students, whether public, private, or parochial, meet the requirements of state accountability, accreditation, and assessment standards.
c. Northview Public Schools supports legislation that provides state funding for increased teacher quality and staff development.
d. Northview Public Schools supports efforts to increase the appropriate use and availability of educational technology in public schools including funding for equipment, software, hardware, technical support, and telecommunications.
e. Northview Public Schools opposes the establishment or funding of schools and programs that are not required to serve all students or meet the requirements of ESEA. All publicly supported schools must be accountable to local communities and the school stakeholders through their locally elected school boards.
f. Northview Public Schools believes fundamental changes must be made in the provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and its implementation in Michigan. We believe school districts should be allowed sufficient time for state-mandated improvement plans to take hold before applying sanctions. Sanctions should not be applied if they undermine existing effective reform efforts. Sanctions that do not have a consistent record of success should be replaced with interventions that enable schools to make changes that result in improved student achievement.
g. Northview Public Schools opposes legislation to establish mandatory statewide uniform high school graduation requirements. However, we do support legislation that sets statewide high school graduation standards clearly articulating what students will know, understand, and be able to do as long as local school districts determine how such standards should be achieved and reported.
h. Northview Public Schools supports legislation and/or executive orders that encourage family-school partnerships and foster parent involvement to increase student achievement.
i. Northview Public Schools believes that public schools choice programs can offer enhanced opportunities for students to excel. However, such programs must be subject to local control and must demonstrate success if they are to be continued.
4. Governing schools – Northview Public Schools believes a district’s programs and curriculum should be determined by the local board of education, not be state statute, as long as the district meets state accreditation requirements. Northview Public Schools supports providing locally elected school boards with authority to take action in the best interest of the district, unless such action is prohibited by law. We believe the local school board is accountable to district stakeholders through the electoral process and must be the final authority for local management decisions regarding student achievement, educational programs, accountability expenditures and personnel. We accomplish this through our Policy Governance Model which includes our ends and limitations policies. We further believe that local boards of education must retain sufficient flexibility to approve, continue, or discontinue charter schools and local choice options.
a. Northview Public Schools supports legislation that reinforces the responsibility and accountability of the locally elected school board. We believe local boards of education are responsible for the organization of the learning environment, the implementation of curriculum, the configuration of school facilities, staffing and necessary programs which create a safe, secure, and academically rich opportunity for all of its students. We accomplish this through our Policy Governance Model.
b. Northview Public Schools believes school board representatives should be included in any state-initiated planning, advisory, or decision-making process that affects public education.
Adopted May 14, 2012
