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Governor Snyder used much of his State of the State address to pat himself and fellow Republicans on the back for their efforts to reinvent Michigan last year.  But his call to “finish what we started” lacked specifics—especially when it came to education.

By a 2 to 1 majority, the Michigan Court of Appeals has upheld a Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) decision that occupational therapists and physical therapists are not subject to the privatization provisions of PA 112, which makes bargaining over the privatization of non-instructional employees a prohibited subject. Court of Appeals Judges William Murphy and Donald Owens offered the majority opinion with Judge Kathleen Jansen offering the dissenting opinion.

SB 618—the bill to lift the cap on charter schools—is on its way to Gov. Snyder for signature and it is no gift for public education or the students of Michigan.  The bill, with changes, passed the House last night on a 58-49 vote, and today with the Senate’s concurrence, the bill heads to the Governor who is expected to sign the bill into law.

In a letter to state representatives, President Steve Cook is urging them to vote “no” on SB 618, the legislation that lifts the cap on charter schools.

The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that Gov. Snyder and the Republican-led Legislature could apply the state’s personal income tax to senior’s pension income. However, the court also ruled that basing exemptions on an individual’s wealth is unconstitutional since it could be considered a graduated tax, which is banned under the state constitution.