SUMMARY OF INTRODUCED BILL
IN COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 645 (as introduced 9-15-21) (Senate-passed version)
Committee: Education and Career Readiness
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Revised School Code to do the following:
-- Allow a public school academy (PSA), urban high school, or a school of excellence, during the 2022-2023 school year only, to give enrollment priority to a child to whom certain conditions applied.
-- Allow a strict discipline academy to grant a child enrollment priority for the 2022-2023 school year only, if the child's parent or legal guardian signed a written confirmation acknowledging that the child would receive enrollment priority only for that year, and if the child met the conditions prescribed in the bill.
PSAs, Urban High Schools, & Schools of Excellence; Priority Enrollment
The School Code prohibits a PSA, an urban high school, or a school of excellence from discriminating in its pupil admissions policies or practices on the basis of intellectual or athletic ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, status as a student with a disability, or any other basis that would be illegal if used by a school district. However, a PSA, urban high school, or school of excellence may limit admission to pupils who are within a particular age range or grade level or on any other basis that would be legal if used by a school's district and may give enrollment priority.
The Code allows a PSA, urban high school, or a school of excellence to give priority enrollment to pupils that meet specified conditions. Under the bill, for the 2022-2023 school year only, a PSA, urban high school, or a school of excellence could give priority enrollment to a child to whom all the following applied:
-- The child was enrolled in the PSA, urban high school, or school of excellence in the 2020-2021 school year.
-- The child received instruction virtually for the 2021-2022 school year.
-- The child's parent or guardian submitted a signed written confirmation to the school acknowledging that the child would receive the enrollment priority only for the 2022-2023 school year.
Strict Discipline Academies; Priority Enrollment
A strict discipline academy may enroll only a pupil who is a Michigan resident. Enrollment in a strict discipline academy may be open to all individuals who reside in the State who meet the admissions requirements, and enrollment must be open to all pupils who reside within the geographic boundaries, if any, of the authorizing body for the academy, and who meet the
admissions policy. If there are more applicants to enroll in the strict discipline academy than there are spaces available, pupils must be selected to attend using a random selection process. However, a strict discipline academy may give enrollment priority to a sibling of a pupil enrolled in the academy. A strict disciple academy must allow a pupil who was enrolled in the academy in the immediately preceding school year to enroll in the appropriate grade unless that grade is not offered.
Under the bill, for the 2022-2023 school year only, if the child's parent or guardian submitted a signed written confirmation to the strict discipline academy acknowledging that the child would receive enrollment priority only for the 2022-2023 school year, a strict discipline academy could give enrollment priority to a child who met the admissions requirement prescribed by the Code and who was a child to whom both of the following applied:
-- The child was enrolled in the strict discipline academy in the 2020-2021 school year.
-- The child received instruction virtually for the 2021-2022 school year.
MCL 380.504 et al. Legislative Analyst: Dana Adams
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill likely would have no fiscal impact on the State. To the extent PSAs enrolled more students than they would have absent the changes proposed in the bill, and if those students otherwise would have enrolled in local school districts, the PSAs would see a net gain in revenue and the local school districts would see a decline in revenue. However, the extent to which this would occur is unknown.
The overall statewide pool of students likely would not change, hence the lack of impact on the State. The only instance in which this would not be the case would be if a student, without the enrollment priority proposed under the bill, chose instead to enroll in a nonpublic school. In that case, the State would see reduced costs (as the student shifted out of the PSA and into a nonpublic school).
Fiscal Analyst: Kathryn Summers
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.