Several education bills have passed in the Michigan House including one to eliminate the fee to apply for a teaching certificate and renewal.

Last week three bills passed, one of which was sponsored by state Rep. Mark Tisdel (R-55th District Rochester and Rochester Hills), eliminating hundreds of dollars in fees for teachers on everything from teaching certificate applications and renewals to new endorsements and permits.

Fees are usually $160 for the initial application and then $100 to renew every five years, or $210 for an out-of-state teacher to become a teacher in Michigan. There are other fees for more advanced certificates.

Those fees would be eliminated.

“In an age where schools are struggling to keep our best teachers on the job, nickel and diming our educators every year can no longer be an option,” Tisdel said in a statement after the bill passed. “We need to make it as easy as possible to start a career in education and stop punishing teachers for staying in that important job for the long-term.”

Another bill co-sponsored by Tisdel, allows teachers to fill critical vacancies when they have subject area expertise.

“Many schools that can’t fill specific areas will wait until next year to hire someone, and teachers who want to teach a new subject often have to go through a lengthy process instead of simply adding a new subject area endorsement to their license,” said Tisdel. “If a social studies teacher has a background in literature and wants to step in and teach English, they should be able to do so when it makes sense.”

House Bill 4153 co-sponsored by Tisdel, Tom Kuhn (R-57th District Troy and Madison Heights) and others addressed hiring local experts to teach specific classes, like asking software engineers to offer courses in computer science and bringing in retired statisticians to teach statistics.

“The private sector is laying people off and wouldn’t it be great to give them a path to coming into a classroom and continuing to show their knowledge and skills to the next generation of students?” said Tisdel.

Other bills under consideration in the House include:

House Bill 4156: Overhauling the Michigan Merit Curriculum system by allowing students to pursue paths that match their talents and interests. Alternatives include:

Allowing two out of four math credits to be replaced by career technical education or college dual enrollment classes;
Adding computer science classes to the list of courses that count toward science, math and art credit requirements;
Including coding classes as options to fill foreign language requirements;
requiring a class in personal finance and offering multiple options for electives, like business mathematics, agribusiness and computer science.
House Bill 4154: Adding trade school options to dual enrollment.

House Bill 4148: Changing the state Board of Education election process, so board members are nominated at the local level to represent their communities.

House Bills 4155 and 4159: Creating and publishing a list of proven curriculum options and resources for teachers, giving educators access to a vast array of resources in line with the highest state and national standards. In 2022 alone, elementary teachers used 444 different language arts curriculum resources statewide.

House Bill 4147: Boosting teacher pay and hiring more teachers by helping schools spend less on overhead.

“These bills are not tied together, but there is a common element to all of them aimed at making the education process easier,” said Tisdel. “They are to clear as many obstacles and fences out of the way as possible and make life a little easier for the teachers.”

“The other bills in the education package are still working their way through committee or on the floor, but haven’t come up for final passage yet,” said House Republican Senior Communications Advisor Jeremiah Ward.

Tisdel also presented two bills last year that could be voted on later in the spring.

The first bill amends the Revised School Code to require public and nonpublic schools to implement a mobile panic alert system beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.

The bill requires the system to ensure real-time coordination between schools, 911, law enforcement, and first responders; and must directly integrate with local public safety answering point infrastructure to transmit 911 calls and mobile activations with continued two-way communication between 911 and the school.

The bill is a variation on Alyssa’s Law, named after 14-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff, who was killed in a 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

The second bill would ban or restrict smartphones in schools throughout the state.

Tisdel estimated that only 27 out of 538 public school districts in the state currently have some form of cell phone ban or restrictions in place and is looking to create legislation to cover all schools statewide. Armada schools in Macomb County implemented a new cell phone policy last month.

Although cell phone bans have been passed in seven different states, including Ohio, Indiana and Minnesota, Tisdel said he worked with other legislators and experts over two years to create the language for the bill rather than duplicate the policies implemented in those states.

“We started from scratch. I targeted it off of what some of the school districts have already had some experience with and established a minimum baseline and then in the legislation school districts are allowed to be more strict or add additional guardrails if they so choose,” said Tisdel.

Timing, dedication and passion all played a role in four teachers being named as Oakland County Teachers of the Year.

Earlier this week all four were surprised by Oakland ISD Superintendent Ken Gutman with their awards.

They were among the 65 teachers from 22 school districts nominated for the award.

For the 2025 awards there was a new category for Early Childhood teachers along with elementary, middle/junior high, and high school teachers.

Leah Lynady was the first recipient of the Early Childhood teacher of the year for her work at the Lamphere Early Childhood Center.

Lynady has been an early childhood teacher for over 25 years. She came to Lamphere three years ago after spending five years in the Berkley school district.

She admitted she was not looking to change districts, but after being contacted by Lamphere Early Childhood Center Director Nicole Crousore, Lynady accepted her offer before the end of her first interview.

“It was not something I was looking to do, but it has turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made,” said Lynady. “The timing just worked and they have supported everything I have wanted to do since coming here. It is an amazing atmosphere in this district.”

Crousore, who has been in the district for over 20 years and is in her third year as director, said Lynady is the first teacher she has ever hired after only one interview, but has not regretted the decision.“Having Leah here is not about the educator she is, it is about the person she is and what she brings to the table,” said Crousore. “She has changed the culture of this program since coming here. She was exactly the kind of person we were looking for.”

“In addition to her work with students, Leah plays a vital role in connecting parents to valuable resources and ensuring families have access to everyday necessities,” the district said in a statement after Lynady received her award. “She even started a care closet to provide essential items to those in need.”

Lynady said she has found a home at Lamphere and is looking forward to finishing her career there.

“This is the best possible place anyone could dream of working,” she said. “I’ll be here until I retire, I’m sure of it.”

Lynady was not the only Lamphere teacher honored with an award.

Edmonson Elementary third grade teacher Sarah Vrabel also received a surprise visit from Gutman and was honored as the elementary teacher of the year.

Vrabel has been in the district for 14 years and has been teaching third grade at Edmonson for nine years.  She was a teacher in Arizona for four years before coming to Lamphere.

She has taught kindergarten, first and second graders in the past, but loves what third graders have to offer.

“Third grade is such a great grade level. They are at that age where they are still just sponges and they love learning and want to please you, but they have an independence to them as well,” said Vrabel. “I will retire as a third grade teacher if they let me.”

Vrabel said one of her goals is to continue the type of teaching she has tried to implement since students returned to the classroom after the COVID-19 pandemic. Focusing on having students socializing, interacting and collaborating in the classroom rather than the solitude of at-home virtual learning.

“When we came back into the classroom, the kids needed joy and they needed to be engaged and make them want to be at school,” she said. “So that has really been my mission these past few years. Doing things like wearing funny outfits or turning my class into a courtroom and letting the kids debate with each other. Just fun ways to keep them entertained, but still working on keeping high educational standards.”

Erik Meerschaert has been dedicating himself to creating new standards for his special education students at Lake Orion High School since coming to the district six years ago.

His efforts helped earn him high school teacher of the year.

Meerschaert came to Lake Orion after ten years of teaching at Eaton RESA in Eaton County.

He works with Cognitive Impairment (CI) special education students and has been working to help integrate them with other students at the high school through a unified sports program.

The program just completed their first season of basketball playing against other schools with the same type of program.

“It is a combination of general education and special education students, with three special education players on the court along with two general education peers,” Meerschaert explained. “We typically play between the junior varsity and varsity games.”

Meerschaert said the idea for the program began when he arrived at Lake Orion through an initiative created by the Michigan High School Athletic Association and Oakland County schools. He has been working to build the program ever since and has even branched out to help create a unified robotics program as well.

“It started slowly, but now we have the basketball team, started competing in robotics this year and we hope to have a soccer team start playing next fall,” he said. “It has been a lot of work both inside and outside the district, but seeing what my students get out of it has been great to see.”

Last week the team played in an unforgettable final game of the season.

“We played in the middle of the school day in front of the entire student body which is about 2,300 students; probably the biggest crowd some of these kids will ever play in front of,” said Meerschaert. “It was a great experience and for a lot of our students that was the highlight of their season to be able to play that game in front of all of their peers and teachers at the school.”

He joins Orion Oaks Elementary teacher Norman Wright as Lake Orion recipients of the county honor. Wright was selected in 2024.

Huron Valley teacher Samantha Samuels was the final teacher to have a surprise visit to her Oak Valley Middle School classroom on Wednesday.

Samuels is a Music, Choir and Performing Arts teacher for grades 6-8 and is in her sixth year in the district. She had been teaching at various charter schools for the previous ten years.

She said interest in music and the arts has been growing over the last few years and enjoys nurturing interested students after they get “the bug” for music or performing.

“In past years I have had around 30 people in my musicals, but in the past two or three years I have had around 50 or 60 come out to be a part of the production,” she said. “Middle school is the best place for kids to explore that side of the music and performance avenue. They can learn or grow or they can decide it’s just not for them and move on.”

Samuels said the pandemic made an impact on the arts at Oak Valley and they are just now rekindling interest and getting students involved again.

“The pandemic really did a number on us and it has been a process trying to regrow our program and to spark that interest again and kids know it is safe to perform and get out of their shells,” she said.

Samuels still has former students in high school and college return and let her know the impact she has had on them.

“I absolutely love what I do. Being a music teacher is a sense of pride. It is now just what I do, it is who I am,” said Samuels. “I love those kids. The music classroom and the theater classroom is a family and these kids come back year after year. So many of them still reach out to me and stay connected.”

The award includes a $2,000 prize from the Oakland Schools Education Foundation to each winner and they will all be recognized at a special event on May 8.

Four teachers from around Oakland County could receive a surprise visitor to their classrooms in a few weeks

They will be among the 65 teachers from 22 school districts who have been nominated for the Oakland County Teacher of the Year award.

For the 2025 awards  there is a new category for Early Childhood teachers along with elementary, middle/junior high, and high school teachers.

“Early childhood educators lay the foundation for a child’s entire educational journey,” said Dawn Koger, Oakland Schools director of early childhood. “This new category recognizes their incredible dedication, highlights their critical role, and celebrates their lasting impact on students’ lives.”

Early Childhood nominees must be certified, full-time teachers in a public school or Great Start Readiness Program in Oakland County. Junior Kindergarten programs also fall under the elementary category.

Each district may submit one nominee in each of the four categories:

Early Childhood (Before Junior Kindergarten)
Elementary (Junior Kindergarten – 5th grade)
Middle School (6th grade – 8th grade)
High School (9th grade – 12th grade)
Nominations are coordinated by the teacher’s principal and supported by current or former students, parents and colleagues and judged by a committee that includes representatives from Oakland Schools, education leaders, and community members.

The 2024 winners were:

Elementary Teacher of the Year – Norman Wright, Orion Oaks Elementary, Lake Orion Community Schools.
Middle School Teacher of the Year – Molly Darnell, Oxford Virtual Academy, Oxford Community Schools.
High School Teacher of the Year – Shannon Graham, Lamphere High School, Lamphere Public Schools.
The award includes a $2,000 prize from the Oakland Schools Education Foundation to each winner, who will be announced in mid-March and recognized at a special event on May 8.

“Teaching it is not an easy profession and requires a lot of heart and dedication and they do it because they love it,” Foundation Executive Director Andrea Berry. “Teachers have been asked to take on more and more roles than before, so we feel it is important to let them know that they are recognized and appreciated for all of the hard work that they do.”

For more information go to: https://www.oakland.k12.mi.us/student-programs/otoy.

The Clarkston school district is looking to find a way to cover cost increases for school safety handed down from Oakland County in 2024.

At a special meeting on Monday night, Superintendent Shawn Ryan updated the board and the public on where the district stands with the county, Independence Township and the increased cost for resource officers in the district.

Clarkston has four student resource officers from the Oakland County Sheriff’s department, one each at Clarkston High School, Clarkston Junior High and Sashabaw Middle School, and one responsible for  seven elementary schools.

The district pays 50% of the cost for all officers during the school year, while Independence Township covers the other half for three officers and Springfield Township pays half for the fourth.

“We feel strongly that they are the centerpiece of our safety and security program,” said Ryan. “They are an integral part of our team.”

Last November, the county commission approved 2025-27 rates for contracted services from the sheriff’s office.

The approval resulted in  an average cost increase of 15.2% in the first year of each contract, followed by 9% increases in the second and third years.

On Feb. 4 Independence Township approved a three-year contract to continue public safety coverage by the sheriff’s department, which township Supervisor Chuck Phyle said will result in a budget impact of over $1.3 million.

Because of the increase, the township is asking Clarkston to take on a larger portion of the cost of the school officers.

John Lucido, assistant superintendent of administrative services, said the cost to the district is $630,000 annually and estimated the cost will rise to $750,000.

“It is a significant increased cost to both of our townships that we are partnering with right now,” said Lucido.

“I believe we can work out a solution, but this is a major hit,” said Phyle of Independence Township. “I think the next 12 months is going to be challenging at best, painful most likely. From there on we have to look at alternative options.”

He added, “We are looking at a $1.5 to $1.8 million dollar cost on the SRO’s (over three years). It’s huge across the board. We did not have the funds and we did not anticipate it.”

At the Feb. 10 school board meeting Phyle answered questions regarding the increase. He said the township is locked into a three-year public safety mileage passed in 2023 and could not ask voters for an increase to cover the new contract.

“At this time we are in the process of looking at portions that could still be paid for by the township and paid by Clarkston community schools,” said Ryan.

Ryan has had discussions with Phyle, but is looking to sit down with County Board of Commissioners Chairman David Woodward to clarify what the cost increases mean to school districts.

“My hope is they will restructure these increases or look at other areas besides safety and security,” Ryan said of the commissioners’ decision.

“If there is no relief, the district may be faced with choosing between  keeping first or secondary teachers or student safety. I can’t tolerate either one of those things,” he said.

Ryan introduced the issue at the school board’s Feb. 10 meeting and several board members offered their opinions on the proposed cost increase.

“I’d be hard pressed to go to my constituency here in the district and say, ‘I’m sorry we have to raise class sizes because we don’t have a way to pay for these police officers that we need to keep your kids safe.’ That’s not a choice as a board member I’m really willing to make,” Trustee Steve Hyer said. “I’m not putting safety or education, one before the other.”

Mary Beth Rogers, executive director of business services, gave an overview of the history of how the district has paid for safety officers.

Clarkston paid $30,000 per year for three years – 15% of the total cost – starting in the 2015-16 school year. The current 50% rate began in 2018-19. This is the first year of a safety officer from Springfield Township.

“It would be very, very hard and challenging for me to decide I am going to pay more for a school resource officer than I am going to pay more to educate my student and that is the bottom line for me,” said Secretary Cheryl McGinnis.

The sheriff’s department also has safety officers assigned in multiple school districts including Brandon, Walled Lake, Oxford, South Lyon and Rochester.

“The students build relationships with these officers and they have a real sense of safety and security,” said Clarkston Vice President Stephanie Crane. “I hope we can work something out with the dollar commitment that we are going to make without impacting our kids in our classrooms.”

“My recommendation to our school board at the end of the day is that I intend to make sure that we never have a day while I am superintendent here that we do not have those resource officers in our buildings,” said Ryan. “But I do believe Clarkston schools needs to step up to some degree on this offset of this enormous increase that has been put on the townships.”

The Community Choice Foundation has opened the application period for 25 scholarships totaling $100,000.

Scholarships are available in the amount of $2,500 and $5,000, with applications closing on Feb. 28.

Brittany Thorton, a 2023 scholarship recipient, says the opportunity allowed her to pursue her dreams of nursing school.

“Identifying scholarships to further my education was quite a process. Having this opportunity to receive a scholarship from Community Choice definitely made a big impact in continuing my education,” said Thorton.

Since 2009, the foundation has awarded $1.6 million in scholarships to students, supporting their pursuit of college degrees, continuing education, and skilled trades.

Selection for scholarship recipients is based on a variety of factors, including commitment to community service.

Apply now before the February 28 deadline by visiting: https://www.communitychoicecu.com/who-we-are/foundation