A Detroit News editorial today calls a plan to cap salaries of public school superintendents and teachers based on what politicians are paid, "gimmicky," and cites this commentary by Mike Van Beek, director of education policy, which states that only 1 percent of school expenses go toward superintendent pay and benefits.
James Hohman, fiscal policy analyst, does have a suggestion in this Dearborn Times-Herald Op-Ed about what legislators should focus on if they really want to cut spending.
More Michigan public school districts are posting their checkbook registers online as a way for taxpayers to see exactly how their money is spent, but most districts get a failing grade when it comes to transparency.
The Associated Press is reporting that a convicted embezzler currently on parole has been approved for business tax credits under the state's Michigan Economic Growth Authority program. The article also noted that when the deal was announced, the embezzler, Richard A. Short, "shared the stage" with Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
Had the program managers performed even a cursory background check, they certainly would have discovered Short's past.
The Michigan Information & Research Service (subscription required) reprinted this blog post by Paul Kersey, labor policy director, explaining why it would not be a violation of labor law for the Legislature to reject a 3 percent raise for state employees as some lawmakers claimed.
Senate Bill 1148, introduced recently by Sen. Bruce Patterson, R-Canton, would limit the total compensation of public school superintendents to 75 percent of what the governor is paid and prohibit districts from paying any teacher more than what a state legislator makes.
Another lawmaker has put his support behind legislation that would end the stealth unionization of small-business owners.
Research by James Hohman, fiscal policy analyst, shows that claims of Michigan experiencing a "brain drain" are not true.
A Michigan congressman wants to repeal legislation that has been one of the few bright spots in the state's slumping economy over the last decade.
Mackinac Center Legal Foundation Director Patrick Wright testified Tuesday on proposed legislation that would end the stealth unionization of home-based day care owners and prevent the same thing from happening to home health care workers.
Arguing against a 3 percent pay hike for state employees is actually an argument in support of saving their jobs, according to an Op-Ed in The Michigan Daily.
