State Rep. Ann Bollin recently stood up for Michigan parents by offering an amendment to ensure school calendar decisions rest solely with local school boards and the community they are elected to serve.  

Bollin’s amendment – offered on House Bill 4671, which empowers local school boards to start classes before Labor Day without seeking a waiver from the state – would have ensured that the start of classes could not be used as a bargaining chip during union negotiations. Bollin’s amendment was ultimately defeated, and HB 4671 remains under consideration by the House.

Earlier this year, Bollin introduced House Bill 4501 which would prohibit the last day of the school year from becoming the subject of collective bargaining. She said both the beginning and conclusion of the school year should be decided in an open debate by the local school board.

“The school board and superintendent of a local school district should decide the start and end of the school year to meet the needs of their community,” said Bollin, R-Brighton Township. “This is an important policy that should not be held hostage by negotiations with union executives.

“Decisions in our schools should be made in the best interests of students – not Big Labor. School boards are elected by local parents to represent them and put policies in place that reflect the needs of their students. That power should not be taken away and conceded to any labor union and should rest solely with the elected school board.”

Over the last decade, numerous policies eroding local control have been adopted by the state. Bollin is committed to being a strong advocate for local people who want to have a voice in the decisions that affect their communities.

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