State Rep. Jaime Greene this week stood up for Michigan students by voting against a partisan plan to strip away protections that ensure the most-qualified educators teach in their classrooms.

Greene, said House Bill 4820 would remove a requirement that school administrators base personnel decisions on effective performance, demonstrated student growth, and other qualifications, and instead allow union bosses to drive teacher placement decisions.

“Each decision that affects our schools should be made based on what’s best for students,” Greene said. “This bill puts students last by allowing union bosses to pull strings based on seniority and undermines the ability of school administrators to evaluate teachers based on their qualifications and place them where students will benefit most.”

Greene said allowing unions to bargain over teacher placement is a bad policy that discourages prospective teachers from even entering the profession.

“The teachers who have been around the longest get to scoop up the classrooms of their choice, which may not be the best choice for the educational team,” Greene said. “Our schools already have a hard time finding new teachers and this is going to make it harder to match a teacher up with the classroom that maximizes their potential.”

Greene also voted against House Bills 4233, 4354, 4356 and 4357, which erode accountability in schools, make it harder to evaluate the effectiveness of the education Michigan students receive, and allow unions to use school resources to collect dues.

“We invest public tax dollars in Michigan schools to educate children and teach them the skills they need to succeed in life,” Greene said. “Using school resources to collect dues on behalf of labor unions is inappropriate. It does absolutely nothing to benefit our students.”

Despite Greene’s opposition, each of the bills passed the House along party lines. They now advance to the Senate for further consideration.

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