LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Kevin Daley on Wednesday offered an amendment to the fiscal year 2025 school aid budget to provide financial relief from costly state fines and reimburse districts for previous unfair penalties exacerbated by COVID regulations.
“For years, our schools have been hit with punishing fees for small violations. In some instances, failure to pay a $45 substitute teacher fee has resulted in thousands of dollars’ worth of fines. This is an issue that has affected districts from all over Michigan, from Detroit to the Upper Peninsula. This amendment would reduce the amount that the state can charge our schools in fines, while also giving them a 10-day grace period to fix their mistake,” said Daley, R-Lum, in support of his amendment while on the Senate floor.
“Most importantly, this language would require the state to reimburse districts who were unfairly fined under the old system during the time when COVID regulations made it nearly impossible for schools to do their work. In summary, my amendment would give our local districts some much-needed financial relief, while still ensuring that they are following state law.”
Daley previously introduced Senate Bill 512 in September 2023 to address this issue; however, that legislation has remained in the Senate Committee on Appropriations without action. Senate Democrats voted down his school aid budget amendment along party lines.
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