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If you want to join the Center for Michigan board in encouraging Speaker Andy Dillon and Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop to consider such reforms, click on any of the links below to send a quick email to your leaders in Lansing.
Send an email of thanks and support to House Speaker Andy Dillon
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10 Comments
In regard to Dillon’s plan to save Michigan millions of dollars by playing with Mighigan workers’ health insurance; what is he thinking?!? He offers no substantial facts for the proposed savings. How much money will it take to administrate this new health plan? Michigan is laying off workers and just had a payless Friday and yet you want us to believe the State can efficiently run healthcare program?
How about looking at the inefficiencies that currently exist in state government rather than create a new more.
I strongly support Mr. Dillon’s proposal. Pooling health care plans for public employees simply makes sense and could solve many problems. I urge you to give the proposal careful thought.
The state has difficulty taking care and running it’s own departments and programs. What makes anyone think they can run an efficient massive health care program? I see no savings from the ill-conceived plan from Speaker of the House Andy Dillon.
I believe that Mr. Dillon’s plan to create a State-run insurance plan for all State and municipal employees would be devastating to the field of education. As it is now what other field is there where one is required to obtain such an advanced degree (a Masters is required by the State in order for an educator to receive their professional certification), yet receive such paltry recompense. I believe the average starting salary for a beginning teacher is in the mid to upper thirty thousand level. Yet one could take just as much mathematics that is required for a mathematics teacher, go into engineering and start out in the mid sixty thousands. One of the things that make this ridiculously low compensation for educators bearable is the extraordinary level of insurance we, as teachers, enjoy. If we are to draw talented, well-educated people into the field of education should we not look for a way to shore up their potential compensation as opposed to cutting it? As it is now I have the math necessary to make a career switch to engineering (with a minimal effort). However, I felt a calling to serve the youth of this state. Do we really want to make the field of education so undesirable that the most talented and gifted possible teachers will turn from teaching and go into some other field or, worse yet, leave the state altogether with their talents???
I assume the state employee insurance plan is managed by a state agency alreadey,in which case managening additional insurance plans would seem only to perhaps require some axpansion of the agency????
Why aren’t lawmakers concentrating on passing a budget which is way overdue instead of continuing to focus on the health care and other benefits of employees? Schools need to know what they’re going to receive in funding this year or they can’t budget wisely and well. This is a distraction.
Why not concentrate on closing the loopholes in Michigan’s tax structure, rather than targetting the people who provide services for our state? If we give businesses a tax break, let’s make sure they provide real jobs to warrant that break.
Finally, why would the Speaker and others want to add one more disincentive to becoming a school teacher? The pay is already too low. The legislature just watered down the retirement. Now they’re thinking of cutting health care. As a retired teacher I sometimes wonder why anyone would now enter the profession. It’s very sad.
Fred P. Baker
Wake up! If I hear how we don’t pay teachers enough one more time I’m going to throw up. Work 9 months, get all holidays off, better than prvate sector health care and retirement plans. They are afraid of charter schools who will produce a better educated citizen at a lower cost if they are allowed to. Government employees, teachers,politicians I think the citizens have had enough and will soon let it be known the party is over just like the auto companies. THE NUMBERS DON’T WORK. It’s not about the kids it’s about lining one’s own pockets my union brothers.
I think it’s time that the legislators concentrate in their own backyard instead of always targeting state workers and teachers to bail them out of the messes they create.
These groups already pool together to get the lowest insurance rates possible. They have given up many things pay, etc., and they negotiate for what they receive and pay for it. My family includes many teachers and state workers and I think they have been asked to give up enough – what are you doing for our state?
This proposal will only bring more hardship to our state. It will cause more people to lose their jobs, more teachers to leave this state and increase the number of uninsured. How can I convince my children to stay in this state? What kind of future is there for them here? For me?
I’m also tired of the ridiculous comments about teachers only working 9 months a year. When they are not in school teaching our youth, they are educating themselves to prepare for the next year of students. None of the teachers I know live the easy-street lifestyle that you seem to perceive they have. I also believe if you actually read any of the studies done on charter schools, you will see that they do not produce a better-educated citizen than our public schools.
I don’t know what it will take to bring this great state around. I’ve spent my entire life in Michigan and I’d like to be able to stay here, be employed and also have my children be proud of this state. Right now, unfortunately, I don’t think this will happen especially if we continue the way we are.
Why is that ever since Engler “borrowe” money from the teacher retirement fund and getting only a slap on the wrist for doing so, republicans continue to make “things” better is on the back of the public school teachers. Perhaps that is the reason, you keep getting away with it. That may be why teachers, as a whole, support candidates that seek solutions rather than blame and punish. I have worked the public schools for over 30 years, and some years took NO sick days, and my thank you is to reduce/change my benefits? Who taught you to read and write?
I fully support the idea of a state plan for all state employees. It is ridiculous that the teacher’s union has their own insurance company. What would happen if the Michigan Association of School Boards started their own insurance plan for the teachers? They would be accused of colusion.
I am a person who believe we should pay teachers more, however, this MESA insurance plan is wrong!