The Brighton Area Board of Education voted unanimously Monday to pass the Best Practices Resolution that will allow Superintendent Greg Gray and Assistant Superintendent of Finance Maria Gistinger to apply for additional state funding through Gov. Rick Snyder's Best Practices Initiative.
In June, Snyder signed legislation under the State School Aid Act that appropriates $80 million to provide $52 per student allocations to districts meeting seven out of eight best practices for the 2012-13 school year.
Gistinger announced that Brighton schools were currently meeting all eight of the governor's best practice standards. Gistinger said that the district would gain $313,330 in additional funding from the state, if its application is approved.
Gray said the state has the final say on whether the district qualifies for all of the best practices.
"We'll have to wait and see how it shakes out in terms of the actual increase, but any additional money helps, that's for sure," he said.
Last year, , $100 per student, by meeting four out of five best practice directives.
This year's best practices are:
- Hold policy on medical benefit plans (if directly employed by the district)
- Obtain competitive bids for the provision of 2012-13 non-instructional services
- Accept applications for enrollment of non-resident pupils
- Monitor individual pupil academic growth in each subject area at least twice during the school fiscal year using competency based on-line assessments
- Support opportunities for pupils to receive post-secondary credit while attending secondary school
- Offer on-line instructional programs or blended learning opportunities to all eligible pupils
- Provide a link on the district's home page to the URL for the MiSchoolData portal or provide data elements on the website consistent with MiSchoolData tables
- Provide physical education consistent with the 2003 state board policy on quality physical education, or provide health education consistent with the 2004 state board policy on comprehensive health education
For more information, visit the Michigan Department of Education website.
