State Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey joined WKHM for his weekly update, and he began with the weather and its impedance of the school year.
“I don’t understand the notion that we should give up on kids and let them miss school days especially since performance in far too many of our districts are suspect at least. I think it’s a great time to interject a conversation about year-round school. Meaning there would be more frequent breaks, and less long breaks. More opportunities for children who are falling behind to have intervention, a less likelihood of falling back because of the long summer break; and you’d have more of the year to spread out these weather related interruptions.”
Next, we spoke about Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Order to reorganize some DEQ commissions, and the state legislature’s override of them. “I hope to hear from my governor to hear what she’d like to do to advance her reorganization. So far it’s been crickets since we rejected her executive order last week. I’ve made plenty of offers directly to her, saying ‘listen I know this is important to you, let’s get together and talk about it and see if we can’t get you to a place where you can be successful’. There was zero conversation between the governor’s office and my office and Speaker Chadfield’s office before the first executive order came out. That to me, was probably a lost opportunity that created some of the angst that we’re feeling right now,” Shirkey said. So what is the problem with these commissions in the DEQ? Shirkey explains,”She believes or somebody advising her believes that these commissions could end up extending the length of time that permits get processed. I told her in a face-to-face, private meeting if the evidence suggests that it is indeed the case once they’re implemented, that I’ll be the first one to join her to find ways to eliminate those interruptions of permitting. Right now she’s basing it on speculation, no real evidence.”
