February 13, 2007

LANSING - The Michigan Teacher of the Year will be traveling the great State of Michigan in a new Chevy TrailBlazer beginning next year, courtesy of Michigan-based insurance company MEEMIC.

The corporate support agreement between the Michigan Department of Education and the MEEMIC Insurance Company was announced today at the State Board of Education’s monthly meeting.

“This is a tremendous and generous show of support for not only the Michigan Teacher of the Year program, but for all teachers,” said State Board of Education President Kathleen N. Straus. “We are proud to partner with MEEMIC in honoring and assisting Michigan’s teachers.”

MEEMIC is the leading provider of home and automobile insurance for school employees in Michigan.

In addition to providing each year’s Michigan Teacher of the Year with the use of a Chevy TrailBlazer, MEEMIC also will provide the Michigan Teacher of the Year program with:

• A $1,000 monetary award to the Michigan Teacher of the Year’s school for the advancement of education;
• A leather briefcase for the Teacher of the Year, and $300 in apparel;
• The Michigan Teacher of the Year sculpture and plaque;
• A monetary award to the schools of each of the Michigan Teacher of the Year finalists; and
• Plaques for each of the state finalists.

"We are very excited to partner with the Michigan Department of Education as a major corporate supporter of the Michigan Teacher of the Year,” said MEEMIC President and CEO Lynn Kalinowski. “As an insurance company founded by seven Michigan teachers over 55 years ago, we are especially honored that we can stand side by side with the Michigan Department of Education to recognize teachers as one of our treasured resources."

Michigan Teachers of the Year travel an average of 20,000 miles around the state during their term of service. Prior to this corporate support agreement, they have used their own vehicles.

Headquartered in Auburn Hills, MEEMIC Insurance Co. established the MEEMIC Foundation in 1992 to support individuals and organizations dedicated to education. The MEEMIC Foundation offers financial assistance to educational employees and educational institutions through mini-grants.

MEEMIC Insurance Co. also offers a host of in-school partnership programs in support of the educational community. One of MEEMIC’s most popular programs is the MEEMIC Speakers Bureau, featuring “Safety Seekers,” which provides speakers to student groups of all ages in an entertaining format to discuss insurance basics, safety topics, and smart driving habits.

IN OTHER ACTION: The State Board of Education adopted a resolution supporting proposals that “provide a stable and strong base of funding necessary for the investments in Michigan's people that can make them and the state competitive in today's economy;” and “pursue needed reforms, efficiencies, consolidations and changes to the structure of education program delivery to make it more effective and efficient.”

“We cannot cut our way out of our fiscal situation,” said State Board Vice President John C. Austin, who sponsored the resolution. “We must support a thoughtful restructuring of our taxes that maintains investments that matter to our state, while encouraging reforms.”

The State Board also approved new criteria to approve Supplemental Education Service (SES) providers that deliver tutoring services for students in schools not making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), in accordance with the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law.

All current providers and new applicants must apply for approval this year to become a SES provider. These tutoring service providers now must:

• Demonstrate a record of effectiveness in increasing student academic achievement;
  
• Use instructional strategies that are high quality, based upon research, and designed to increase student academic achievement;
  
• Provide services that are consistent with the instructional program of the local school district and the state’s academic content and achievement standards;
  
• Be financially sound; and
  
• Provide supplemental educational services consistent with applicable Federal, State, and local health, safety, and civil rights laws.

Grade Level Content Expectations for health and physical education also were approved by the State Board of Education.

“When students are fit, healthy, and ready to learn, they achieve more success in all areas of their lives, including the classroom,” Straus said.

Research shows that effective health and physical education helps students stay in school, positively impacts cognitive functioning, and supports better student learning.

The Michigan Merit Curriculum guidelines for health and physical education; the K-8 Health Grade Level Content Expectations; and the K-12 Physical Education Standards and Benchmarks are curriculum documents that will assist schools in implementing quality health and physical education programs to ensure the success of all Michigan students.