State Roundup

Lansing
State lawmakers ready to consider tax cut legislation 
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A tax-writing committee in Lansing has debated legislation to drop Michigan’s income tax rate from 4.25 percent to 4.05 percent by 2016.
The Republican-backed bills would lower the rate another tenth of a percentage point starting in 2017 and future years if tax revenue increases by a minimum amount. The rate couldn’t be reduced for two straight years.
Some House Republicans said Wednesday it’s a pragmatic approach to giving a surplus back to taxpayers as the economy improves. Democrats counter that cutting taxes won’t help Michigan improve bad roads and educate kids.
 
Romeo
Homework on DNA being revised after parent complaint 
ROMEO, Mich. (AP) — School officials in suburban Detroit plan to revise a question on a homework assignment about DNA that a student’s father said was inappropriate.
Romeo High School freshman Audri Basaj was working on her biology homework when a question about paternity tests came up, WDIV-TV reported.
“The sister of the mom ... also had issues with finding out who the father of her baby was,” the question states. “She had the state take a blood test of potential fathers. Based on the information in this table, why was the baby taken away by the state after the test?”
The question left Audri stumped. Her father, Larry Basaj, took a look, and said he was “beyond fired up” after reading the question.
“It’s teaching them that it’s OK to not know who it is because you can have the state help you,” he said. “And if they can’t help you they are going to take your child away, and it’s not the way it is.”
On the homework, the list of potential fathers included: bartender, guy at the club, cabdriver and flight attendant.
Romeo Community Schools Superintendent Nancy Campbell said the question came from a three-page assignment about blood types that was posted online. 
The teacher had used the website to get questions aimed at using concepts students can understand.
The question will be revised, Campbell said.
“We are glad this parent brought this assignment to our attention,” she said. “There is no need for any homework assignment to be offensive for parents or students.”
 
Ypsilanti
EMU’s College of Education laying off more lecturers 
YPSILANTI, Mich. (AP) — Eastern Michigan University’s College of Education says it’s laying off most of its full-time lecturers because student enrollment has been declining.
The Ann Arbor News reports the Ypsilanti school says it issued notices to eight lecturers. 
Members of the EMU Federation of Teachers union, however, say the number of notices for full-time lecturers totaled 10 of the 11 jobs.
Dean of education Jann Joseph says enrollment is to blame.
In 2009, more than 4,600 undergraduates and graduates were enrolled in the education school, taking more than 57,000 credit hours. 
Last year about 4,100 enrollees had less than 49,000 credit hours. This year, the school is tracking at about 41,000 credit hours.
On Tuesday, EMU lecturers gathered more than 250 petition signatures from people dissatisfied with the layoffs.