“House Bill 4647 does nothing to address the unfunded liability in the teacher retirement system. Instead, it raises costs for schools and increases risks for teachers. I could not in good conscience vote for a bill that shifts the burden of these costs onto the backs of teachers and their students.

“This legislation is just the latest in a long series of attacks on teachers, whose profession is becoming less and less attractive in Michigan. We owe it to our children to provide the best education possible, and we can’t do that unless we attract the best and brightest teachers to our schools.

“All of this is to say nothing of the speed with which this bill rushed through the House Education Reform Committee. Not a single teacher, student or education advocate had input on the bill or testified before the committee.

“For these reasons, I voted no on HB 4647.”