Governor Would Appoint University Boards, Board Of Education Under New Bills

Michigan voters would no longer elect the board of education, or the governing boards of the state’s three largest universities, under bills introduced in the Michigan House Tuesday.

House Bills 5515 and 5516 would remove from the ballot the state board of education members, regents at the University of Michigan, trustees at Michigan State University, and governors of Wayne State University, and also remove those offices from the definition of “state elected official.”

House Joint Resolution DD would remove those boards from office effective December 31 of this year, and replace them with appointees of the governor. In order to phase in the change, the inaugural boards would have two members that serve two year terms, two that serve four year terms, two that serve six year terms and then two that serve eight year terms. Once those terms expire, all future members of the boards would have terms of eight years.

The chief sponsors of these measures are Republican Representatives Rob VerHulen, James Lower and Michael Webber. They were introduced February 6, and referred to the House Committee on Elections and Ethics.

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