Wyandotte superintendent Patricia Cole has taken on a role quite different from overseeing a school district, but well within her range of expertise. Gov. Jennifer Granholm recently appointed her to the Michigan Department of Education State Tenure Commission. Her term expires Aug 31, 2013.

“The governor’s office called and said I was nominated for the position in October,” Cole said. “I heard in April that the governor had approved the appointment.”

The act that creates the commission says that it shall consist of five members, two of whom shall be classroom instructors, one a member of a board of education, one a person who is not a member of a board of education or a teacher, and one superintendent of schools.

At minimum, the commission meets twice a year in Lansing, and at other times and in other places as determined by the commission.

“The State Tenure Commission acts as a board of review for all cases appealed by tenured teachers under the (Teachers’ Tenure) Act,” Cole said. “The commission’s consideration is limited to the issues raised by the exceptions and cross-exceptions, and it does not hear any additional evidence.”

Cole said the statute requires that the commission render its decision within 60 days after the exceptions are filed. This time limit requires that the cases be handled with dispatch, in most cases necessitating that commission meetings be held via conference calls to comply with the timelines. The commission has independent authority with regard to statutory powers and functions, including adjudication of tenure cases, as well as those matters that are not subject to supervision by the Michigan Department of Education. “I was honored and thrilled to be selected and appointed,” Cole said. She already has participated in four case decisions, including one last week.

Source: Southgate News Herald, 6.24.09