Democrats in Lansing are doing the bidding of the state’s largest teachers union by pushing legislation that reverses policies to prioritize student achievement and teacher effectiveness in Michigan school districts.

The House voted late Tuesday to drastically expand the power of teachers by broadening on what issues they can collectively bargain, and by again allowing school districts to collect union dues through payroll deductions.

These are substantial reversals of education reform policies passed more than a decade ago under former Gov. Rick Snyder and indicate policymakers have given up trying to reform the state’s abysmal educational system.

The most worrisome piece of the package is the provision allowing the education unions to negotiate a return to a seniority-first system for classroom assignments. Putting the right teachers in the right classrooms is critical to keeping students afloat, and ultimately improving the state’s educational achievements.

If the legislation passes the Senate, teachers will, among other things, be able to bargain away provisions that assign teachers based on merit, special training or effectiveness.

Basing placements on seniority discourages younger teachers who may bring specialized skills to schools and students.

The bill is opposed by the Michigan Association of Superintendents & Administrators.

In addition to placement, the bills will remove restrictions on bargaining issues such as performance evaluation systems and discipline policies for teachers. That means teachers, not administrators or local districts, will control how teaching effectiveness is assessed.

These policies will work against the transparency and accountability Michigan’s education system needs. Evaluations should be allowed without warning, and administrators should be able to observe a teacher who has had complaints filed against them with student wellness as the priority.

The new legislation would eliminate language that bases assessments on classroom performance, making it virtually impossible to remove ineffective teachers from classrooms.

Michigan already faces a huge teacher shortage. These policies designed to reward more senior teachers regardless of their abilities will make it more difficult to attract new talent into the profession.

The legislation doesn’t stop simply protecting money to the longest-serving teachers. It also prohibits school districts from consolidating services not related to classroom instruction, such as janitorial and other support roles.

That will cost struggling districts even more money outside of classroom learning.

Other provisions of the package would remove rules put in place during the Snyder administration forbidding school districts from using public funds to collect dues from a union member’s paycheck.

Districts willing to perform that function should be reimbursed by the unions for the costs involved.

Teachers should have input into how schools are run — their first-hand classroom experience is invaluable. But they shouldn’t run the schools for their own interests.

New laws that work against raising classroom standards and holding everyone in the schools accountable for student achievement will not lift Michigan from the bottom of education performance rankings.