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MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST
November 7, 2006

Contents of this issue:
  • DPS fights union to keep at-risk program
  • Lansing schools may save by cutting teachers' stipend
  • Report: Charters have higher teacher certification
  • School safety drill angers parents
  • Merrill schools move to alternative fuel
DPS FIGHTS UNION TO KEEP AT-RISK PROGRAM
DETROIT — The Detroit Federation of Teachers union is refusing to sign a waiver exempting those who teach in Last Chance, a program for at-risk students, from DFT's collective bargaining agreement, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Detroit Public Schools receive state funding for the program, which is run by private organizations. DFT will only sign the exemption waiver if DPS uses half of its share of the state funding to give union members pay raises, the Free Press reported.

Janna Garrison, president of the DFT, said that the union has granted waivers for the past two years and was told by the district that it would try to "work something out," the Free Press reported.

DPS, in exchange for signing the waiver, has offered to pay the union's $100,000 in legal fees the DFT accrued during a recent strike, the Free Press reported. The teachers union conducted an illegal strike that denied instruction to students for several days in September.

SOURCE:
Detroit Free Press, "In Detroit, schools and union dispute money again," Oct. 31, 2006
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061031/NEWS02/610310403/1004

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "DPS teachers union strikes," Aug. 29, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7882

Michigan Education Digest, "Detroit teachers union wants more money," June 27, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7798

Michigan Education Digest, "Detroit dropout programs encourage kids to go back to school," Sept. 27, 2005
http://www.educationreport.org/7364

LANSING SCHOOLS MAY SAVE BY CUTTING TEACHERS' STIPEND
LANSING, Mich. — The Lansing school district will save $2.5 million a year by ending a $166 monthly health care stipend for teachers, according to the Lansing State Journal.

District officials said the stipend was offered on a temporary basis for teachers who chose a less costly version of union-affiliated health insurance. The monthly bonus was used as an incentive for teachers who opted for Tri-MED, under which they agree to pay a portion of their own doctor visits and prescriptions, the State Journal reported.

"For some of our teachers, this stop in payment is 10 percent of their income," union President Jerry Swartz told the Lansing State Journal.

The stipend was included in a contract that expired in August, according to the State Journal.

"We can't allow these inherent expenditures to take place because our surplus is simply not going to be there," board member Jack Davis told the State Journal.

The Michigan Education Association school employee union said it will file an unfair labor practice charge, as well as a wage and hour violation, against the district, the State Journal reported.

SOURCES:
Lansing State Journal, "District, teachers clash on insurance," Nov. 3, 2006
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061103/NEWS05/611030349/1006/news05

Lansing State Journal, "Loss of stipends angers teachers: Lansing schools' move cuts income of about 1,000 staff," Oct. 31, 2006
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061031/NEWS05/610310326/1006/news05

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Lansing public school board decides to close five schools," Feb. 22, 2005
http://www.educationreport.org/6987

Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Budgets: A Crisis of Management, Not Finance," Feb. 11, 2005
http://www.mackinac.org/6980

Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Six Habits of Fiscally Responsible School Districts," Dec. 3, 2002
http://www.mackinac.org/4891

REPORT: CHARTERS HAVE HIGHER TEACHER CERTIFICATION
LANSING, Mich. — Charter public schools have a higher percentage of certified teachers than their "host" conventional public school districts, according to a new report issued by the Michigan Association of Public School Academies.

According to The Detroit News, the report states 95 percent of teachers in charter schools are certified, compared to 87 percent of teachers in conventional public schools.

Dan Quisenberry, president of MAPSA, said the data shows charter public schools attract quality teachers.

"It's due to the diligence by the school to ensure they hire certified teachers," Quisenberry told The News.

Michigan Department of Education officials are concerned about the validity of the statistics because the information was self-reported by districts and could be inaccurate, according to The News.

"A school district cannot employ a teacher that is not certified or permitted," Martin Ackley, spokesman for the MDE, told The News, "And districts know that."

SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "More charter teachers certified," Oct. 27, 2006
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006610270368

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Governor's letter calls on authorizers to improve charter performance," Sept. 27, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7364

Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Teaching by Example," Oct. 24, 2004
http://www.mackinac.org/6867

Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Does Teacher Certification Matter?" Sept. 14, 2004
http://www.mackinac.org/6831

SCHOOL SAFETY DRILL ANGERS PARENTS
WYOMING, Mich. — Parents and students were caught off guard by "lock-down" drills held in the Godfrey Lee school district middle and high schools, according to The Grand Rapids Press.

Local police officers in riot gear stormed into two separate classrooms, took students into the hall and patted them down. Students were given no reason to believe they were participating in a drill, according to The Press.

Many parents were outraged and believed the drill went too far.

"Some of these kids were so scared, they just about wet their pants," Marge Bradshaw, a parent of four children who attend the schools told The Press. "I think it's pure wrong that the students and parents were not informed of this."

Despite concern from many parents, the Godfrey Lee school board is standing by its decision, according to The Press.

"How are you going to know if you're prepared or not if you don't go 100 percent?" board member Doug Alspaugh told The Press.

SOURCES:
The Grand Rapids Press, "School board members approve of tactics in drill," Oct. 31, 2006
http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-32/116230981721780.xml?grpress?NEG&coll=6

The Grand Rapids Press, "Realistic school drill riles parents," Oct. 28, 2006
http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-32/1162017602317690.xml?grpress?NEG&coll=6

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "The three P's of school safety," Nov. 1, 2000
http://www.educationreport.org/3134

Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Private Protection: A Growing Industry Could Enhance School Safety," Nov. 16, 1998
http://www.mackinac.org/802

MERRILL SCHOOLS MOVE TO ALTERNATIVE FUEL
MERRILL, Mich. — Merrill Community Schools has partnered with private industry in an attempt to reduce heating costs, according to the Midland Daily News.

The district recently purchased a $70,000 corn-fed furnace from Best Burns, prompted in part by an increase in natural gas prices. The boiler, along with other energy-saving changes, is expected to save the district $30,000 per year, the Daily News reported.

The system currently is tied in to the middle school's hot water heating system, and can be upgraded to heat the high school, according to the Daily News.

SOURCE:
Midland Daily News, "Merrill Schools a state leader for alternative energy," Oct. 31, 2006
http://www.ourmidland.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=17400922&BRD=2289& PAG=461&dept_id=578054&rfi=8

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Private firm helps Battle Creek schools cut energy costs," July 19, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7817

Michigan Education Digest, "Walled Lake implements program to save on energy," Nov. 1, 2005
http://www.educationreport.org/7417

Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Six Habits of Fiscally Responsible School Districts," Dec. 3, 2002
http://www.mackinac.org/4891

MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST is a service of Michigan Education Report (http://www.educationreport.org), a quarterly newspaper with a circulation of 150,000 published by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy (http://www.mackinac.org), a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute.

Contact Managing Editor Sarah Grether at
mailto:med@educationreport.org

To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to
http://www.educationreport.org/pubs/mer/listserver.aspx?Source=wwwMED
Related Topics: Education
Michigan Education Daily
Tue., January 6, 2009
"Increased energy, health care and retirement costs, coupled with declining enrollment and uncertain state funding, have pushed a number of public school districts into the red." >>
Mon., January 5, 2009
"More students will earn high school credit online and off campus in Michigan in 2009 due to a pilot program allowing some school districts to bypass "seat time" requirements." >>
Tue., December 23, 2008
"Southfield Public Schools wants to freeze teacher wages but offer educators lump sum payments if enrollment improves." >>
Mon., December 22, 2008
"Health insurance is a key issue in stalled teacher contract negotiations in dozens of Michigan school districts, with arguments over union-affiliated insurance generating talk of teacher strikes." >>
Sat., December 20, 2008
"School closing discussions are under way in Flint, Pontiac, Bloomfield Hills and Bullock Creek." >>
Thu., December 18, 2008
"Mount Pleasant Public Schools will join other schools in the area to explore forming a health insurance pool." >>
Wed., December 17, 2008
"A work group studying education spending in Michigan will recommend eliminating the Michigan Promise Grant in view of a projected $1.1 billion state budget shortfall by 2012." >>
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Lisa P
For me, either public or private could give good education to students. It really doesn’t matter whether you are in public or private school as long as you are studying and obtaining education, and providing that you can afford the expenses. One of the key ingredients to the success of a modern nation is education. As Americans emerge from the afterglow of the recent presidential elections and president-elect Obama prepares to take the reins of the country, education is a topic on the minds of many. What will he do to improve the lot of students and teachers in America? According to an article at The Apple, Obama’s first order of business when it comes to education will be to look at No Child Left Behind. He doesn’t want to scrap the program, but he does want to reform it, particularly when it comes to standardized testing. He does not support preparing students all year to “fill out bubbles.” Referencing schools, both Obama and vice president-elect Joe Biden support charter schools, as long as they perform up to standard. Teachers at charter schools and others are pleased with Obama's incentives like Teacher Service Scholarships and various pay rewards – this will certainly be a great help. Furthermore, part of the president-elect’s main concern is to boost Early Head Start programs and provide tax credit for college education. The course to repair faith in the American educational system through these ideas and more will definitely lead to the kind of credit repair the country needs. Click to learn more about <a title="What is Credit Repair?" href="http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/what-is-credit-repair/">Credit Repair</a>. >>
johnson
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llsmith
Testing is not the answer. All it does is give the "teacher" a basis for determining a grade. And, we all know that grading and grades are circumspect. Rather, a more true measure of learning is when the learner (i.e., the "student" using traditional and aniquated terminology and stereotyping) wants to know more about a topic or issue. This expression of desire for more is an affirmation that the learner has mastered current concepts and material and now wants to move on. In this scenario no test nor grade is necessary. What should be necessary is for the provider (i.e., the "teacher") to have the next level or dimension of concepts and materials readily available to present and apply once the learner expresses the desire to move on.

What we need is a system that is designed to cater to this basal learning behavior and can be applied in real time. Take a look at the definitive treatment "Education in America -- What's to Be Done?" developed by Trigon-International. This commission report presents an end-to-end solution that is actionable and affordable. >>
samuel
$400 K, try $400 million >>
terrym2442
Thank you to Lorie Shane and Marcie Lipsitt for blowing off the cover, exposing one of Michigan's "dirty secrets."

As the parent of a child with special needs in Michigan, it's been an uphill battle since day one to get the APPROPRIATE services for my child. Sadly, the bar is held too low for our kids. Upon graduating, if the student is not capable of attending college, he/she is warehoused into post-secondary settings where formal academics are not offered. Perhaps if students had gotten proper academics when younger- taught by highly qualified teachers- many would have had the opportunity to move on and continue formal academics like their non-disabled peers, rather than be expected to dust shelves and bag groceries their whole lives.

Michigan's special eduation has and continues to fail our children.

>>
frick@mackinac.org
As a parent I see the value of a teacher with knowledge of both special ed methods and the subject matter. Do enough of them exist to go around? My guess is that many teachers who concentrated their schooling and training on special ed took fewer courses in subject matter (English, Mathematics, Science, etc.). There are limits on course load, number of years in college, and student finance.

As much as we want the best for every person, we are not going to have six teachers each an expert in their subject matter per one pupil. So in this world of limited resources, each person and our society have to decide how to use the resources we have. Hopefully a successful balance of flexibility and accountability can produce the desired results: educated children with the capacity to think and the ability to learn. >>
Carol
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drgrenan
Thank you for your comments. I would be honored and proud to go to any school district or meeting to stand up for your/our children!! Just EMail me and I will be there or call me anytime at 616-8474282
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ilifflij
Parents and teachers have not had a voice. The waivers used have allowed administrators of various Michigan schools to plunk in 20 - 25 students in a classroom of students with learning disabilities. As a special education teacher, I find it very difficult to meet the individual learning objectives of that many students. >>