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MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST May 6, 2008

Tue., May 6, 2008
Contents of this issue:
  • Bay Mills accepting charter applications
  • School aid bill slow to move out of committee
  • Pinckney closing historic school
  • DPS to re-examine food services contract
  • Summer school — the new graduation requirement?

BAY MILLS ACCEPTING CHARTER APPLICATIONS
BRIMLEY, Mich. — Bay Mills Community College is accepting applications for new charter public high schools that would be aimed at serving urban areas across Michigan, according to the Detroit Examiner.

"The dropout problem in urban areas of Michigan is a serious issue in need of a solution," said Patrick Shannon, director of charter schools for BMCC, according to the Examiner. "The goal of Bay Mills Community College is to focus our efforts on providing opportunities for secondary public charter schools where they are needed the most."

BMCC authorizes 37 public charter schools that serve 15,000 students across Michigan, according to the Examiner.

SOURCE:
Detroit Examiner, "Bay Mills Community College Accepting Charter School Applications," May 5, 2008
http://www.examiner.com/p-159651~Bay_Mills_Community_College_Accepting_ Charter_School_Applications.html

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "Court of Appeals rejects MEA suit over Bay Mills charters," Sept 6, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7898

SCHOOL AID BILL SLOW TO MOVE OUT OF COMMITTEE
LANSING, Mich. — The chairman of the House School Aid Budget Appropriations Committee said he is in "no hurry" to put the bill to a vote of the full House of Representatives, according to the Michigan Information & Research Service.

"I'm not concerned about putting it out before or after the May revenue estimating conference," Rep. Matt Gillard, D-Alpena, told MIRS.

Gillard has scheduled two weeks of hearings on the legislation, which has already passed the Michigan Senate, MIRS reported.

The Senate version would increase the amount the state Legislature spends on public schools by nearly $370 million to $13.38 billion, but is $140 million less than the amount Gov. Jennifer Granholm requested, according to MIRS.

SOURCE:
MIRS, "Gillard: No Rush on School Aid Budget," April 30, 2008
http://www.mirsnews.com/capsule.php?gid=985#15078
(subscription required)

FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "A Michigan School Money Primer," May 30, 2007
http://www.mackinac.org/8534

PINCKNEY CLOSING HISTORIC SCHOOL
PINCKNEY, Mich. — Pinckney Community Schools is closing an elementary school built in 1901, according to the Lansing State Journal.

The district's proposed spending for the 2008-2009 school year is over budget by $1.9 million, the Journal reported. Hamburg Elementary School was built in 1901 and has been expanded three times. Students have been assigned to two of the district's other elementary schools, but may also opt to use the schools of choice program, according to the Journal.

SOURCE:
Lansing State Journal, "Pinckney will close school viewed as local landmark," May 6, 2008
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/ NEWS05/805060309/1006/NEWS05

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Pinckney schools consider contracting for janitorial services," April 15, 2008
http://www.educationreport.org/9391

DPS TO RE-EXAMINE FOOD SERVICES CONTRACT
DETROIT — Detroit Public Schools this week will vote on terminating its contract with the private firm that runs the district's food services, according to The Detroit News.

A board subcommittee has suggested getting rid of Philadelphia-based Aramark Education Services LLC, which has held the DPS contract since 2001, The News reported.

At least one union has accused Aramark of keeping $1 million that should have been given to the district, according to The News.

"There has been no evidence of any improper billing," Aramark spokeswoman Karen Cutler told The News.

The News also reported that the Michigan Department of Education has said Aramark is in "full compliance" with its contract.

SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "Detroit school board to consider replacing food service provider," May 3, 2008
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080503/SCHOOLS/805030333

FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "A School Privatization Primer," June 26, 2007
http://www.mackinac.org/8691

SUMMER SCHOOL — THE NEW GRADUATION REQUIREMENT?

MIDLAND, Mich., — As Michigan raises the bar on high school coursework, public school districts are spreading safety nets to catch students who can't quite reach it. Extra help? It's available before, during and after school. Homework question? Try the teacher's online hotline. Borderline grades? Mandatory math club awaits.

And when all else fails, including the student, school districts are offering second chances through summer school and online courses.

Educators across Michigan discuss how the new high school graduation requirements are playing out in their classrooms for a feature article at www.educationreport.org, an online publication of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

SOURCE:
Michigan Education Report, "Graduation requirements: Michigan schools hope for the best, prepare for the worst," May 6, 2008
http://www.educationreport.org/9457

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "Will a state-mandated high school curriculum of 18 credits ensure better-prepared students in the 21st century? Yes," March 7, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7635

Michigan Education Report, "Well-intentioned folly: 'High standards' may leave some behind," Feb. 29, 2008
http://www.educationreport.org/9299

MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST is a service of Michigan Education Report (http://www.educationreport.org), an online newspaper 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=MED
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User Comments
Carol
Michigan High School & the University deliver quality education to its
students & has maintained its standard with good caliber. The courses offered by the Michigan institutes are versatile and for future progress of the society and the students, it further enhances them to become excellent citizens!!
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Carol
<a href="http://http://www.treatmentcenters.org/michigan">Michigan Treatment Centers</a>
>>
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
Thank You, Dr Jack Grenan Educator and Cancer Survivor >>
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. >>
rlboogren
This article presents excellent information. As the parent of a child with a disability I advocate for my son. Currently, there is no one to speak for all the children with disabilities in Michigan. There is no transparency of government. The position of State Superintendent is a dictatorship with the power to make all the decisions. As a parent, I cannot voice my concerns by voting. >>
Ferndale Eagle
Ferndale High School in Ferndale, Michigan succeeded in correcting the mistaken reporting of the Johns Hopkins University report that had included it as a "dropout factory" with poor "promoting power." The University researchers have acknowledged that Ferndale High School does not belong in this category and removed the school from the list because of the school district's high outward mobility (more students move out than move in during high school.). The high school has a three-year promoting power ration of 77% rather than the 50% reported in the Associated Press in October 2007, with the Class of 2006 having a 91% promoting power. Please visit Johns Hopkins' website for more clarification to see the "Schools Removed from the List of Weak Promoting Power High Schools: http://web.jhu.edu/CSOS/images/Removed_from_List_5_14_08.pdf .

Also, visit www.ferndaleschools.org for info about the school district. >>
From Mackinac Blog
So you're not going to admit an anti-MESSA bias?

*wink* >>
From Mackinac Blog
The links to the sources used in MED are so that people can read the entire article. MED provides a summary of what the media reports. A "further reading" is then included for those readers who wish to read more on a related topic. >>
From Mackinac Blog
And you don't simply "report" stories in the Education Digest. For example, in this story in question you link directly to a story where MESSA's accused of stonewalling, further bolstering the bias and claim that MESSA is doing something wrong here.

Your coyness is patronizing. >>
From Mackinac Blog
Michigan Education Digest is just that, a digest, which means it is a compilation of what is reported by other media. You may want to contact the Paw Paw newspaper and give them a copy of the questionnaire so they can do a follow-up story on the issue. Please keep us updated on that matter.
- Ed. >>
From Mackinac Blog
What the news article on MESSA conveniently leaves out is the intrusive nature of the questionnaire sent out in the Paw Paw district. It asks for--under threat of not being covered if you don't comply--your name, ss number, all family details, and a specific 14-question section on your medical history.

And there's a 3-page lawyer note attached to the survey that essentially says the company has the right to share this info with anyone they choose to do so.

Where's the ACLU when you need them?

It's a disgrace that a site like this would be so in bed with corporate interests that it would gladly back such an invasion of personal privacy.

And before you ask, yes I have indeed seen the survey. I have a copy of it. Why doesn't your site post THAT? >>