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MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST June 17, 2008

Tue., June 17, 2008
Contents of this issue:
  • House approves K-12 funding
  • Magnet school test fee questioned
  • Homeschooling gains popularity in Lenawee County
  • DPS could cut 800 teachers
  • New Catholic high school to open in Detroit
HOUSE APPROVES K-12 FUNDING
LANSING, Mich. — The state House of Representatives approved a K-12 budget that would allocate between $55 and $110 more per-pupil for the 2008-2009 school year, according to The Grand Rapids Press.

The House approved the measure 61-48, but will have to work out a compromise with the Senate, whose proposal would allocate additional funds ranging from $71 to $142 per-pupil. Districts with the lowest per-pupil allowance would receive the larger increases, The Press reported.

SOURCE:
The Grand Rapids Press, "Michigan House approves K-12 education spending," June 11, 2008
http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/06/michigan_house_approves_k12_ed.html

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

MAGNET SCHOOL TEST FEE QUESTIONED
SAGINAW, Mich. — A magnet school run by the Saginaw School District is facing opposition over a fee it charges prospective students for an entrance exam, according to The Saginaw News.

Handley Elementary School charges $25 for the test, The News reported. A 1970 Michigan Supreme Court decision, however, forbids public school districts from charging for courses or internal tests. Schools can charge for external tests, such as the ACT or SAT.

"Our fee is a screening fee for the external test taken by the student," Safiya Mosley, district spokeswoman, told The News. "It's an assessment of ability and achievement, and we have never had an issue with someone not being able to pay. But if we did, we would work with them."

Martin Ackley, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Education, disagrees.

"Even though we can't give school districts legal advice, it could be argued or construed that this admissions fee for this test is an internal test and the school probably would not be able to charge for this," Ackley told The News.

SOURCE:
The Saginaw News, "State, magnet school leaders weigh in on Handley Elementary School admissions test fee," June 16, 2008
http://www.mlive.com/saginawnews/news/index.ssf/2008/06/state_magnet_school_leaders_we.html

FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Limited Educational Choice (Intra-District Choice, Inter-District Choice, and Charter Schools)," in "The Case for Choice in Schooling," Jan. 29, 2001
http://www.mackinac.org/3272

HOMESCHOOLING GAINS POPULARITY IN LENAWEE COUNTY
ADRIAN, Mich. — Homeschooling is on the rise across the country, and Lenawee County is following suit, according to the Adrian Daily Telegram.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates as many as 2 million children are home-schooled nationally, up from 1.1 million five years ago. Rachel Huff, of Onsted, told the Daily Telegram the group she founded, Homeschooling Our Children, has grown by 20 members in the past year. LIFE, Lenawee Involved in Family Education, has had 125 families join over the past decade.

"In Lenawee County, over the last four years, there have opened wonderful opportunities for home-school families," Huff told the Daily Telegram. "Not only have there been more and more home-school support groups, but also more co-op classes, music classes, drama classes, sports and even speech is offered to home-school families in Lenawee County."

SOURCE:
Adrian Daily Telegram, "Homeschooling a growing trend," June 14, 2008
http://www.lenconnect.com/news/x849707426/Homeschooling-a-growing-trend

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "Fifteen years later, home-school parents say legal battle was worth it," May 27, 2008
http://www.educationreport.org/9483

DPS COULD CUT 800 TEACHERS
DETROIT — Detroit Public Schools could lay off about 800 teachers as it faces a nearly $300 million overspending crisis for fiscal 2009, according to The Detroit News.

The district is still trying to correct a $63 million overspending problem in the current $1.2 billion budget, The News reported. The district's state aid will drop about $90 million next year as 12,000 students assigned to DPS chose to attend school elsewhere during the 2007-2008 school year.

"I think the notion of cutting 800 teachers is completely ridiculous," Keith Johnson, a teacher at Finney High School, told The News. Johnson is running for president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers union, which has about 8,000 members.

SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "In the red, DPS may cut 800 teachers," June 13, 2008
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080613/SCHOOLS/ 806130371

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "DPS loses 12,000 students, $90 million in revenue," April 22, 2008
http://www.educationreport.org/9418

NEW CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL TO OPEN IN DETROIT
DETROIT, Mich. — When the freshman class at Detroit Cristo Rey High School gathers for the first time this fall, students will be allowed to choose their own school mascot.

Principal Susan A. Rowe wouldn't mind if they voted for the phoenix, an "up-from-the-ashes" image that she uses herself to describe this new foray into Catholic education in Detroit.

"How many people get a chance to start a school, right from the beginning? I'm really excited. You're bringing life to something," the longtime Catholic educator said.

After several years of research and groundwork, Detroit Cristo Rey will open in August in the center of Detroit's Mexicantown community. The school will combine a college preparatory curriculum with a work-study program that essentially allows students to gain on-the-job experience while also paying off about 70 percent of their tuition. It will join 19 other high schools in the national Cristo Rey Network, which focuses exclusively on low-income students in inner cities.

SOURCE:
Michigan Education Report, "Detroit Cristo Rey: A new option in Catholic education," June 17, 2008
http://www.educationreport.org/9537

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "Detroit area Catholic schools look to the future," Nov. 21, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/8028

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

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User Comments
Carol
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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? >>