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MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST
June 24, 2008

Contents of this issue:
  • Lawton administrators change insurance, share in savings
  • Petoskey to continue savings with food service privatization
  • DPS overspending pegged at $408 million for 2009
  • MESSA costs go up 17.5 percent for Swan Valley
LAWTON ADMINISTRATORS CHANGE INSURANCE, SHARE IN SAVINGS
LAWTON, Mich. — Administrators in the Lawton Community Schools will share in the savings after agreeing to switch to a less expensive insurance, according to the Paw-Paw Courier-Leader.

The administrators agreed to switch from MESSA SuperCare I to Choices II, saving the district about $18,000. Half of that will be returned to the administrators, either in cash or an annuity, the Courier-Leader reported. The Michigan Education Special Services Association is a third-party administrator affiliated with the Michigan Education Association school employees union. MESSA outsources insurance underwriting to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and then resells the insurance to school districts.

Lawton administrators also will receive a 2 percent raise, according to the Courier-Leader.

SOURCE:
Lawton Courier Leader, "Lawton schools add full-day kindergarten," June 23, 2008
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19795322&BRD=2188&PAG=461& dept_id=414962&rfi=6

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "MESSA targets Lawton schools for attaining claims data," April 29, 2008
http://www.educationreport.org/9424

PETOSKEY TO CONTINUE SAVINGS WITH FOOD SERVICE PRIVATIZATION
PETOSKEY, Mich. — Petoskey schools has extended its contract with Chartwells after saving $150,000 in its food service program, according to the Petoskey News-Review.

Chartwells, which had been overseeing the supervision of Petoskey's food service, took over operations last year as well, the News-Review reported.

SOURCE:
Petoskey News-Review, "Petoskey School Board votes to continue outsourcing food service," June 20, 2008
http://www.petoskeynews.com/articles/2008/06/20/news/doc485bb9006359e951733529.txt

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Petoskey schools contract for food service," Aug. 7, 2007
http://www.educationreport.org/8874

DPS OVERSPENDING PEGGED AT $408 MILLION FOR 2009
DETROIT — Detroit Public Schools could cut 1,400 staff members in an attempt to solve a $408 million overspending issue in the fiscal 2009 budget, according to The Detroit News.

DPS enrollment is expected to drop to about 98,300 students when classes resume in the fall, The News reported. That is down from 167,000 students in 1999-2000. The number of teachers during that time span has fallen from 8,600 to 6,300. About 800 teachers could be included in any staff reductions.

SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "Detroit schools' layoff target balloons to 1,400," June 21, 2008
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080619/SCHOOLS/ 806190352/1409/METRO

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

MESSA COSTS GO UP 17.5 PERCENT FOR SWAN VALLEY
SHIELDS, Mich. — Swan Valley schools is facing a $33,000 budget hole, thanks in part to a 17.5 percent increase in union insurance costs, according to The Saginaw News.

Swan Valley will pay MESSA about $190,000 more next year, The News reported.

The Michigan Education Special Services Association is a third-party administrator affiliated with the Michigan Education Association school employees union. MESSA outsources insurance underwriting to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and then resells the insurance to school districts.

"We were doing pretty good until we got hit with those skyrocketing health care costs, which threw our budget off $250,000," interim Superintendent Richard P. Dyer told the school board, according to The News.

SOURCE:
The Saginaw News, "Swan Valley schools face deficit of $33K+," June 21, 2008
http://www.mlive.com/news/saginawnews/index.ssf?/base/news-26/ 121402561298450.xml&coll=9

FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Boards Empowered to Save Insurance Dollars," Dec. 3, 2007
http://www.mackinac.org/9148

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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Related Topics: Education
Michigan Education Daily
Fri., November 21, 2008
"Bay County area schools should conduct school board elections jointly with general elections as a way to save money and have more representative voter turnout." >>
Thu., November 20, 2008
"Now three years old, the Kalamazoo Promise has had mixed results in its mission to send Kalamazoo Public Schools graduates to college." >>
Wed., November 19, 2008
"Grand Rapids and Holland public schools are reporting higher numbers of homeless students than last year and expect the figures to grow." >>
Tue., November 18, 2008
"Nineteen Detroit Public Schools teachers are running for election to leadership slots in the Detroit Federation of Teachers union on a school reform platform, according to The Detroit News. The teachers want to open their own charter school modeled after the Los Angeles Green Dot Schools." >>
Mon., November 17, 2008
"Teachers in Gaylord Community Schools have voted to replace the Michigan Educational Special Services Association with AmeraPlan as a third-party insurance administrator, saving the district about 25 percent on health care costs." >>
Sun., November 16, 2008
"A Spanish language teacher quit her job at Michigan Collegiate High School amid allegations that she had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old male student." >>
Sat., November 15, 2008
"Wyandotte Public Schools is attracting attention statewide for its 90 percent pass rate among algebra II students." >>
User Comments
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
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!!
---------------------------
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* >>