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MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST
October 7, 2008

Contents of this issue:

  • DPS lays off 300
  • Teacher strike in Wayne-Westland
  • District closes movie deal
  • One-room schools in Huron County
  • "First class" issue opens window for change in DPS

DPS LAYS OFF 300

DETROIT - Detroit Public Schools has sent layoff notices to more than 300 employees as part of a plan to address a $408 million budget deficit, The Detroit News reported. Various district employee unions said the move affects primarily bus attendants, substitute custodians and social workers.

The school board voted in June to make $522 million in cuts, including laying off more than 1,700 employees, when the deficit became apparent, The News reported.

Some parents and union officials have said that laying off bus attendants who assist special needs students will create a safety issue. District spokesman Steve Wasko told The News, "Clearly, there is no intent to put any student in harm's way."

He said the district is implementing a deficit reduction plan as required by the state.

SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "DPS sparks ire with 300 layoffs," Oct. 4, 2008

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Audit details DPS woes," Oct. 2, 2008

TEACHERS STRIKE, STUDENTS SENT HOME

WESTLAND, Mich. - Students in the Wayne-Westland Schools were denied instruction and had to be sent home Monday morning after members of the teachers union failed to report to work, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The Free Press reported that the Wayne-Westland Education Association announced late Sunday that the teachers union expected an ongoing contract dispute to lead to the cancellation of classes and advised parents to arrange child care. The union did not inform school administrators directly.

Teacher strikes in Michigan are illegal.

"We'll take it one day at a time," Superintendent Greg Baracy told the Free Press. Several hundred students arrived at district high schools at 7:15 a.m. but were bused home.

The contract dispute has focused on health insurance and class size, the Free Press reported.

SOURCES:
The Detroit Free Press, "Bargaining talks resume in the Wayne-Westland teachers strike," Oct. 6, 2008 

The Detroit Free Press, "Wayne-Westland classes likely canceled today amid contract impasse," Oct. 5, 2008

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Wayne-Westland teachers vote to take job action," Sept. 2, 2008

SCHOOL DISTRICT CLOSES MOVIE DEAL

HOWELL, Mich. - Howell Public Schools will make about $120,000 in a deal allowing Parker High School to be used as a movie location, according to The Ann Arbor News. A production company will shoot the film "High School" this fall in the largely unused building.

The $72 million Parker campus was completed in 2007. Budget problems led the board of education to shut down most of the facility after one year of use, The News reported, though building trades courses continue on site, and some space is used by Lansing Community College.

The school district will provide utilities, custodial and maintenance services during the three months of filming.

Superintendent Ted Gardella also said there is a provision in the contract for educational opportunities for students, The News reported.

SOURCE:
The Ann Arbor News, "School to net $120,000 in film deal," Sept. 30, 2008

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "Schools for sale," Aug. 15, 2007

ONE-ROOM SCHOOL CLOSES, SIX STILL OPEN

RAPSON, Mich. - With enrollment down to one student, Rapson School near Bad Axe has closed for good. According to an article in The Bay City Times, the one-room public school had been in operation for nearly 100 years, though the original building was replaced in 1987.

Huron County remains a haven of sorts for such schools, The Times reported, with six others still in operation. The biggest, Church School near Bad Axe, has 25 pupils this year. Verona Mills School, at 21 pupils, has been in operation since 1867. It was rebuilt after a fire destroyed the building in 1890.

U.S. Census Bureau figures show Huron County's population has declined by 7.7 percent since 2000, one of the largest decreases among Michigan's 83 counties, according to The Times.

Jennifer Eugster, who taught at Rapson for seven years, told The Times, "I figured the closing of the school was a possibility, though I didn't realize ... how low the local population was going to get."

SOURCE:
The Bay City Times, "Huron County loses another one-room school as Rapson School closes its doors," Sept. 30, 2008

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Enrollment down, charters and choice up," Sept. 30, 2008

'FIRST CLASS' ISSUE OPENS WINDOW FOR CHANGE IN DPS

DETROIT - Declining enrollment in Detroit Public Schools has opened a window for potential change in a district already under scrutiny for a $400 million budget deficit, low graduation rates and an audit showing lack of planning and oversight.

State legislators are now discussing the future of the district's "first-class" status, a legal designation based on enrollment of at least 100,000 students. Theoretically, Detroit lost that status in September when preliminary enrollment figures put the headcount at 88,000.

If Detroit fails to meet the threshold even after enrollments are audited, then a number of possibilities emerge, some that would give parents more choice in education and some that could restrict it.

"From a public policy standpoint, this is a nightmare," said Jeff Williams, vice president of Public Sector Consultants Inc., a Lansing-based consulting firm that analyzed the first-class issue for the Skillman Foundation of Detroit. "I don't know why this didn't come up sooner. It is clearly in the interest of the state, the Legislature ... and the students to have a discussion."

SOURCE:
Michigan Education Report, "'First class' issue looms in Detroit," Oct. 7, 2008

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "Colleges: 'Wait and see' on Detroit charter schools," April 7, 2008

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 Lorie Shane at
mailto:med@educationreport.org

To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to
http://www.educationreport.org/pubs/mer/listserver.aspx?Source=MED

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* >>