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MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST
March 9, 2010

Contents of this issue:

  • Divided opinion on service tax
  • Group plans seven Detroit high schools
  • Court upholds Grand Rapids privatization
  • Fenton support staff moves to Teamsters
  • College bound in grade school
  • Correction

DIVIDED OPINION ON SERVICE TAX

LANSING, Mich. - A public education advocacy group said Monday that Michigan should begin taxing consumer services at 5.5 percent, while reducing the existing sales tax from 6 to 5.5 percent, as a way to generate $550 million for schools in 2011, according to The Associated Press.

However, in a separate report in the Grand Haven Tribune, a cosmetologist warned that her industry already is seeing fewer customers and that a service tax would create more financial pressure.

Save our Students, Schools and State, a coalition of public education groups, said that a survey of 300 public school districts showed that 86 percent anticipate layoffs in the coming year if school funding is reduced by a projected $268 per pupil, an AP report posted at mlive.com said.

The projection is based on the anticipated deficit in the School Aid Fund and the fact that schools will have to contribute more to the school employee pension system next year, the report said. SOS supports a plan to require school employees to pay more of their own health insurance costs, AP reported.

Service taxes have been proposed in several states, according to a report by Stateline.org, published in the Tribune. Pamela Hahn, secretary of the Michigan Cosmetologists Association, said that a service tax might result in more salons closing and fewer businesses paying taxes, the report said.

"How does that help?" Hahn asked, according to Stateline.org.

SOURCES:
The Associated Press, "Survey: 86 percent of Michigan school districts expect layoffs," March 8, 2010

Grand Haven Tribune, "States weigh sales tax on services," March 8, 2010

FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Funding, State Budget Explained," Jan. 18, 2010

GROUP PLANS SEVEN DETROIT HIGH SCHOOLS

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Michigan Future Inc. has awarded an $850,000 grant to Detroit Edison Public School Academy to help it open a new high school this fall, the first in a planned series of grants, according to AnnArbor.com.

In all, Michigan Future said it will award $13 million to help establish seven new high schools over the next three years, with a goal of sending more Detroit students to college.

The nonprofit organization said that it will work with existing conventional, private and public charter schools to create the new schools, according to AnnArbor.com. The schools must maintain an 85 percent graduation rate, achieve 85 percent college attendance among graduates and achieve an 85 percent college graduation rate.

The new schools must be open to Detroit students but do not have to be located within city boundaries, AnnArbor.com reported. The funding comes from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Skillman Foundation, Kresge Foundation and McGregor Fund, AnnArbor.com reported.

SOURCE:
AnnArbor.com, "Ann Arbor nonprofit Michigan Future offers new model for Detroit school system," March 1, 2010

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Charters plan 25,000-seat expansion," Sept. 1, 2009

COURT UPHOLDS GRAND RAPIDS PRIVATIZATION

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Kent County Circuit Court recently upheld an arbitrator's decision that Grand Rapids Public Schools did not violate a labor contract when it privatized transportation workers in 2005, even though their contract with the district had not expired, The Grand Rapids Press reported.

District leaders said that the court ruled that arbitrator Paul Glendon acted within the scope of his authority after a review of relevant information, The Press reported.

The board hired Dean Transportation in 2005 to operate district buses for five years, concurrently privatizing 225 jobs, according to The Press.

Since then the district, the company and the Grand Rapids Education Support Personnel Association, the union which represents the drivers, have been involved in a series of legal disputes, The Press reported. GRESPA is affiliated with the Michigan Education Association.

The MEA filed suit against Dean in 2007, alleging that the company interfered with the union's contract; Dean settled that case for $600,000, The Press reported. Early in 2009, a U.S.

Appeals Court upheld a National Labor Relations Board ruling that allowed the drivers to retain GRESPA representation.

SOURCE:
The Grand Rapids Press, "Court backs Grand Rapids Public Schools board in challenge to bus driver privatization," March 5, 2010

FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Defeating Privatization: The MEA's Legal Strategies," July 5, 2007

FENTON SUPPORT STAFF MOVES TO TEAMSTERS

FENTON, Mich. - Members of the Fenton Education Support Personnel voted to leave the Michigan Education Association and join Teamsters Local 214, according to the (Fenton) Tri-County Times.

Carla Juarez, chief steward, said that the group needs to be represented by a union that recognizes the needs of the support staff, the Times reported.  

Juarez told the Times that, since 2007, support staff in Fenton Area Public Schools agreed twice to lower-cost insurance, gave up paid holidays for one year and agreed to two years of pay freezes.

She described the union as proactively working with administrators both to save money and protect support staff jobs, the Times reported.

Negotiations will begin soon on the next employee contract, the Times reported.

"It is important to make changes, even hard changes, such as changing insurances and looking at pay freezes, just to name a couple," Juarez told the Times. "It is time for all groups in the district to become part of the solution, not part of the problem."

SOURCE:
(Fenton) Tri-County Times, "FESP staff makes union switch from MEA to Teamsters," March 6, 2010

FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Union Spending in Michigan: International Brotherhood of Teamsters," Aug. 28, 2008

COLLEGE BOUND IN GRADE SCHOOL

DETROIT - Grade school is not too young to be college bound, according to the leader of a program that says every child has the right to be prepared for higher education.

The program is the California-based "No Excuses University Network," which counts Dove Academy in Detroit as its first Michigan member, founder Damen Lopez told Michigan Education Report.

Michigan Education Report is published by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, which also publishes Michigan Education Digest.

"No Excuses" schools are expected to create a school culture in which going to college is the norm, and in which students are academically ready to do so. That's the reason for the colorful college flags posted in the hallways and the "college-bound" pledge that students recite, Stacey Doctor, Dove assistant principal, told Education Report.

But the program also emphasizes six key academic strategies, including teacher collaboration, a belief children can learn, and use of assessment data, the report said.

Affiliating with an outside program or mentoring organization as a school achievement strategy has gained fresh attention in Michigan recently, the report said.

SOURCE:
Michigan Education Report, "Dove Academy: The end goal is a college degree," March 3, 2010

CORRECTION

An article in the March 2, 2010, edition of Michigan Education Digest should have said that Superintendent Ralph Coaster is retiring from Lake Fenton Community Schools. The name of the school district was incorrect.

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

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Michigan Education Daily
Wed., September 1, 2010
"An aviation school in Michigan is one example of a new generation of public charter schools designed to serve niche audiences." >>
Tue., August 31, 2010
"A 10-year-old Windsor boy who completed part of his education in Michigan is being denied entry to public high school in Windsor even though he's completed the eighth-grade curriculum." >>
Mon., August 30, 2010
"Principal John Hoving is using Facebook as a way to promote Bay City All Saints Central School as well as to head off possible cyber bullying." >>
Sun., August 29, 2010
"Royal Oak Public Schools students will be featured in an Oct. 12 episode of MTV's "If You Really Knew Me," a cable television program that the producer describes as "students trying to be accepted for who they are."" >>
Sat., August 28, 2010
"Public schools in Michigan were offered an automatic "A" on part of their annual state report card this year, a one-time arrangement that may have spared some from being unaccredited." >>
Fri., August 27, 2010
"More than 1,000 teacher retirements will allow Detroit Public Schools to recall all teachers from layoff and hire up to 300 more to fill staffing gaps." >>
Thu., August 26, 2010
"Inland Lakes Schools is considering hiring a private firm to provide custodial services as a way to save money, but a union representative says that new federal funding makes such a move unnecessary." >>
User Comments
carol peterson
education is an all around development for a child
he should be mentally and physically strong


<a href="http://rescueyoursavings.com" rel="dofollow">Savings</a> >>
carol peterson
education is an all around development for a child
he should be mentally and physically strong >>
johnstfu
Informative post. In order to deal with today's troubled youth, it is helpful to take a professional guidance for better teen recovery programs. Choosing a specialized organization for troubled youth is one of the most important steps for better teen recovery. Boysville is one of the non profit organization dedicated to help troubled youth with years of successful results by helping <a href=http://www.troubledteensguide.com/>troubled youth</a> to responsible individuals. Hope this organization continue their priceless support to most of the needy troubled youth with various helpful services. >>
Aarowman
Public servants like Presidents, Vice-Presidents, Senators, Congressmen, Judges, Secretaries of Various Departments and the like should be first to be compensated for performance.
The idea that the playing field for students is level everywhere is as Quixotic as thinking all politicians are honest and competent.
There are neighborhoods where only Portugese or gang sign language is spoken, where the parents both work two jobs to pay rent, where getting to school and back is more dangerous than Iraq and Afghanastan.
This Secretary of Education has to remove the silver spoon, roll up his sleeves and take his superior intellect attitude into the trenches and show the poor slobs that are taking their teachers jobs for granted how he would do it. Just because his mommy used to help out in Chicago doesn't give him the Congression Medal of Honor. Actually he's a stuffed shirt pretending to know it all.
How much do you want to bet that he wouldn't attempt entering these neighborhoods let alone these schools without security. >>
verdemont resident
This article is tucked away yet is profoundly correct. Parents are pseudo parenting little objects of consumption. Teens, professionals, working moms like the "idea" of a child but are not in for the long haul and everyone loses.

Schools are enabling parents to do precious little. The time parents spend with their children is the only thing that matters. Bussing needs to be cut, school breakfast, lunch, and afterschool care needs to be stopped. Parents will grow that bond by sacrificing the nails, hair, parties, drugs, quads, vacations, etc. and making a lunch for their child and arrangements to be home when the child is out of school. No one is that poor that they can't provide a boloney sandwich, a baggie of pretzels, an apple, 50 cents for a milk, and two cookies each day.

Please respond!

>>
JackI
Is it true that young ones today are losing interest on these subjects? Obviously, the White House is promoting programs that will help students on coping up with math and science subjects. But, The federal government thinks that the quality of math and science education can repair credit with the scientific community and improve US education with a few <a rev="vote for" title="U.S. Government Spends $250 Million on Science and Math" href="http://personalmoneystore.com/Payday-Loans/ ">payday loans</a> of sorts. In reality, it will take far longer to accomplish than they might think – US educators can't even get students to accept that "irregardless" isn't a word, and the difference between their, they're, and there – our students can't even learn their own language! It's a noble aim, to be sure, but throwing money at it may not work in the long run. >>
beggarsall
I am a teacher in the same county who is presently trying to quit the union. Like Caldwell, I strongly disagree with the MEA.

This article was timely.

Rob Olson
Pittsford Area Schools

>>
rickolson
I agree this is a change worth making. I describe some of the uneven effects of the idea on my blog at http://rickolson.blogspot.com/2009/08/statewide-health-insurance-plan-for.html which you may also wish to read.

The devil will be in the details, so this is one we will need to monitor closely.

Rick Olson from Saline, former school Business Manager >>
MichelleO

Nowadays, saving money is very crucial and properly investing the money can keep you and your family away from the effect of the financial crisis. The sad news is that a lot of the options for short term funding have been drying up. Short term funding is a necessary thing to have around, and going through traditional channels such as banks isn't an option for a lot of people anymore – basically it's only open to Ken Lewis. Installment loans are an option, but some people, including senior citizens, have been thinking about raiding their retirement fund. Getting into your pension retirement plan or 401(k) funds is the last thing you want to do if you don't qualify for any withdrawals yet. The penalties are substantial, and you'll end up needing installments loans to pay them if you use retirement funds for <a rev="vote for" title="Installment Loans Reliable Option As 401(k)s are Dwindling" href="http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2009/05/17/installment-loans-reliable-option-401ks-dwindling/">short term funding</a>.


>>
QUEEN_BEE_09
I AGREE >>