Contents of this issue:
- Ruling creates confusion over Highland Park emergency
manager
- Students, police play ball to prevent violence
- New
MEAP scores paint “dismal picture”
- State watch list for troubled districts grows to 48
- NEA echoes Pres. Obama’s call for “truth teams”
Ruling Creates Confusion in Highland Park Over Emergency
Manager
LANSING, Mich. — An Ingham County judge has ruled that
review teams in Highland Park and Detroit violated the Open Meetings Act and
that their actions were therefore invalid, according to The Detroit News. The
ruling called into question the legal status of Jack Martin, Highland Park
Schools’ Emergency Manager.
Gov. Snyder’s office issued a statement saying that the
ruling applies only to the review teams and does not affect Mr. Martin’s appointment.
Legal counsel for Robert Davis, the Highland Park school board member who filed
the lawsuit, argued that the governor made the appointment based on the review
team’s recommendation and the appointment is therefore invalid.
MLive reports that the Highland Park school board voted
unanimously not to appeal the appointment of an emergency manager, reversing an
earlier decision. Mr. Davis and another member were not present for that vote.
SOURCES:
The Detroit News, “Judge's
ruling leaves confusion over EMs," Feb. 16, 2012
MLive, “Highland
Park school board backs off plan to appeal state-appointed emergency manager,"
Feb. 15, 2012
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Capitol Confidential, “School District: Spending Up, Revenue Up,
Red Ink Up — Wants More Money,” Jan. 23, 2012
Students, Police Play Ball to Prevent Violence
DETROIT — Officers from the Detroit Police played students
from Cody, Denby and Osborn high school in a game of basketball as part of a
youth violence prevention rally, according to The Associated Press. The event
was also intended to promote relationships between the police department and
residents.
According to the AP, students were members of the
Neighborhood Service Organization's Youth Initiatives Project, which provides
youth leadership and advocacy training to help prevent violence and drug abuse.
SOURCE:
The Associated Press, “Anti-violence
rally brings youth, police together,” Feb. 18, 2012
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, “School
districts required to create anti-bullying policy,” Dec. 12,
2011
New
MEAP Scores Paint “Dismal Picture”
LANSING, Mich. — MEAP scores
released last week show schools have a long way to go to meet new academic
expectations, according to The Detroit Free Press.
This year was the first under
new standards designed to better prepare students for life after high school.
Under the new standards, 63 percent of all students in grades 3 through 8 were
judged to be proficient in reading, while only 37 percent were found to be
proficient in math.
The new standards are based on
how well-prepared students are for college and careers, according to The Free
Press, whereas the old standards were based on showing a basic understanding of
the material. Only 17.3 percent of Michigan students meet the college readiness
standards of the ACT.
SOURCE:
The Detroit Free Press, “MEAP
scores give dismal picture of how Michigan students stand up to tougher
standards,” Feb. 15, 2012
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public
Policy, “Not As Good As You Think,”
Oct. 30, 2009
State Watch List for Troubled Districts Grows to 48
LANSING, Mich. — The Detroit News reports there are 48
school districts making monthly financial reports to the Michigan Department of
Education because they are running budget deficits. That number has
dramatically increased since 2003, when only 10 districts were spending more
than their revenue.
Two of the districts — Detroit and Highland Park — are
under state control while a third, Muskegon Heights, has requested an emergency
manager. According to The News, the remaining districts are running deficits
which range from 1 percent to 44 percent of their revenues.
State officials tell The News that as long as school
districts are following their deficit elimination plan the state has no
interest in sending review teams or appointing an emergency financial manager.
SOURCE:
The Detroit News, “48
school districts on Michigan watch list,” Feb. 15, 2012
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, “Muskegon
Heights school board asks for emergency manager,” Dec. 13, 2011
NEA Echoes Pres. Obama’s Call for “Truth Teams”
LANSING, Mich. — The National Education Association has
announced it will support efforts to “ensure politicians make true and accurate
statements” in the upcoming presidential election, according to M-Live. The
union’s announcement comes in the wake of President Obama’s call for supporters
to form “truth teams” to “combat false attacks” on President Obama and his
record.
M-Live reports the NEA, which has already endorsed Pres.
Obama, wants members to report false or misleading statements from campaigns on
both sides of the political aisle.
“With members in every congressional district, NEA is
gearing up to reach out and educate millions of eligible voters during the 2012
election year, focusing on association members and their families,” the union
said in a release.
SOURCE:
M-Live, “National
Education Association calls for supporting campaign 'truth teams',” Feb. 16,
2012
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Capitol Confidential, “Teachers' Union: Many Members
Conservative; Overwhelmingly Funds 'Progressive' Groups,” Jan. 14, 2012
MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST is a service of Michigan Education Report, an online
newspaper published by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a private,
nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute.
Contact Managing Editor Kyle Jackson at mailto:med@educationreport.org
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