Contents of this issue:
- Schools hold nearly $2 billion, fight aid cuts
- School report card problems cost taxpayers millions
- Superintendents skip seminar session for golf
- Teachers' union organizer June Fieger dies at 79
- Miami teachers' union chief sentenced to 27 months for misusing
union money
- IRS begins audit of nation's largest teachers' union
SCHOOLS HOLD NEARLY $2 BILLION, FIGHT AID CUTS
LANSING, Mich. — According to state figures, school districts
around the state hold a total of $1.84 billion in reserve cash,
which legislators are eyeing as part of a fix to the state's
budget deficit.
School surplus accounts actually grew last year although many
districts claimed state cuts hurt their ability to provide a
quality education. "It makes it difficult for us to lobby
legislators for additional funds for public education when they
can look at us and say, 'that's why you have so many districts
with so much money in the bank,'" Michigan Education Association
president Lu Battaglieri told the Detroit News.
Districts that have the funds, however, don't wish to spend the
money because the state is in a financial crunch. "Our district
has worked hard to get the fund equity where it is so we can
protect our programs," said Troy School District superintendent
Janet Jopke. "The rainy day is here. We're in deficit spending
now. So because we're so prudent, we're going to be penalized?"
SOURCES:
Detroit News, "Schools bank $1.84 billion, still fight aid cuts,"
Nov. 21, 2003
http://www.detnews.com/2003/schools/0311/21/a01-331484.htm
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Six Habits of Fiscally
Responsible School Districts," December 2002
http://www.mackinac.org/4891
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Funding: Lack of Money
or Lack of Money Management?" August 2001
http://www.mackinac.org/3683
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "2,948 Jobs Won't Be Created
if State Income Tax Cut Delayed, State Economic Model Shows,"
Oct. 9, 2003
http://www.mackinac.org/5824
SCHOOL REPORT CARD PROBLEMS COST TAXPAYERS MILLIONS
LANSING, Mich. — The state's new system of grading schools cost
Michigan taxpayers millions while publishing faulty reports,
forcing schools to appeal the letter grades given to different
aspects of school administration.
Approximately 1,200 schools have appealed their grades, given by
the state under the Education YES! rating system, which grades
schools from A to failing on MEAP scores and other school
functions. Schools received their grades in October, several
months after they were supposed to be published.
Merging the data from MEAP scores, school performance ratings and
other state agencies caused most of the delay. Government
officials say the process will improve next year after wrinkles
in the new system are ironed out. "This basically has to be
written off as a trial run," David Plank, co-director of the
Education Policy Center at Michigan State University, told the
Detroit Free Press. "Unfortunately, it won't be, because there
are real consequences attached."
SOURCES:
Detroit Free Press, "Report card errors come at hefty price,"
Nov. 24, 2003
http://www.freep.com/news/education/cost24_20031124.htm
Michigan Education Report, "State superintendent launches plan to
grade schools," Winter 2002
http://www.educationreport.org/4083
Michigan Education Report, "State Board of Education adopts
school grading plan," Spring 2002
http://www.educationreport.org/4270
SUPERINTENDENTS SKIP SEMINAR SESSION FOR GOLF
DETROIT, Mich. — An undercover news team discovered several
Michigan superintendents skipping sessions at a taxpayer-funded
statewide conference on improving Michigan schools — in order to
play golf — while the students they govern were at work in their
classrooms.
The keynote speaker of the event, which took place at Grand
Traverse Resort and Spa, said some superintendents were
uninterested in the conference and wanted to play golf more than
to attend workshop sessions. "The superintendents were more
interested in playing golf than hearing from me," the speaker
told a team from NBC affiliate WDIV Channel 4 news in Detroit.
The news team asked for comments from the superintendents that
decided to play golf and found most would not have golfed had
they known the media were watching them. Ronald Davis,
superintendent of Bangor Public Schools, replied, "I was invited
to play golf, I took advantage of it, I attended meetings the
rest of the time. Would I do it again? Probably, no."
SOURCE:
Local 4, "Defenders Catch Superintendents Playing Hooky,"
Nov. 13, 2003
http://www.clickondetroit.com/defenders/2636903/detail.html
TEACHERS' UNION ORGANIZER JUNE FIEGER DIES AT 79
DETROIT, Mich. — Union organizer June Fieger, mother of former
Michigan gubernatorial candidate and controversial attorney
Geoffrey Fieger, died of cancer last Monday in Laguna Woods,
Calif, her home since 1997.
Fieger became the first female organizer for the Michigan
Federation of Teachers. According to Geoffrey Fieger, she led
the nation's first teacher strike, in Hamtramck, in the 1960s.
Mrs. Fieger later led teachers' strikes in Benton Harbor,
Dearborn Heights, Oak Park, and in several other Michigan school
districts. Teachers' strikes were then, and are today, illegal
in Michigan.
The Michigan Education Association endorsed Fieger's son
Geoffrey, well-known for representing many sensational defendants
including euthanasia advocate Jack Kevorkian, for governor in his
race against John Engler in 1998. Fieger was soundly defeated.
Mrs. Fieger was honored earlier this month by the Pontiac School
District with an award that will be given in her name every year
to an outstanding teacher.
SOURCES:
Detroit News, "June Fieger, Oak Park, organized first teachers'
strike in U.S.," Nov. 20, 2003
http://www.detnews.com/2003/obituaries/0311/20/d02-330153.htm
Detroit Free Press, "June Fieger: Union leader fought for
teachers' rights," Nov. 20, 2003
http://www.freep.com/news/obituaries/fieger20_20031120.htm
MIAMI TEACHERS' UNION CHIEF SENTENCED TO 27 MONTHS FOR MISUSING
UNION MONEY
MIAMI, Fla. — A federal judge sentenced former United Teachers of
Dade chief Pasquale "Pat" Tornillo, Jr. to 27 months in prison
for working with other top union officials to steal $3.5 million
from the union.
Under Tornillo's plea agreement, he will have to pay $800,000 in
restitution to the union for misusing funds and lawyer fees. In
addition, Tornillo owes about $360,000 in back taxes, penalties
and interest.
Tornillo, 78, pled guilty of stealing union money to live a
luxurious jet-setting life, complete with first-class hotels and
South Pacific cruises. Because of his ailing health, the judge
recommended Tornillo be placed in a low-security institution for
the extent of his sentence.
SOURCES:
Miami Herald, "Tornillo sentenced to 27 months in prison for
misusing teachers union funds," Nov. 24, 2003
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/7340978.htm
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Teachers Unions: Helping or
Hurting?"
http://www.mackinac.org/9399
IRS BEGINS AUDIT OF NATION'S LARGEST TEACHERS' UNION
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Due to allegations of illegal political
spending, the IRS began investigating the National Education
Association's finances to determine whether the nation's largest
teachers' union is illegally helping political candidates.
Under federal law, tax-exempt organizations must list all
political spending because some of it may be taxable. According
to the IRS, a political expenditure is "one intended to influence
the selection, nomination, election or appointment of anyone to a
federal, state, or local public office." The NEA has not reported
any such expenditures.
A 1993-1999 Associated Press report found numerous internal NEA
memos detailing political strategies but found no reports of
political spending on federal tax filings. Mark Levin, president
of the Landmark Legal Foundation, which prompted the IRS to
perform the audit, told the Washington Post that, "It appears
that the NEA may finally be called to account for its failure to
tell the government — and its members — how much it is spending
on politics."
SOURCES:
Washington Post, "IRS Audits Nation's Top Teachers' Union,"
Nov. 24, 2003
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11344-2003Nov24.html
Washington Times, "NEA's political spending investigated,"
Nov. 25, 2003
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20031124-102554-2944r.htm
ABC News, "IRS audits nation's top teachers union," Nov. 25, 2003
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1103/111688.html
Michigan Education Report, "Illegal Union Political Spending,"
Early Fall 2001
http://www.educationreport.org/3757
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Teachers: You Don't Have to
Pay for Union Political Spending"
http://www.mackinac.org/4098
MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST is a service of Michigan Education
Report (
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with a circulation of 130,000 published by the Mackinac Center
for Public Policy (
http://www.mackinac.org), a private,
nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute.
Contact Managing Editor Neil Block at
med@educationreport.org.
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