Contents of this issue:
Detroit officials plan to close 34 schools this summer
Bush Administration requests lower federal education expenditures
Minnesota "merit pay" trial program seen as success
Gov. Granholm pushes for district consolidation, power to merge
College, university officials say proposed cuts breaks promise
Educators react to governor's proposed curriculum changes
DETROIT OFFICIALS PLAN TO CLOSE 34 SCHOOLS THIS SUMMER
DETROIT — To cut nearly $560 million in expenses over the next five
years, officials with the Detroit Public Schools announced the district
will close 34 schools this June and another 60 to 75 in the next three
years.
According to the Detroit Free Press, district officials predict Detroit
schools will lose 40,000 students in the next three years down to a
total enrollment of 100,000. "We now have half as many students as we
did in 1970 and nearly the same number of buildings," Chief Executive
Officer Kenneth Burnley said. "From a cost standpoint, it doesn't make
sense. With these school closings, our district will become more
efficient and more effective."
According to the Free Press, the district has spent $26.7 million in
the last five years on the schools that will close. The district faces
problems which are unique to Detroit, said Henry Duval, director of
communications for the Council of the Great City Schools. "We might be
looking at sort of an anomaly, compared with other urban school
districts," Duval said. "I don't think any other big-city school
district is undergoing the problems that Detroit is having, on such a
large scale."
SOURCES:
Detroit Free Press, "In June, Detroit to shut down 34 schools,"
Feb. 11, 2005
http://www.freep.com/news/education/dps11e_20050211.htm
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Budgets: A Crisis of
Management, Not Finance," February 2005
http://www.mackinac.org/6980
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The $200 Million Question,"
January 2005
http://www.mackinac.org/6947
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Playing Monopoly With Detroit's
Kids," July 15, 2004
http://www.mackinac.org/6688
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Dancing Around Education: A 170-Year Waltz With Reform," December 11, 2004
http://www.mackinac.org/6906
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Ironic Choices," November 29, 2004
http://www.mackinac.org/6895
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Funding: Lack of Money or
Lack of Money Management?" Aug. 30, 2001
http://www.mackinac.org/3683
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Six Habits of Fiscally
Responsible School Districts," December 2002
http://www.mackinac.org/4891
BUSH ADMINISTRATION REQUESTS LOWER FEDERAL EDUCATION EXPENDITURES
PHOENIX — The Bush Administration asked for a reduction in the federal
education budget by 0.9 percent, or half a billion dollars, which would
amount to the first reduction in federal education spending in the last
ten years, reported the Arizona Republic.
The budget would eliminate 48 federal education programs, which the
administration said are not performing to federal standards or
duplicate other government services, according to the Republic. The
Perkins loan program, which provides low-interest loans to qualified
college students, would be eliminated under the plan. The savings from
the Perkins program would then be applied towards the Pell Grant
program in an effort to raise the maximum grant by $100, to $4,150.
According to the Republic, savings from other program cuts would be
funneled into a $1.5 billion increase for additional No Child Left
Behind testing and accountability requirements and a 4.7 percent hike
in Title I funding, among other increases.
SOURCES:
Arizona Republic, "Bush wants education spending cuts," Feb. 8, 2005
http://www.azcentral.com/families/education/articles/0208educationcuts-ON.html
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Budgets: A Crisis of
Management, Not Finance," February 2005
http://www.mackinac.org/6980
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Funding: Lack of Money or
Lack of Money Management?" Aug. 30, 2001
http://www.mackinac.org/3683
Michigan Education Report, "President signs 'No Child Left Behind
Act'," Winter 2002
http://www.mackinac.org/4082
MINNESOTA "MERIT PAY" TRIAL PROGRAM SEEN AS SUCCESS
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Teachers and education officials in some Minnesota
school districts are finding that a "merit pay" system-in which
teachers are partially paid on their performance in the classroom-is
beneficial and effective, reported CNN.
In several Minnesota districts that have implemented merit pay
programs, teachers can earn raises based on their students' performance
and positive peer reviews. "Just rewarding people for having put in a
lot of years, that's one of the things the public gets upset about —
and justly so," said Kris Sandy, an English teacher in the La Crescent-Hokah, Minn. district. "In terms of having some more reasonable
examples of what we do every year to improve our curriculum and be
better teachers, that's perfectly reasonable."
Similar programs have been implemented in specific instances across the
country, including successful programs in Chattanooga, Tenn. and
Douglas County, Colo. However, proposed plans for merit pay programs
have been scrapped in Cincinnati, Ohio and Steamboat Springs, Colo.,
due to problems in the evaluation system and high costs, respectively.
The National Education Association is "leery about losing the pay
security of the traditional system," according to CNN. But these pilot
programs seem to reflect a change in underlying political realities.
"Ten years ago, if you were for performance pay, you were a nut. Now we
can have a discussion about it with the unions in a very constructive,
positive way," said Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
SOURCES:
CNN, "Minnesota teachers warm to performance pay," Feb. 8, 2005
http://www.cnn.com/2005/EDUCATION/02/08/teacher.pay.ap/index.html
Michigan Education Report, "Teacher Pay and Teacher Quality: How Do
They Relate?" Spring 1999
http://www.educationreport.org/1681
Michigan Education Report, "Increase teachers' pay the right way,"
Early Fall 2000
http://www.educationreport.org/3084
GOV. GRANHOLM PUSHES FOR DISTRICT CONSOLIDATION, POWER TO MERGE
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Gov. Jennifer Granholm proposed ideas last week to
consolidate school districts in an attempt to cut administrative costs
by combining services and other district needs, reported the Ann Arbor
News.
Granholm suggested that districts consider the benefits of merging, but
would also like to hold the power to force districts to merge if the
state believes such a move prudent, according to the News. "It's just
something that the governor feels is necessary to drive efficiencies in
our school districts, much like we've driven efficiencies in our state
government by squeezing every last tax dollar by shutting off lights
and not doing color copies," said Granholm spokeswoman Mary Dettloff.
Some district officials and legislators expressed hesitation at the
idea of a full-scale merger between districts and suggested that they
start saving money by combining administrative services. "When you get
into a small town, and they have small schools, that school is kind of
the hub of a community," said Sen. Ron Jelinek, R-Three Oaks. "To
require them to consolidate, that's pretty difficult. I just don't
think that's right at all."
According to the News, only one merger has been approved by voters
since 1991, while nine such elections have taken place across the
state.
SOURCES:
Ann Arbor News, "Granholm: Join forces, save money," Feb. 13, 2005
http://www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-12/110829312995711.xml
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Districts: Is Less More?"
July 2001
http://www.mackinac.org/3544
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Six Habits of Fiscally
Responsible Public School Districts," December 2002
http://www.mackinac.org/4891
COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OFFICIALS SAY PROPOSED CUTS BREAKS PROMISE
DETROIT — The Detroit News reported yesterday that some college and
university officials are upset with proposed cuts in the governor's
higher education budget, which they said breaks a promise made to
increase funding for their institutions in exchange for caps on tuition
increases.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who proposed a $30 million cut in higher
education funding, noted that state colleges and universities will be
able to access a $200 million bond issue for the next two years for
maintenance and plant improvements. "This is not a broken promise,"
maintained Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd. "When they do the math, we
think they will see they come out $70 million ahead. In tough budget
times, there are very few areas that are seeing that kind of increase.
If anything, we see this as a renewed commitment to higher education."
State officials have projected a $382 million deficit this year and a
$772 million deficit next year, reported the Detroit News. "For our
part, we knew that the governor's office would make every effort to not
cut our funding, but given the dire circumstances of the state's
finances, we anticipated this was likely to happen," George Cartsonis,
director of communications for Oakland Community College, told the
News.
SOURCES:
Detroit News, "Educators: Granholm broke vow," Feb. 14, 2005
http://www.detnews.com/2005/schools/0502/14/C01-88882.htm
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Private Prepaid Tuition Programs
Can Help Make College Affordable," September 2001
http://www.mackinac.org/3685
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Competition Among Professors Would
Help Parents Afford College," August 1999
http://www.mackinac.org/2105
EDUCATORS REACT TO GOVERNOR'S PROPOSED CURRICULUM CHANGES
LANSING, Mich. — Some educators told the Lansing State Journal
yesterday that proposed changes to the state's high school curriculum
may be too ambitious for many students that would prefer career
training to college preparation.
The changes proposed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm emphasize a college
preparation curriculum, including four years of English, three years of
math and science, over three years of social sciences and two years of
a foreign language, according to the Journal. The plans are admirable,
said some educators, but may place too much focus on college prep for
those not choosing that path. "You need to have flexibility for those
students who may not be going to a four-year college, but going to an
apprenticeship," said Mark Palmer, principal of St. Johns High School
near Lansing. "You have to have the flexibility to create a program
that helps all students."
Chuck Wilbur, Granholm's deputy chief of staff for policy and planning,
said vocational classes today require a stronger emphasis on the
material covered in courses taken by college-bound students. "A factory
job today is not the factory job of my father's time," said Wilbur.
"You need a lot of technical, computer and math skills. A lot of what
the governor is proposing would be helpful no matter where you ply your
trade."
Gov. Granholm's proposal includes incentive payments to schools to
encourage students to take courses in line with her curriculum
guidelines beginning in 2006, reported the Journal, which is included
in her $12.8 billion school aid proposal for next fiscal year. If
accepted, the curriculum changes would be the first since 1995,
according to Michigan Department of Education spokesman Martin Ackley.
SOURCES:
Lansing State Journal, "Educators question curriculum initiative,"
Feb. 14, 2005
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050214/NEWS01/502140332/1002
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Declining Standards at Michigan
Universities," November 1996
http://www.mackinac.org/236
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "With Clear Eyes, Sincere
Hearts and Open Minds," July 2002
http://www.mackinac.org/4447
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "America's Scientific Leadership
Imperiled by Weakened Curricula," August 2004
http://www.mackinac.org/6722
MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST is a service of Michigan Education
Report (
http://www.educationreport.org),
a quarterly newspaper
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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