Contents of this issue:
Bay City teachers union takes insurance over jobs
Brighton 'sick-out' draws parent response
Hartland schools to save $5 million with competitive contract
Agreement saves hundreds of Michigan schools from NCLB problems
Punishment box removed from Marshall school
Benefits cost more than wages for some JPS employees
List of felons forwarded to schools
BAY CITY TEACHERS UNION TAKES INSURANCE OVER JOBS
BAY CITY, Mich. — About three dozen employees, including 10
teachers, will be let go in the Bay City Public Schools as the
district attempts to reduce a $7.4 million deficit, according to
The Bay City Times.
Unions covering seven non-instructional employee groups signed
two-year contracts with the district earlier this month. All of
them agreed to abandon the Michigan Education Special Services
Association in favor of a Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance
plan, The Times reported. The change will save the district about
$3,000 a year per employee. MESSA is a third-party administrator
affiliated with the Michigan Education Association.
The same unions agreed last December to switch from MESSA Super
Care I to MESSA Choices II, which saved the district about
$200,000 at the time, according to The Times. Teachers also
agreed to that change, but as of now they are refusing to join
their fellow employees in getting rid of MESSA entirely in favor
of less expensive insurance.
Superintendent Carolyn Weirda said the Blue Cross plan is similar
to the current union-backed insurance.
"It's a significant savings and a very comparable plan," she told
The Times.
Other cuts the district plans to make include eliminating some
bus routes and increasing "pay to play" fees for athletics, The
Times reported.
SOURCE:
The Bay City Times, "Ten teachers among 39 cut at B.C. Schools,"
May 9, 2006
http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-7/1147187742138060.xml&coll=4
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Bay City teachers take pay freeze,
cheaper MESSA," April 18, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7681
Michigan Education Digest, "Bay City schools could save $4
million with insurance change," Feb. 21, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7597
Michigan Education Digest, "Bay City to close schools, cut
staff," March 21, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7653
BRIGHTON 'SICK-OUT' DRAWS PARENT RESPONSE
BRIGHTON, Mich. — Several parents have expressed their
displeasure over the behavior of Brighton teachers during a time
of tense contract negotiations, according to the Livingston Daily
Press & Argus.
Two Brighton middle schools were closed May 5 when 60 of 90
teachers called in sick, the Press & Argus reported. Teachers
also staged pickets at several schools after classes ended on May
9, then marched for a half hour before that night's school board
meeting.
"We spent all this money to put in an anti-bullying program,"
parent Lori Lalama said at the board meeting, according to the
Press & Argus. "We don't allow bullying by our students. Why are
we allowing it by our teachers? ... This is ridiculous. It's an
embarrassment. Everybody has to make concessions."
Arnella Park, a high school teacher, told the Press & Argus that
the informational pickets are designed to convey a message that
teachers believe the district has "mismanaged funds" by spending
money on things "we feel are unnecessary."
Park cited a career resource center for high school students and
new school buses as among those unnecessary items.
"The career center at the high school was cut, but it's going to
reopen next year for $100,000," Park told the Press & Argus. "That alone would be 0.5 percent raise for teachers."
Park's school bus comments drew the ire of bus drivers, several
of whom attended the school board meeting.
"We were upset, and we feel the teachers dragged us back into
this," driver Jessica Anderson told the Press & Argus.
Driver Mary Ann Davis told the newspaper that buses as old as 18
years needed to be replaced.
"I don't appreciate the teachers misrepresenting the truth about
their contract," Davis told the Press & Argus. "All they talk
about is themselves. They are absolutely just greedy."
SOURCES:
Livingston Daily Press & Argus, "Contract divides district —
Additional pickets, protests on horizon," May 9, 2006
http://www.livingstondaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006605090317
Livingston Daily Press & Argus, "Resentment simmers over contract
trouble," May 10, 2006
http://www.livingstondaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006605100322
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Two Brighton schools close after
teachers call in sick," May 9, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7701
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Collective Bargaining:
Bringing Education to the Table," Aug. 1, 1998
http://www.mackinac.org/791
HARTLAND SCHOOLS TO SAVE $5 MILLION WITH COMPETITIVE CONTRACT
HARTLAND, Mich. — Hartland Consolidated Schools expects to save
$5 million over five years by privatizing custodial services,
according to The Detroit News.
The school board voted 5-2 on May 8 to contract with Grand Rapids
Business Services, The News reported. The district expects to
save $600,000 the first year.
The union representing the janitors offered about $250,000 in
concessions before the board meeting, The News reported. The
offer led to a 50-minute closed session while it was debated.
"If I have to choose between education programs and other cuts, I
would pick for the students," board member Nora Kessel said while
explaining her approval of the privatization, according to The
News. "This eleventh-hour idea doesn't make business sense. It is
not even half of the amount we need, and hasn't been approved by
the general (union) membership."
SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "Custodial work outsourced," May 10, 2006
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060510/METRO04/605100415/1015
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Hartland teachers willing to
sacrifice jobs for insurance," April 18, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7681
Michigan Education Report, "Privatization shows signs of growth
across the state," Dec. 15, 2005
http://www.educationreport.org/7477
AGREEMENT SAVES HUNDREDS OF MICHIGAN SCHOOLS FROM NCLB PROBLEMS
LANSING, Mich. — The U.S. Department of Education has determined
it will allow alternative assessments to count toward progress
standards, a decision that will keep hundreds of Michigan schools
from being labeled as "failing," the Traverse City Record-Eagle
reported.
According to the federal No Child Left Behind law, 95 percent of
students must take standardized tests, the Record-Eagle reported.
If a school falls below a minimum participation rate, it risks
not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress.
The federal Department of Education originally determined two of
the three alternative tests given to disabled and special
education students in Michigan would not count because they did
not assess math and reading, the Record-Eagle reported. That
decision was reversed last week, however, after the Michigan
Department of Education agreed to give up a portion of the
federal dollars it receives for administrative purposes. That
amount has not yet been set, according to the newspaper.
A memo to school districts from the Michigan Department of
Education quoted state Superintendent Mike Flanagan as saying it
would be better for the department to "take the hit on this,"
meaning the loss of money, rather than have schools
"inappropriately labeled," the Record-Eagle reported. The state
is revamping the alternative tests for next year to make sure
they cover math and reading.
SOURCE:
Traverse City Record-Eagle, "State, feds reach testing deal,"
May 10, 2006
http://www.record-eagle.com/2006/may/10nochild.htm
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "No Cop-Out Left Behind,"
March 23, 2005
http://www.mackinac.org/7010
Michigan Education Report, "NCLB underfunded?" April 11, 2005
http://www.educationreport.org/7021
PUNISHMENT BOX REMOVED FROM MARSHALL SCHOOL
MARSHALL, Mich. — A "time-out booth" has been removed from a
Marshall elementary school after a mother complained her son was
put in it for two hours, according to The Battle Creek Enquirer.
"I got to school a little after noon, and he was sweaty,
distraught," Kelly Isaac told the Marshall school board on May 8,
The Enquirer reported. "He had some dried blood on his face from
a bloody nose. I don't think it was from the teacher, but
nevertheless, it doesn't look good."
Isaac said she pulled her son out of school after the April 12
incident, The Enquirer reported.
Superintendent Joyce Phillips said the booth was dismantled and
removed from the Hughes Elementary School special needs
classroom, according to The Enquirer. The structure was 7 feet
tall, 4 feet wide and 4 feet deep, with carpeting, ventilation
and lighting.
"We are expecting the administration will conduct its
investigation and will report back to us," board member Paul
Beardslee told The Enquirer. "We'll take appropriate action once
that happens."
SOURCE:
The Battle Creek Enquirer, "Time-out booth gets time out,"
May 11, 2006
http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060511/NEWS01/605110305/1002
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Strange Lessons in School
Discipline," June 10, 2004
http://www.mackinac.org/6659
BENEFITS COST MORE THAN WAGES FOR SOME JPS EMPLOYEES
JACKSON, Mich. — People who supervise special education students
on buses in the Jackson Public Schools can earn more in benefits
than in wages, according to The Jackson Citizen Patriot.
Superintendent Dan Evans told taxpayers that type of financial
set-up cannot continue.
Evans gave an example at a recent budget forum of a supervisory
rider earning $19,181 in wages, and $24,519 in benefits, The
Citizen Patriot reported. Evans said the same job in other
Jackson County districts pays $7 an hour, compared to $13 an hour
for JPS.
"We think if we privatize, we can get those riders for a lot
less," Evans said, according to The Citizen Patriot.
Evans said privatizing 15 supervisors and special education bus
drivers would save the district about $300,000, The Citizen
Patriot reported. Overall, 15 teachers could be eliminated and 10
paraprofessional reduced to part-time as part of a $1.7 million
budget deficit reduction.
SOURCE:
The Jackson Citizen Patriot, "Evans offers argument for private
special-ed bus services," May 10, 2006
http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-17/114727723994440.xml?jacitpat?NEJ&coll=3
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Jackson will privatize again to save
money," May 9, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7701
Michigan Privatization Report, "Enviro-Clean Services Rated in
Jackson Survey," Feb. 24, 2006
http://www.mackinac.org/7600
LIST OF FELONS FORWARDED TO SCHOOLS
LANSING, Mich. — Almost 70 public school teachers in Michigan
were found to have felony records in a recent background check,
according to The Detroit News.
A May 1 report to the Legislature showed 66 teachers who were
employed as of Jan. 1 had felony convictions, while another three
had sex crime records, The News reported. Those three must be
fired immediately under child protection laws passed last year.
Teachers with non-sex related felony records must obtain
permission from their local superintendent and school board to
keep their jobs.
"School districts with employees who have listed offense
convictions have been notified by the Michigan Department of
Education of their responsibility to terminate those
individuals," according to a cover letter on the report written
by Jeremy Hughes, deputy superintendent for the Michigan
Department of Education.
Names of the teachers and schools were not included in the
report, according to The News. A Michigan State Police check of
all school employees was completed March 31. The names were
cross-checked against Department of Education personnel
information.
An earlier check of more than 200,000 school employees
erroneously identified several innocent people as criminals, The
News reported. The new report will not be made public until the
findings are double checked by both the state and individual
school districts.
SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "Checks expose teacher crimes," May 9, 2006
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060509/SCHOOLS/605090328/1026
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Court seals data on school employees
with criminal backgrounds," Jan. 31, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7570
Michigan Education Digest, "School employee background check
turns up felons," Jan. 24, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7564
Michigan Education Digest, "High cost of fingerprinting school
employees," Dec. 6, 2005
http://www.educationreport.org/7458
Michigan Education Digest, "Granholm signs student safety bills,"
Oct. 4, 2005
http://www.educationreport.org/7373
MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST is a service of Michigan Education
Report (
http://www.educationreport.org),
a quarterly newspaper
with a circulation of nearly 150,000 published by the Mackinac
Center for Public Policy (
http://www.mackinac.org),
a private,
nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute.
Contact Managing Editor Ted O'Neil at
mailto:med@educationreport.org
To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to
http://www.educationreport.org/pubs/mer/listserver.aspx.