Search
Login
Register

MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST
September 12, 2006

Contents of this issue:
  • No classes for Detroit students
  • EMU professors stop strike for one day
  • Remedial education prevalent on college campuses
  • Kalamazoo enrollment up
  • Studies: Voucher schools "less segregated" than public schools
  • Fruitport teachers flock to less expensive MESSA
NO CLASSES FOR DETROIT STUDENTS
DETROIT — Detroit Public Schools students were denied instruction for a second week as more than 90 percent of the district's teachers disobeyed a judge's order to return to work, according to The Detroit News.

Fewer than 600 teachers out of about 7,000 returned to work Sept. 11, as ordered by Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Susan D. Borman, The News reported. Detroit teachers have refused to work since Aug. 28, after they rejected a contract offer from the district that sought a 5.55 percent pay cut and higher health insurance co-pays as part of $89 million in concessions, according to The News. It is illegal under Michigan law for public employees to strike.

DPS is closed indefinitely, and the district will ask Borman to find striking teachers in contempt of court, The News reported.

"We'll go back (to court) to exercise our right," DPS spokesman Lekan Oguntoyinbo told The News. "Now how (Borman) does that, that's up to her."

Striking teachers potentially face fines both for violating state law, as well as Borman's order, according to The News. DPS and the Detroit Federation of Teachers heard a presentation on fact finding from Ruthanne Okun, director of the Michigan Employment Relations Commission, before ending negotiations Monday afternoon.

SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "Detroit cancels classes as teachers defy court," Sept. 12, 2006
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060912/SCHOOLS/609120367

FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Teachers' Strikes, Court Orders and Michigan Law," Sept. 12, 2006
http://www.mackinac.org/7922

Michigan Education Digest, "DPS teachers union strikes," Aug. 29, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7882

Michigan Education Digest, "Detroit teachers union wants more money," June 27, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7798

Michigan Education Digest, "Study: Detroit graduation rate worst in the nation," June 27, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7798

EMU PROFESSORS STOP STRIKE FOR A DAY
YPSILANTI, Mich. — Faculty at Eastern Michigan University agreed to suspend their strike for one day and teach classes Sept. 12, according to The Ann Arbor News.

Professors at EMU have been without a contract since Aug. 31, but administrators at the school said they would not negotiate during what they consider an illegal strike, The News reported. Michigan law makes it illegal for public employees to strike. Negotiations were to resume at 7:30 a.m. Sept. 12, according to The News.

Bargaining stopped Sept. 5 after the faculty rejected a 5-year contract that would have given them 3 percent raises each year, The News reported.

SOURCE:
The Ann Arbor News, "Eastern Michigan faculty suspend strike, will teach Tuesday," Sept. 11, 2006
http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/michigan/index.ssf?/base/news-37/1158030875182080.xml& storylist=newsmichigan

FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Teachers' Strikes, Court Orders and Michigan Law," Sept. 12, 2006
http://www.mackinac.org/7922

Michigan Education Digest, "CMU saves millions without MESSA," April 11, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7677

REMEDIAL EDUCATION PREVALENT ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES
LANSING, Mich. — Community colleges in Michigan spent $21 million on remedial education in 2004-2005, according to Booth Newspapers.

Although the Michigan Department of Education does not track participation in remedial education classes at the state's 105 public and private colleges, it can be as high as three-quarters in some instances, Booth reported.

At Baker College, for example, 75 percent of students must take a remedial math class, including some that cover elementary school-level skills such as decimals and fractions, Booth reported.

About 1,400 freshmen at Michigan State University, out of a class of 8,900, took either a remedial math or reading class last year, according to Booth.

"Most community colleges and Baker College certainly, have seen an increase in under prepared students over the past several years," Cynthia VanGieson, dean of developmental education at Baker College in Jackson, told Booth.

Sen. Wayne Kuipers, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said he hopes new high school graduation requirements will put an end to remedial classes, but also plans to pursue legislation that would prohibit it for recent graduates, according to Booth.

A U.S. Department of Education study of students who entered college in 2000 found 28 percent of them needed at least one remedial class, Booth reported.

SOURCE:
Booth Newspapers, "College prep moves on campus as remedial classes jump," Sept. 3, 2006
http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1157278521233730.xml?muchronicle?NEM&coll=8

FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Cost of Remedial Education," Aug. 31, 2000
http://www.mackinac.org/3025

Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The 'Privatized' Cost of Remedial Education in Michigan," Aug. 1, 2000
http://www.mackinac.org/3012

Michigan Education Report, "Graduation requirements in place," May 25, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7727

KALAMAZOO ENROLLMENT UP
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Kalamazoo Public Schools, some of whose graduates can qualify for free college tuition, had 853 more students on the first day of classes last week compared to the start of the 2005-2006 school year, according to The Kalamazoo Gazette.

The count on the first day was 9,020, up from 8,167 a year ago. Even when counting about 900 kindergartners who were expected to start the following day, however, the district was still about 600 students short of its projection, The Gazette reported.

Some KPS elementary schools saw 10 percent more students over last year, while Central High School was up almost 80 students.

"We got a huge influx of freshman," Grant Chandler, dean of students, told The Gazette.

Under the Kalamazoo Promise, students who live in and attend KPS from kindergarten through graduation are eligible to have 100 percent of their tuition paid for at any public university in Michigan. Students who enroll after kindergarten, but before 10th grade, can receive 65 percent. The program is funded by anonymous, private donors.

SOURCE:
The Kalamazoo Gazette, "KPS first-day head count jumps," Sept. 6, 2006
http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-19/1157556003115810.xml?kzgazette?NEKP&coll=7

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "K-Promise: A whole new environment for Kalamazoo," March 7, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7624

Michigan Education Digest, "Charters, independent schools not worried about K-Promise," Nov. 29, 2005
http://www.educationreport.org/7448

STUDIES: VOUCHER SCHOOLS "LESS SEGREGATED" THAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
INDIANAPOLIS — A new study shows independent schools participating in voucher programs in Cleveland and Milwaukee are less segregated than the public schools in those metropolitan areas, according to studies released by the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation.

The voucher schools in Cleveland and Milwaukee were found to be 18 and 13 points, respectively, "less segregated" than local public schools. The statistics were determined using a "segregation index," which compares the racial composition of schools to that of school-age children in the area.

"This study confirms the findings of six other studies in Milwaukee, Cleveland and Washington, D.C., finding that private schools in voucher programs are less segregated than public schools," said Robert Enlow, executive director of the Friedman Foundation. "The plain truth is that the scare tactics of school choice opponents don't hold up, particularly in light of the evidence in Cleveland and Milwaukee that strongly suggests school choice may tear down the walls of segregation."

SOURCES:
Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation, "Segregation Levels in Cleveland Public Schools and the Cleveland Voucher Program," Aug. 31, 2006
http://www.friedmanfoundation.org/cleveland.pdf

Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation, "Segregation Levels in Milwaukee Public Schools and the Milwaukee Voucher Program," Aug. 31, 2006
http://www.friedmanfoundation.org/milwaukee.pdf

FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Fear of Segregation is No Argument Against School Choice," Feb. 7, 2000
http://www.mackinac.org/2669

Michigan Education Report, "Study: Private schools more integrated than public," April 16, 1999
http://www.educationreport.org/1695

FRUITPORT TEACHERS FLOCK TO LESS EXPENSIVE MESSA
FRUITPORT, Mich. — More than 80 percent of teachers in Fruitport Community Schools chose a less costly version of union-backed health insurance after approving a one-year contract, according to The Muskegon Chronicle.

Teachers who use Choices II, a PPO offered by the Michigan Education Special Services Association, will pay nothing, while teachers who continue receiving coverage under the more expensive Super Care I will pay a $100 deductible every month, The Chronicle reported. MESSA is a third-party administrator affiliated with the Michigan Education Association union, and acts as a middleman to repackage and resell health insurance plans to school districts.

The Chronicle reported that the change will save the district money. Pam Kihn, Fruitport's director of administrative services, told Michigan Education Digest that amount would be $160,000 a year.

Lynn Vanderberg, chief negotiator for the Fruitport teachers union, said it boosts morale to start the school year with a contract in place.

"It's nice to be able to work together, talk honestly, and reach a compromise," Vanderberg told The Chronicle.

Superintendent Nick Ceglarek told The Chronicle that the contract is "a fair agreement that rewards excellent teaching but allows us to be fiscally responsible as well."

SOURCE:
The Muskegon Chronicle, "Teachers, school district ratify one-year contract," Sept. 8, 2006
http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1157728505175650.xml&coll=8

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "Blue Cross and MESSA," Sept. 6, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7907

Michigan Education Digest, "Holton staffers drop MESSA," May 2, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7696

Michigan Education Digest, "Pinckney teachers voluntarily abandon MESSA," Feb. 7, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7585

Michigan Education Digest, "CMU saves millions without MESSA," April 11, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7677

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?Source=wwwMED
Michigan Education Daily
Wed., March 17, 2010
"Detroit Public Schools will end up with 100 fewer school buildings than it had in 2006 if a new closure plan is carried out." >>
Tue., March 16, 2010
"Most of the country's public schools would have more freedom under a proposed rewrite of the No Child Left Behind law." >>
Tue., March 16, 2010
"Reading scores improved in all grades, and math scores in most grades, while science and social studies scores dipped slightly on the Michigan Educational Assessment Program tests taken in fall of 2009." >>
Mon., March 15, 2010
"Some parents who attended a South Redford School District forum recently called on teachers to make wage or benefit concessions as a way to protect school programs." >>
Sun., March 14, 2010
"An ambitious proposal to overhaul Detroit Public Schools ran into opposition Thursday over the issue of dissolving the school board and allowing Mayor Dave Bing to take charge." >>
Sat., March 13, 2010
"At least 14 public school districts in the Muskegon area offer some type of alternative education, either on their own or through a consortium, but the programs are under both budget and academic pressure." >>
Fri., March 12, 2010
"Michigan voters may see a ballot initiative in August asking them to approve a sales tax on services, with the understanding that their approval would also mean education spending reform, the chairman of the House Education Committee said Wednesday." >>
User Comments
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 >>
colonelb
Godfrey-Lee on the west side of the state has been running all-day, every-day kindergarten for several years. >>
BenjaminY
We have a problem in Detroit Public School, their system had cash flow problem for years now. And honestly it getting worst in terms in progression with more children leaving to charter their schools almost every year. The state decided to give the Detroit school districts cash advance of $70 million so they would meet the schools expenses, as well as payment for teachers. Robert Bobb, the newly appointed emergency financial manager, requested the funds early in order for him to get the house in order before he had to start panicking. President Obama has been giving out large sums of money for troubled school districts, perhaps that’s where a generous portion of the aid came from. Getting Detroit Public Schools in working order is a worthy cause.

LINK TO READ FOR MORE INFO:
http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2009/03/10/state-advance-detroit-public-schools-70m/


>>
colonelb
I am all for school choice and think its great that charters are finally moving forward. However, I'm wondering if the research accounts for a playing field that is not level. I can't take my school buildings and move them anywhere I want, nor can I simply slap up a pole building and make it a school. If anything, public schools need less state regulation and oversight so we can play by the same minimal rules charters do. If you want public schools to compete to improve, remove the barriers to doing so. I will gladly except less funding per pupil if the playing field is level.
>>
karen
The purpose is to encourage non excercising children to excercise but my daughter's highschool gave her an improper body fat percentage and made my healthy daughter who trains 20 hours a week in tap jazz and ballet believe she was overweaghit instead of a person with muscles.
I believe the public schools do not have the right to make the diagnoses with these kids because they are using one measurement and recording it from their arms that they have a certain percetnage of body fat with one arm caliper test.
Does any one have feed back?
>>
deepakp9
Specifically, 81 percent of students in religiously affiliated schools and 82 percent of students in other private schools have parents who report being "very satisfied" with their schools, compared to 55 percent of students in assigned public schools and 63 percent of students in chosen public schools.

High levels of satisfaction among private school parents also extend to opinions about their children's teachers, academic standards of the school, order and discipline at the school, the amount of homework assigned, and interactions with school personnel.

http://fitt.in >>