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MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST
October 17, 2006

Contents of this issue:
  • DPS to re-bid IT contract
  • Troy graduates concerned about personal information
  • Eleven running for two board of education seats
  • Saline teachers get new contract
  • Flint, Saginaw enrollment down more than projected
DPS TO RE-BID IT CONTRACT
DETROIT — Detroit Public Schools could seek new bids on a $58 million technology contract after controversy arose over the relationship between Superintendent William F. Coleman III and one of the companies involved, according to The Detroit News.

The board of education met in closed session for more than two hours on Oct. 12. Coleman said he referred an associate to one of the bidding companies that eventually won a portion of the contract, The News reported.

"On the face of it, it looks suspicious, there's no question," board President Jimmy Womack told The News. Womack also said the board would not discipline Coleman until after an investigation is completed, according to The News.

SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "DPS board stalls action on IT contract," Oct. 13, 2006
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061013/SCHOOLS/610130354& SearchID=73260130588123

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "DPS' credit rating falls after $259 million tax error," Dec. 15, 2005
http://www.educationreport.org/7467

Michigan Education Digest, "DPS must repay almost $1 million to feds," July 5, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7807

Michigan Education Digest, "DPS limits 'excessive' retreat spending," May 23, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7710

TROY GRADUATES CONCERNED ABOUT PERSONAL INFORMATION
TROY, Mich. — A group of alumni from Troy Athens High School wants the school district to pay for five years of free credit reports for each of them after personal information was reported missing, according to The Detroit News.

Troy Public Schools is not sure if a computer hard drive containing the names, addresses and Social Security numbers for about 4,400 people was lost or stolen, prompting concerns about identity theft, The News reported.

Nick Britzky, a 2000 graduate, told The News he is developing a Web site for alumni to monitor the situation, and has requested that the district pay for five years of free credit reports for those whose names were on the list.

Police are investigating the loss, which they believe occurred in August while the school was being renovated, according to The News.

SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "Troy alumni confront district," Oct. 11, 2006
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006610110383

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "Education privacy law strengthened," Sept. 13, 2000
http://www.educationreport.org/3064

ELEVEN RUNNING FOR TWO BOARD OF EDUCATION SEATS
LANSING, Mich. — There are 11 candidates, including two sitting members, running for two open seats on the State Board of Education, according to WOOD-TV.

The incumbents are Democrat Reginald Turner, a Detroit attorney, who was appointed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm to serve an unexpired term in 2003, and Republican Eileen Weiser, whose husband, Ronald, served as ambassador to the Slovak Republic from 2001-2004.

Challengers include Democrat Casandra Ulbrich, senior director of development for Wayne State University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Republican Tom McMillin, former mayor of Auburn Hills and former Oakland County commissioner, WOOD-TV reported.

Third-party candidates include Debra Hayden, Natural Law Party; Erwin Haas and Ernest Whiteside, Libertarian Party; Kevin Carey and Jacob Woods, Green Party; and George Emerson and Gail Graeser, U.S. Taxpayers Party.

The board is charged with appointing the state superintendent of public instruction and overseeing curriculum standards.

SOURCE:
WOOD-TV, "Two incumbents take on nine challengers for state school board," Oct. 11, 2006
http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5522034&nav=0Rce

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "State board hires new ed chief," Aug. 16, 2005
http://www.educationreport.org/7236

Michigan Education Report, "Lansing must embrace basic reform following Watkins debacle," April 11, 2005
http://www.educationreport.org/7038

SALINE TEACHERS GET NEW CONTRACT
SALINE, Mich. — Teachers in the Saline Area Schools agreed to switch from traditional health insurance to a PPO and pay a bigger share of their own prescription drug costs as part of a contract that also includes pay raises, according to The Ann Arbor News.

The 325-member teachers union agreed to a new three-year contract that will increase their salaries 1 percent this year, 3 percent next year and 2 percent in the final year, The News reported. The pay raises are expected to cost the district $1.6 million, while the health insurance savings will net $300,000.

Trustee Art Trapp was the only school board member to vote against the contract, expressing concern that the district's fund balance is below the board-mandated level of 5 percent of its operating costs.

"We have not had a positive year (with revenue over expenses) in the last eight years," Trapp told The News. "One of the things I thought we made pretty clear is we needed to end up with a 5 percent reserve. I didn't see anything that would get us back to 5 percent."

Both sides agreed that the contract could be opened in the third year to revisit changes in health insurance costs and salaries, according to The News.

SOURCE:
The Ann Arbor News, "Saline teachers OK contract," Oct. 6, 2006
http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-19/1160145656181800.xml?aanews?NEA&coll=2

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Escanaba teachers get raises linked to health insurance costs," Oct. 10, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7991

Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Decades of Dollars and Disappointment," Oct. 6, 2006
http://www.mackinac.org/7969

Michigan Education Digest, "Marquette teachers accept less costly MESSA insurance," Aug. 29, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7882

FLINT, SAGINAW ENROLLMENT DOWN MORE THAN PROJECTED
FLINT, Mich. — Enrollment in the Flint and Saginaw school districts are down twice as much as projected, according to local media.

Flint schools saw enrollment drop 1,800 students compared to September 2005, according to The Flint Journal.

About 16,550 students are enrolled in Flint this year, compared to 18,334 last year. Enrollment was almost 21,000 in 2002 and more than 33,000 in 1980, The Journal reported.

"I'm stunned," Steve Burroughs, president of the United Teachers of Flint, told The Journal.

In Saginaw, enrollment fell by about 800 students, compared to a drop of 400 the district expected, according to WNEM-TV5. Violence was cited by one parent who moved her children to a different district, while Michael Manley, district spokesman, told WNEM that fewer jobs in the area could be part of the reason.

SOURCES:
The Flint Journal, "Flint enrollment falls by almost 1,800 students," Oct. 1, 2006
http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-39/1159716020319230.xml?fljournal?NEF&coll=5

WNEM-TV5 "Saginaw Schools Looses Students and Money"
http://www.wnem.com/Global/story.asp?S=5471944

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Flint-area charter public schools growing," Sept. 26, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7946

Michigan Education Digest, "Flint schools prepare for enrollment drop," May 2, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7696

Michigan Education Digest, "Saginaw schools consider staff layoffs," 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 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 >>