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MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST
November 7, 2006

Contents of this issue:
  • DPS fights union to keep at-risk program
  • Lansing schools may save by cutting teachers' stipend
  • Report: Charters have higher teacher certification
  • School safety drill angers parents
  • Merrill schools move to alternative fuel
DPS FIGHTS UNION TO KEEP AT-RISK PROGRAM
DETROIT — The Detroit Federation of Teachers union is refusing to sign a waiver exempting those who teach in Last Chance, a program for at-risk students, from DFT's collective bargaining agreement, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Detroit Public Schools receive state funding for the program, which is run by private organizations. DFT will only sign the exemption waiver if DPS uses half of its share of the state funding to give union members pay raises, the Free Press reported.

Janna Garrison, president of the DFT, said that the union has granted waivers for the past two years and was told by the district that it would try to "work something out," the Free Press reported.

DPS, in exchange for signing the waiver, has offered to pay the union's $100,000 in legal fees the DFT accrued during a recent strike, the Free Press reported. The teachers union conducted an illegal strike that denied instruction to students for several days in September.

SOURCE:
Detroit Free Press, "In Detroit, schools and union dispute money again," Oct. 31, 2006
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061031/NEWS02/610310403/1004

FURTHER READING:
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, "Detroit dropout programs encourage kids to go back to school," Sept. 27, 2005
http://www.educationreport.org/7364

LANSING SCHOOLS MAY SAVE BY CUTTING TEACHERS' STIPEND
LANSING, Mich. — The Lansing school district will save $2.5 million a year by ending a $166 monthly health care stipend for teachers, according to the Lansing State Journal.

District officials said the stipend was offered on a temporary basis for teachers who chose a less costly version of union-affiliated health insurance. The monthly bonus was used as an incentive for teachers who opted for Tri-MED, under which they agree to pay a portion of their own doctor visits and prescriptions, the State Journal reported.

"For some of our teachers, this stop in payment is 10 percent of their income," union President Jerry Swartz told the Lansing State Journal.

The stipend was included in a contract that expired in August, according to the State Journal.

"We can't allow these inherent expenditures to take place because our surplus is simply not going to be there," board member Jack Davis told the State Journal.

The Michigan Education Association school employee union said it will file an unfair labor practice charge, as well as a wage and hour violation, against the district, the State Journal reported.

SOURCES:
Lansing State Journal, "District, teachers clash on insurance," Nov. 3, 2006
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061103/NEWS05/611030349/1006/news05

Lansing State Journal, "Loss of stipends angers teachers: Lansing schools' move cuts income of about 1,000 staff," Oct. 31, 2006
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061031/NEWS05/610310326/1006/news05

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Lansing public school board decides to close five schools," Feb. 22, 2005
http://www.educationreport.org/6987

Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Budgets: A Crisis of Management, Not Finance," Feb. 11, 2005
http://www.mackinac.org/6980

Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Six Habits of Fiscally Responsible School Districts," Dec. 3, 2002
http://www.mackinac.org/4891

REPORT: CHARTERS HAVE HIGHER TEACHER CERTIFICATION
LANSING, Mich. — Charter public schools have a higher percentage of certified teachers than their "host" conventional public school districts, according to a new report issued by the Michigan Association of Public School Academies.

According to The Detroit News, the report states 95 percent of teachers in charter schools are certified, compared to 87 percent of teachers in conventional public schools.

Dan Quisenberry, president of MAPSA, said the data shows charter public schools attract quality teachers.

"It's due to the diligence by the school to ensure they hire certified teachers," Quisenberry told The News.

Michigan Department of Education officials are concerned about the validity of the statistics because the information was self-reported by districts and could be inaccurate, according to The News.

"A school district cannot employ a teacher that is not certified or permitted," Martin Ackley, spokesman for the MDE, told The News, "And districts know that."

SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "More charter teachers certified," Oct. 27, 2006
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006610270368

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Governor's letter calls on authorizers to improve charter performance," Sept. 27, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7364

Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Teaching by Example," Oct. 24, 2004
http://www.mackinac.org/6867

Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Does Teacher Certification Matter?" Sept. 14, 2004
http://www.mackinac.org/6831

SCHOOL SAFETY DRILL ANGERS PARENTS
WYOMING, Mich. — Parents and students were caught off guard by "lock-down" drills held in the Godfrey Lee school district middle and high schools, according to The Grand Rapids Press.

Local police officers in riot gear stormed into two separate classrooms, took students into the hall and patted them down. Students were given no reason to believe they were participating in a drill, according to The Press.

Many parents were outraged and believed the drill went too far.

"Some of these kids were so scared, they just about wet their pants," Marge Bradshaw, a parent of four children who attend the schools told The Press. "I think it's pure wrong that the students and parents were not informed of this."

Despite concern from many parents, the Godfrey Lee school board is standing by its decision, according to The Press.

"How are you going to know if you're prepared or not if you don't go 100 percent?" board member Doug Alspaugh told The Press.

SOURCES:
The Grand Rapids Press, "School board members approve of tactics in drill," Oct. 31, 2006
http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-32/116230981721780.xml?grpress?NEG&coll=6

The Grand Rapids Press, "Realistic school drill riles parents," Oct. 28, 2006
http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-32/1162017602317690.xml?grpress?NEG&coll=6

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "The three P's of school safety," Nov. 1, 2000
http://www.educationreport.org/3134

Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Private Protection: A Growing Industry Could Enhance School Safety," Nov. 16, 1998
http://www.mackinac.org/802

MERRILL SCHOOLS MOVE TO ALTERNATIVE FUEL
MERRILL, Mich. — Merrill Community Schools has partnered with private industry in an attempt to reduce heating costs, according to the Midland Daily News.

The district recently purchased a $70,000 corn-fed furnace from Best Burns, prompted in part by an increase in natural gas prices. The boiler, along with other energy-saving changes, is expected to save the district $30,000 per year, the Daily News reported.

The system currently is tied in to the middle school's hot water heating system, and can be upgraded to heat the high school, according to the Daily News.

SOURCE:
Midland Daily News, "Merrill Schools a state leader for alternative energy," Oct. 31, 2006
http://www.ourmidland.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=17400922&BRD=2289& PAG=461&dept_id=578054&rfi=8

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Private firm helps Battle Creek schools cut energy costs," July 19, 2006
http://www.educationreport.org/7817

Michigan Education Digest, "Walled Lake implements program to save on energy," Nov. 1, 2005
http://www.educationreport.org/7417

Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Six Habits of Fiscally Responsible School Districts," Dec. 3, 2002
http://www.mackinac.org/4891

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 Sarah Grether at
mailto:med@educationreport.org

To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to
http://www.educationreport.org/pubs/mer/listserver.aspx?Source=wwwMED
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User Comments
suemack
Since 2009, the EFM was allocated $500.5 million in stimulus funds. They tore down a High School and built a multi-million dollar Cass Tech, the structure alone costing $94 million. $45 million was spent for a safety program. $41 million was used to purchase a reading series not needed, $50 million was used to buy all new computers for staff and students. $1.6 million was used for administrative travel and all leadership positions recieved significant raises. The EFM in the first year gave himself a $86,000 raise, including resources from philanthropist contributions, his salalry was somewhere beyond $450,000. This is a leadership who spent more to rent and eventually buy five floors of the Fisher Bldg for office space, paying more than the owner paid for the entire building one year earlier, adorned with rare and expensive artifacts.

Teachers have had pay freezes since 2001, they have had pay cuts, benefit cuts and an additional $500.00 has been deducted from their monothly pay for two years and counting.

Oh the money is in the schools alright, it just doesn't make it to the classroom. >>
adrianna
except/accept??????? per pupil funding. If you're a teacher, I hope this was a typo. >>
danielsmith506
Yes, I am agree with you. Educational equity argument can help, But also cause blowback credits are more popular than vouchers.

Thanks
_______
Daniel

<a href=“http://www.legalx.net” rel=“dofollow”>Find Attorney</a> >>
danielsmith506
Yes, I am agree with you. Educational equity argument can help, But also cause blowback credits are more popular than vouchers.

Thanks
_______
Daniel

<a href=“http://www.legalx.net”>Find Attorney</a> >>
9Billion
Your comment "No one is that poor that they cant provide a boloney sandwich..." was the definition of "out-of-touch". First, I agree whole-heartedly that parents matter. I would love to see parents drive or car pool kids to school. Even provide them with food, too. However, sadly it is unrealistic. The economy is so weak that everything is shrinking. If we eliminate transportation and food for students we may find many families electing not to send the child to school at all...then what?

Please respond! >>
colonelb
This agreement has saved the districts money yet we are chastised for it despite the fact the wording at issue was known to be invalid and unenforceable by either side. I applaud our effort and believe this suit is frivolous. http://www.godfrey-lee.org/education/components/board/default.php?sectiondetailid=3458&threadid=554 >>
carol peterson
education is an all around development for a child
he should be mentally and physically strong


<a href="http://rescueyoursavings.com" rel="dofollow">Savings</a> >>
carol peterson
education is an all around development for a child
he should be mentally and physically strong >>
johnstfu
Informative post. In order to deal with today's troubled youth, it is helpful to take a professional guidance for better teen recovery programs. Choosing a specialized organization for troubled youth is one of the most important steps for better teen recovery. Boysville is one of the non profit organization dedicated to help troubled youth with years of successful results by helping <a href=http://www.troubledteensguide.com/>troubled youth</a> to responsible individuals. Hope this organization continue their priceless support to most of the needy troubled youth with various helpful services. >>
Aarowman
Public servants like Presidents, Vice-Presidents, Senators, Congressmen, Judges, Secretaries of Various Departments and the like should be first to be compensated for performance.
The idea that the playing field for students is level everywhere is as Quixotic as thinking all politicians are honest and competent.
There are neighborhoods where only Portugese or gang sign language is spoken, where the parents both work two jobs to pay rent, where getting to school and back is more dangerous than Iraq and Afghanastan.
This Secretary of Education has to remove the silver spoon, roll up his sleeves and take his superior intellect attitude into the trenches and show the poor slobs that are taking their teachers jobs for granted how he would do it. Just because his mommy used to help out in Chicago doesn't give him the Congression Medal of Honor. Actually he's a stuffed shirt pretending to know it all.
How much do you want to bet that he wouldn't attempt entering these neighborhoods let alone these schools without security. >>