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MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST
July 8, 2008

Contents of this issue:
  • DPS sues former employees for allegedly issuing illicit contracts
  • GVSU decides not to reauthorize Kalamazoo charter school
  • Court of Appeals sides with schools in reporting cost case
  • Student expelled after attack on freshman
  • Plainwell schools add hours for struggling students
DPS SUES FORMER EMPLOYEES FOR ALLEGEDLY ISSUING ILLICIT CONTRACTS
DETROIT — The Detroit Public Schools has filed a lawsuit against one of its former department managers for allegedly issuing more than $45 million in unauthorized contracts, according to The Detroit News.

The lawsuit claims that Stephen Hill, who managed the DPS' Risk Management Office from 2001 to 2007, established these contracts by ignoring accounting procedures and creating a computer system separate from the district's network. According to The News, the lawsuit also alleges that Hill received kickbacks and that the contracts in question produced few services in return for the school district's payments.

Hill's assistant at the time is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, according to The News. The News reported that no criminal charges had been filed at that time.

SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "Lawsuit: Former DPS employee created elaborate scheme to pay cronies," July 1, 2008
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080701/METRO/ 807010424/1409/METRO

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "Financial scandals exposed in Michigan school districts," Nov. 17, 2002
http://www.mackinac.org/4835

GVSU DECIDES NOT TO REAUTHORIZE KALAMAZOO CHARTER SCHOOL
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Grand Valley State University has declined to renew the charter of Kalamazoo's Advantage Academy, according to the Kalamazoo Gazette.

GVSU cites consistently poor performance and decreasing enrollment as reasons for closing the school. The Gazette reports that the school has met federal Annual Yearly Progress targets for the last two years, and that many believe it should stay open.

"I'd keep (the school) open," said Sharif Shakrani, co-director of Michigan State University's Center for Education Policy, according to the Gazette. "My analysis indicates they're making significant progress. ... Usually you would close a school when it's regressing, but this school is getting better, not worse." Shakrani developed an analysis of the school's progress that was "carefully reviewed" by the GVSU Charter School Office, according to Ed Richardson, the head of the office.

"Nothing in [that analysis] makes us think that our decision not to renew the contract was incorrect," Richardson said in an e-mailed statement, the Gazette reported.

SOURCE:
Kalamazoo Gazette, "Closing of Kalamazoo Advantage Academy a lesson in complexity of charter schools," July 4, 2008
http://blog.mlive.com/kzgazette/2008/07/closing_of_kalamazoo_advantage.html

FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Charter Schools Don't Need More Michigan Department of Education 'Oversight,'" Aug. 12, 2003
http://www.mackinac.org/5670

COURT OF APPEALS SIDES WITH SCHOOLS IN REPORTING COST CASE
LANSING, Mich. — The state Court of Appeals ruled that state officials have been shortchanging school districts by not compensating them for changes in reporting requirements, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The judges unanimously ruled that the governor and Legislature violated the Headlee amendment to the Michigan Constitution by requiring districts to report more performance information without additional funding. The reporting changes add between $50 million and $100 million to local districts' costs annually, according to a lawyer who represented taxpayers from 460 Michigan school districts in the case.

SOURCE:
Detroit Free Press, "Court: Mich. Schools forced to bear reporting costs," July 7, 2008
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080707/NEWS06/ 80707047

FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Headlee Amendment: Serving Michigan for 25 years" Aug. 4, 2003
http://www.mackinac.org/5574

STUDENT EXPELLED AFTER ATTACK ON FRESHMAN
WAYLAND, Mich. — A student from Wayland Union High School was expelled for her alleged role in a videotaped attack of a freshman student, according to the Kalamazoo Gazette.

The Gazette reported that another freshman girl apparently participated in the attack, but that according to the district's superintendent, the girl could not be disciplined by the district because she had moved away. The two girls, however, have reportedly been charged with aggravated assault and could face one year in a juvenile detention center and $1,000 in fines. Police have also investigated the student who held the camera during the attack, the Gazette reported.

The 14-year-old victim was cut and bruised. According to the Gazette, suspects told the police they did not agree with her support for gay rights.

SOURCE:
Kalamazoo Gazette, "Wayland student expelled after attack on freshman," July 1, 2008
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-29/1214923849 283690.xml&coll=7

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "The three P's of school safety: parents, prevention, and police," Nov. 1, 2000
http://www.educationreport.org/3134
PLAINWELL SCHOOLS ADD HOURS FOR STRUGGLING STUDENTS
PLAINWELL, Mich. — Dozens of Plainwell elementary school students who have trouble reading will come to school an hour early next fall, according to the Kalamazoo Gazette.

Previously, students with reading competency problems were removed from class during science or social studies to work in small groups with reading instructors.

"There are some who thought this was an issue because the students were missing other opportunities," Curriculum Director Bob Van Dis told the Gazette. "Plus, these topics help the students develop reading fluency."

SOURCE:
Kalamazoo Gazette, "Schools add hours for reading help," July 5, 2008
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-29/1215231616 149620.xml&coll=7

FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest,"'Reading Recovery' is no such thing" April 25, 2001
http://www.educationreport.org/3430

MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST is a service of Michigan Education Report (http://www.educationreport.org), an online newspaper 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=MED

Related Topics: Education
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Wed., September 1, 2010
"An aviation school in Michigan is one example of a new generation of public charter schools designed to serve niche audiences." >>
Tue., August 31, 2010
"A 10-year-old Windsor boy who completed part of his education in Michigan is being denied entry to public high school in Windsor even though he's completed the eighth-grade curriculum." >>
Mon., August 30, 2010
"Principal John Hoving is using Facebook as a way to promote Bay City All Saints Central School as well as to head off possible cyber bullying." >>
Sun., August 29, 2010
"Royal Oak Public Schools students will be featured in an Oct. 12 episode of MTV's "If You Really Knew Me," a cable television program that the producer describes as "students trying to be accepted for who they are."" >>
Sat., August 28, 2010
"Public schools in Michigan were offered an automatic "A" on part of their annual state report card this year, a one-time arrangement that may have spared some from being unaccredited." >>
Fri., August 27, 2010
"More than 1,000 teacher retirements will allow Detroit Public Schools to recall all teachers from layoff and hire up to 300 more to fill staffing gaps." >>
Thu., August 26, 2010
"Inland Lakes Schools is considering hiring a private firm to provide custodial services as a way to save money, but a union representative says that new federal funding makes such a move unnecessary." >>
User Comments
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
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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. >>
verdemont resident
This article is tucked away yet is profoundly correct. Parents are pseudo parenting little objects of consumption. Teens, professionals, working moms like the "idea" of a child but are not in for the long haul and everyone loses.

Schools are enabling parents to do precious little. The time parents spend with their children is the only thing that matters. Bussing needs to be cut, school breakfast, lunch, and afterschool care needs to be stopped. Parents will grow that bond by sacrificing the nails, hair, parties, drugs, quads, vacations, etc. and making a lunch for their child and arrangements to be home when the child is out of school. No one is that poor that they can't provide a boloney sandwich, a baggie of pretzels, an apple, 50 cents for a milk, and two cookies each day.

Please respond!

>>
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 >>