A second Warren Consolidated School district official came forward to dispute a union leader's claim that the district had students sitting on the floor without desks due to budget cuts.
School Board Member Brendan Wagner said in an email: "I am certainly not aware of students sitting on floors because they have no desks. At least that is to the best of my knowledge in WCS. I have parents contacting me on a regular basis on a myriad of issues and would think that that would be one if it were the case."
Jennifer Miller, Warren Education Association Executive Director, said the district had "kids on the floor without any desks" at a Michigan Education Association rally at Sterling Heights' Dodge Park on May 24, according to www.candgnews.com.
Last week, Brian Walmsley, the district's chief economic officer, said he wasn't aware of any instances where students sat on the floor without a desk
Wagner was the only one of the seven board members who responded to an e-mail requesting comment on Miller's quote. Miller didn't respond to requests for comment from e-mails and phone messages left at her office.
Miller's comment raised eyebrows about the district's finances since the average salary of a Warren teacher is about $73,421 a year and the teachers don't pay anything towards health care costs, according to the school's 2008-09 data.
The school district's web site also states they won't consider privatization which saved Troy Public School District $4 million, according to Michael Van Beek, director of education policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.
Tight security locked out dozens of anti-right-to-work protesters from the State Capitol as Governor Snyder was delivering his "State of the State" address. Protesters tried to disrupt the speech by banging and chanting outside the building.
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FROM MICHIGAN HOME HELP PROGRAM PROVIDERS — OFTEN FAMILY MEMBERS
ATTORNEY GENERAL ORDERED THE STATE TO STOP TAKING MONEY ON MAY 25, 2012
opinion May 25, 2012
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) "organized” Michigan's self-employed Home Help Program providers for the purpose of skimming dues from their ailing and disabled clients' Medicaid subsidy checks. The majority of these providers are relatives or friends taking care of loved ones. It’s been estimated that less than 25 percent of the providers are hired in an employment setting.
The first counter tallies SEIU dues skimmed since the union and state officials first launched this scheme in late 2006. The second shows the amount skimmed since June 9, 2011, when the Michigan House passed and sent to the Senate a bill to ban this and all similar “stealth unionization” efforts. The third counter shows the dues skimmed since the Governor signed the bill into law on April 10, 2012. The fourth counter shows the amount skimmed since May 25, 2012, when the Attorney General opinion was announced.
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