Contents of this issue:
- Muskegon school districts compete for kindergarteners
- Oak Park student charged with assaulting teacher
- Macomb Catholic school breaks ground
- Michigan school board members create leadership organization
- Mona Shores teachers switch health plans, get raises
- Comment and win an iPod
MUSKEGON SCHOOL DISTRICTS COMPETE FOR KINDERGARTENERS
MUSKEGON, Mich. — Muskegon County school districts are hosting
recruiting events to boost kindergarten enrollment for next
year, according to The Muskegon Chronicle.
All 12 Muskegon County districts participate in the schools of
choice program and have decided to coordinate "kindergarten
roundup" events to allow parents to "shop" for the best school
district for their child, while also allowing enrollment on the
spot for students within the district boundaries, The Chronicle
reported.
Districts are taking varied approaches to the "roundup"
activities. A handful are asking that parents attend without the
future student, while others are offering free child care during
the activities and some have made the events kid-friendly by
offering "literacy bags" with books for children, according to
The Chronicle.
"We're hoping by promoting public schools, we'll have more
families joining us," Amy Upham, principal of Fruitport
Community Schools' Edgewood Elementary, told The Chronicle.
"It's a time when parents can come in and view the classrooms."
SOURCE:
The Muskegon Chronicle, "County schools aggressively going after
kindergartners," Feb. 12, 2008
https://www.mlive.com/news/chronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1202829317318430.xml&coll=8
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Conclusion: Competition Is
Improving Public Schools for Michigan Children," in "The Impact
of Limited School Choice on Public School Districts,"
July 24, 2000
https://www.mackinac.org/2979
OAK PARK STUDENT CHARGED WITH ASSAULTING TEACHER
OAK PARK, Mich. — An Oak Park High School student has been
charged with assault and battery in response to an incident with
a female teacher, according to The Detroit News.
The girl, 17, will go before an Oakland County District Court
judge for the assault charge. A second female student, 15, may
be charged for assaulting a male teacher as he came to break up
the initial fight, The News reported.
"Since she was a juvenile, we sent a request for a petition to
the Oakland County prosecutor, and they will determine if she
will be charged with assault and battery," Lt. Mike Pousak of
the Oak Park Police Department told The News.
Both students were suspended with recommendation that they be
expelled. The expulsion hearings will be held in upcoming weeks.
The two girls were upset with the teacher over an earlier
incident and confronted her, according to The News.
"They went to her classroom and called for her to step out of
the classroom," Pousak told The News. "The teacher then called
for another teacher who tried to step between her and the girls,
and one of the girls then assaulted him."
Oak Park High School has a history of violence, The News
reported. Last fall, a janitor was assaulted at the school after
a football game and weeks later, a student was found carrying a
large folding knife as well as being in possession of marijuana.
The same day, a fight broke out in the lunch room, resulting in
charges against a handful of students. Despite the violence,
administrators believe they handle it well, according to The
News.
"We had some kids who were acting inappropriately and now
they'll suffer the consequences," Superintendent Sandra Harris
told The News. "We won't tolerate that kind of behavior. The
students were disgruntled and mad at the teacher. They decided
to take their aggression out on her."
SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "Girl's assault hearing set," Feb. 11, 2008
https://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080211/METRO01/802110352/1410/METRO01
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "The three P's of school safety:
parents, prevention, and police," Nov. 1, 2001
https://www.educationreport.org/3134
MACOMB CATHOLIC SCHOOL BREAKS GROUND
MACOMB, Mich. — A Catholic high school 10 years in the making
has started the building process and is scheduled to open in
September 2009, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Austin Catholic Academy has been able to raise about one-third
of the $30 million needed to construct the school and continues
to examine financing options, the Free Press reported.
Nationwide, enrollment in Catholic schools has dropped to 2.3
million in 2006-07 from 2.4 million in 2005-2006.
"We are going to have to go out for tax-free school bonds, which
need to be repaid by community effort and donations," Leonard
Brillati, president of the board of trustees, told the Free
Press. "We just need everybody's effort in the community to come
forward with financial gifts."
Austin will be the only co-ed Catholic school in Macomb County
and will have 40 teachers and 200 high school freshmen upon
opening. It will add a new class each year until it reaches its
capacity of 800 students in 2012-2013, according to the Free
Press.
SOURCE:
Detroit Free Press, "Catholic school in Macomb breaking ground
today," Feb. 12, 2008
https://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080214/NEWS04/80214031
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "Detroit-area Catholic schools look
to future," Nov. 21, 2006
https://www.educationreport.org/8028
MICHIGAN SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS CREATE LEADERSHIP ORGANIZATION
LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Mich. — Education leaders from around the
state have established the Michigan School Board Leaders Forum
Inc., an organization to help districts communicate about
education issues, according to the Livingston Daily Press &
Argus.
The group was formed as a way to educate board members statewide
about contract negotiations, general reform issues and tools for
financial management. The group has created an online forum to
start discussion of these issues and is hoping this is a first
step to broadening the perspectives of school board members.
Eventually, the group plans to hold regional meetings, the Press
& Argus reported.
"This is a chance for those of us committed to meaningful
education reform to create a forum dedicated to improving the
system, rather than simply supporting the status quo," Mike
Reno, a Rochester Community Schools board member, told the Press
& Argus. "MSBLF is about responsible stewardship and
accountability to students, parents and taxpayers."
SOURCE:
Livingston Daily Press & Argus, "School leaders band together,"
Feb. 18, 2008
https://www.livingstondaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080218/NEWS01/802180307
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Board Self-Help,"
Sept. 27, 2004
https://www.mackinac.org/6844
MONA SHORES TEACHERS SWITCH HEALTH PLANS, GET RAISES
MONA SHORES, Mich. — The Mona Shores teachers and board of
education have agreed to a two-year contract that will include
pay raises while saving the district $300,000 a year on health
insurance costs, according to The Muskegon Chronicle.
Teachers will receive a 2 percent pay increase for 2008-2009 and
2009-2010 and will receive health benefits through the Michigan
Education Special Services Association Choices II plan.
Previously, teachers could choose the more expensive Super Care
I MESSA plan. Teachers will also contribute $10 and $20 for
prescription co-pays, while before they contributed $5 and $10
for co-pays, The Chronicle reported. MESSA is a third-party
administrator affiliated with the Michigan Education Association
school employees union that outsources insurance underwriting
and then sells the policies to school districts.
An agreement was reached months before the current contract
expires on Aug. 31.
"We found a way to save the district thousands of dollars each
year and still maintain quality health care insurance for our
members," Keith Sauter, president of the Mona Shores Teachers
Education Association, told The Chronicle. "We were able to
discuss issues and work out solutions that addressed concerns
for both sides rather quickly."
SOURCE:
The Muskegon Chronicle, "Mona Shores teachers get 2 percent
raises with new contract," Feb. 12, 2008
https://www.mlive.com/news/chronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1202829307318430.xml&coll=8
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Selective Moral Outrage,"
Sept. 24, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/9003
NEW HIGH SCHOOL TO OPEN IN ANN ARBOR
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Ann Arbor Public Schools plans to open the
newly constructed Skyline High School with about 400 freshmen
next fall, according to The Detroit News.
AAPS will transfer staff from its other two high schools, Huron
and Pioneer, to the four-story school, which cost $80 million to
build, The News reported.
A printed correction The News ran on Feb. 13, 2008, said Skyline
High School's opening was delayed due to construction setbacks.
The News had originally reported the delay was due to a lack of
operating funds.
SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "New schools too costly to operate,"
Feb. 9, 2008
https://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008802090354
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "New Ann Arbor High School $3 million
over budget," Dec. 13, 2005
https://www.educationreport.org/7464
COMMENT AND WIN AN IPOD
MIDLAND, Mich. — Go to
https://educationreport.org and
post
a comment for a chance to win one of three iPods.
MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST is a service of Michigan Education
Report (
https://www.educationreport.org),
a quarterly newspaper
published by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy
(
https://www.mackinac.org),
a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan
research and educational institute.
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