Contents of this issue:
- Saginaw Township Schools cap schools of choice
- Michigan Center Schools consider privatizing coaching positions
- Mackinac Center launches school checkbook transparency project
- Washtenaw County ISD examines insurance pooling
- Kalamazoo County schools might ask for millage renewal
- Comment and win an iPod
- New issue of Michigan Education Report released
SAGINAW TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS CAP SCHOOLS OF CHOICE
SAGINAW TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The Saginaw Township Board of
Education has voted to put limits on its schools of choice
program, a move that will cost the district approximately
$150,000, according to The Saginaw News.
In response to concerns from community members, the board
unanimously voted to deny schools of choice applications for
students in grades seven through 12. The district will still be
open to out-of-district students in grades K-6. In addition to
the loss of funding, the new plan may also force parents to
separate siblings between districts, The News reported.
"Hopefully, (this puts) us where the community wants us," board
member Barbara Russell told The News.
Superintendent Jerry Seese said the cap was a compromise between
a divide in the community — some opposed schools of choice
altogether while others found it beneficial. There is no cap on
the number of elementary students who can be accepted, as each
building principal will be able to determine capacity. The loss
of revenue do to the change in policy will be taken from
district savings, according to The News.
SOURCE:
The Saginaw News, "District limits choice pupils," March 11, 2008
https://www.mlive.com/news/saginawnews/index.ssf?/base/news-25/
120524524792260.xml&coll=9
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
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Foundation Allowance:
General Education" in "A Michigan School Money Primer,"
May 30, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/8628#nonassign
MICHIGAN CENTER SCHOOLS CONSIDER PRIVATIZING COACHING POSITIONS
JACKSON, Mich. — The Michigan Center School District will
examine the possibility of contracting for coaching positions,
according to The Jackson Citizen Patriot.
The board gave approval at its last meeting and Superintendent
David Tebo will head the investigation. The neighboring Jackson
Community Schools began contracting for coaches this year with
savings of approximately $17,240, The Citizen Patriot reported.
"Mr. Tebo will be looking to see if any savings are possible by
going that direction. I know Jackson High has privatized
coaching, but I understand the savings have been minimal," Board
President Gerald Holda said during the meeting, according to The
Citizen Patriot.
SOURCE:
The Jackson Citizen Patriot, "Board to study privatizing school
coaches," March 13, 2008
https://www.mlive.com/news/citpat/index.ssf?/base/news-24/
1205417117102180.xml&coll=3
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Survey 2007: More Growth in
School Support Services Privatization," Aug. 16, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/8881
MACKINAC CENTER LAUNCHES SCHOOL CHECKBOOK TRANSPARENCY PROJECT
MIDLAND, Mich. — The Mackinac Center for Public Policy has
launched a new initiative to open up the check registers of
Michigan's public school districts and place them online for
easy public access, according to a Center press release.
The Center will contact school districts, explain the importance
of spending transparency, and compile any information on the
Web.
"Michigan spends about $19 billion a year in local, state and
federal tax dollars on public education," Mackinac Center Policy
Analyst Kenneth M. Braun said. "That's quite a significant
number when you realize that the state's total budget is $43
billion. Anything school districts can do to be open about how
they spend tax dollars will enhance peoples' confidence and
promote accountability."
The Montrose Community Schools in Genesee County has set the
precedent for financial transparency, as parents, taxpayers,
school employees, reporters and anyone else can access the
district's Web site to monitor how resources are spent,
according to the press release.
"It is admirably open and detailed," Braun said. "We know that
Bushey Radiator charged the district $45.50 for repair work, and
we can see exactly how much was spent on buns and milk for the
cafeteria."
The St. Clair County Regional Educational Service Agency is an
intermediate school district with a commitment to spending
transparency. Checkbook transparency will join the Mackinac
Center's Michigan School Databases, which already provide
revenue, expenditure and collective bargaining agreements for
every public school district in the state, the press release
reported.
It is anticipated that the Web site may save taxpayer dollars by
allowing schools to shop for more cost-effective suppliers of
goods and services.
"We want taxpayers to know where their money is going, and
school districts to find out if they're getting the best deals
on everything from hamburger buns to bus radiators," Braun said.
"In the long run, this can only benefit schools. Voters tend to
reward good public stewardship."
According to an editorial from The Detroit News, "Since more
than 40 percent of state dollars are spent on public education
and revenue is tight, public scrutiny is more important than
ever."
SOURCES:
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Celebrating Sunshine
Week: Mackinac Center Launches School Checkbook Transparency
Project," March 13, 2008
https://www.mackinac.org/9330
The Detroit News, "Put school expenses on the Web,"
March 15, 2008
https://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080315/OPINION01/
803150306/1008
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School District Checkbook
Register Report," March 13, 2008
https://www.mackinac.org/9329
WASHTENAW COUNTY ISD EXAMINES INSURANCE POOLING
ANN ARBOR, Mich.- The 10 districts in the Washtenaw County
Intermediate School District are hiring a consultant to explore
the possibility of creating a pool for employee benefits,
according to The Ann Arbor News.
The consultant will help the ISD examine the options made
available by legislation passed in October. Most of the county's
districts are also on different collective bargaining schedules,
making uniform changes more difficult.
Brian Marcel, the ISD's superintendent of business services,
said districts may join up in smaller pools, as opposed to one
countywide pool. Kevin Harty, a lawyer from a Lansing-based law
firm, told district representatives there was only one question
when considering benefits consolidation.
"Can we maintain the same level of benefits at a lower cost?
Looking at it objectively, with a large group of employees, you
should have some economies of scale," he told The Ann Arbor
News.
SOURCE:
The Ann Arbor News, "Districts consider consolidation of health-care benefits," March 14, 2008
https://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/03/
districts_consider_consolidati.html
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "(4) Pooling/Multiple
Employer Welfare Arrangement Plans," in "A Collective Bargaining
Primer," Feb. 28, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/8307
KALAMAZOO COUNTY SCHOOLS MIGHT ASK FOR MILLAGE RENEWAL
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Kalamazoo County's public schools are
proposing the renewal of a countywide millage as district
officials claim to be in dire financial situations, according to
The Kalamazoo Gazette.
In general, Kalamazoo County school districts have seen an
increase in their per-pupil allotments from the state since
2003-2004. But most districts have also seen enrollment drops
that have typically negated any state funding increases. Additionally, the districts have been seeing sharp increases in
the cost of contributing to employee retirement. Kalamazoo
County schools have seen a combined increase in state funding of
$13.7 million compared to 2003-2004, however, retirement
contributions have increased by $8.7 million, The Gazette
reported.
Ray Wilson, spokesman for the Kalamazoo County Taxpayers
Association, said the 1.5-mill request was "betraying" taxpayers
because the tax was presented in 2005 as temporary, and
questions whether the districts really needs more revenue,
according to The Gazette.
The most financially viable district in the county, Kalamazoo
Public Schools, is also trying to regain ground lost before the
Kalamazoo Promise brought students to the district.
"In the seven years before The Promise, we cut a total of $19.3
million from our budget," KPS Deputy Superintendent Gary Start
told The Gazette. "In the past two years, we've been able to
restore a million dollars each year. But there's still lots and
lots of things we haven't restored — for instance, we only have
two librarians among our 16 elementaries."
SOURCE:
The Kalamazoo Gazette, "Schools see money woes two ways: bad,
worse," March 15, 2008
https://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/03/
schools_see_money_woes_two_way.html
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "A Michigan School Money
Primer," May 30, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/8534
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.
NEW ISSUE OF MICHIGAN EDUCATION REPORT RELEASED
MIDLAND, Mich. — A number of intermediate school districts in
Michigan spend thousands to provide a vehicle or vehicle
allowance for top administrators, according to state-required
financial reports. Michigan Education Report lists those
districts and the dollar value of the personal use of the
vehicles in an article in the spring 2008 edition, now available
online at
https://www.educationreport.org.
The new edition also features articles about the lack of data
available to school districts trying to seek competitive bids
for health insurance, increased income and spending reported by
the Michigan Education Association, efforts to change special
education laws, and opposing viewpoints on the question of
linking students' standardized test scores to individual
teachers.
Michigan Education Report is published by the Mackinac Center
for Public Policy. Readers are invited to comment on articles in
this issue, and about Michigan education in general, at the
Report's forum site,
https://educationreport.org.
The names of all individuals posting comments will be entered in a summer
drawing for an iPod.
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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