Contents of this issue:
U.S. Secretary of Education resigns post
Editorial: Warren school board decision saves taxpayers money
Southfield district employees approve three-year contract
State Senate votes to replace MEAP with college admissions exam
Original authors of 'Proposal A' review their handiwork
Detroit to close schools, cut jobs due to lower enrollment
State House Education Committee pulls secession bill
U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION RESIGNS POST
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige resigned last
week, putting a tentative January end date on a four-year tenure that
oversaw some of the largest changes ever made to the federal
government's role in the nation's education system.
CNN called Paige "the public face of the No Child Left Behind Act," the
2002 law that was the centerpiece of the Bush administration's
education agenda. It mandated adoption of state standardized testing,
school evaluations and student achievement goals to improve education
nationwide. In a statement yesterday, Paige summed up the act's
progress with the observation, "No Child Left Behind is indelibly
launched. A culture of accountability is gripping the American
educational landscape."
Paige stated he would like to leave next January, at the end of the
president's first term, to pursue a "personal project" he did not
detail. Yesterday, he commented: "At the end of the president's first
term, I will have served longer than any Republican United States
Secretary of Education. At that time, my work here will be
accomplished."
SOURCES:
CNN, "Paige term defined by 'No Child Left Behind,'" Nov. 15, 2004
http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/11/15/paige.tenure.ap/
Michigan Education Report, "No Child Left Behind law demands 'adequate
yearly progress' and offers school choice options for parents,"
Fall 2002
https://www.educationreport.org/4846
Michigan Education Report, "President signs 'No Child Left Behind
Act,'" Winter 2002
https://www.educationreport.org/4082
EDITORIAL: WARREN SCHOOL BOARD DECISION SAVES TAXPAYERS MONEY
DETROIT — A Detroit News editorial last week praised the school board
of the Warren Consolidated Schools for a decision that would save
taxpayers and the district money.
The decision not to finance freshman baseball and softball teams at the
district's three high schools was laudable, said the News. The programs
would have cost the district $50,000 from its general operations fund,
straining the district's finances. "Adding unnecessary programs in
uncertain times does not make sense, financial or otherwise," the News
argued.
"Sports are valuable," the News added, but, "in the final analysis they
are not central to the primary role of public education — which is
teaching academics." The editorial called the decision "a prudent call"
in light of an ongoing review of the school district's sports programs.
SOURCES:
Detroit News, "Warren School Board Gives Taxpayers a Break,"
Nov. 11, 2004
https://www.detroitnews.com/2004/editorial/0411/12/A14-2061.htm
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Michigan's Budget Challenge"
https://www.mackinac.org/4964
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Six Habits of Fiscally
Responsible School Districts," December 2002
https://www.mackinac.org/4891
SOUTHFIELD DISTRICT EMPLOYEES APPROVE THREE-YEAR CONTRACT
DETROIT — Teachers and support workers at the Southfield Public Schools
last Tuesday approved a three-year contract some classify as the most
conservative contract their unions have agreed to in years, according
to The Detroit News.
The contract includes a 1.5 percent annual pay raise and reduced health
benefits for about 1,200 district employees. Teacher Elenore Glass told
the News she was pleased the contract passed muster with the union.
"I'm glad they don't have to go back to the drawing board," she said.
"We are living in really challenging times. People are downsizing and
that has to be taken into consideration."
School board spokesman Ken Siver said the board is expected to approve
the contract. The last contract expired Aug. 12, 2003, and this
contract would be retroactive to that date. Details of the agreement
are not yet available to the public.
"We could not offer the same salary and benefit packages as before,"
Board President Paul Cooper told The News. "This is certainly
precedent-setting; it's a conservative contract."
SOURCES:
Detroit News, "Southfield teachers OK 3-year contract," Nov. 10, 2004
https://www.detroitnews.com/2004/oakland/0411/12/B04-1118.htm
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Collective Bargaining: Bringing
Education to the Table," August 1998
https://www.mackinac.org/791
Michigan Privatization Report, "Ensuring Insurance Competition,"
September 1998
https://www.mackinac.org/667
STATE SENATE VOTES TO REPLACE MEAP WITH COLLEGE ADMISSIONS EXAM
LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Senate voted 35-1 last week to replace
the current battery of high school Michigan Educational Assessment
Program tests with nationally recognized college admissions tests,
Booth Newspapers reported.
The five-bill legislative package would, if approved by the state
House, replace the MEAP high school testing system with a college
admissions or vocational aptitude test, such as the SAT, ACT or ACT
WorkKeys tests. The new regime would also include a test of certain
science and social studies subjects that those exams do not cover.
Proponents of the bills, including Jim Ballard, executive director of
the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals, said the
proposal would help students, who currently must take the MEAP tests
even if they are also taking college admissions tests. "Students should
be happy. They don't have to sit down for two tests. They can sit down
for one test that means something to them," Ballard told Booth
Newspapers.
The new regimen would take only six hours, compared to the MEAP's
11-hour program. The state would cover the testing fee of $40 to $45
per student for the admissions exams. The state Senate Fiscal Agency
estimates the cost of the new program at $10 million, which is about
$1.5 million more than the high school MEAP examinations currently
cost.
The state House has until Dec. 31 to take up the bills. Booth reports
that Gov. Jennifer Granholm is likely to sign the legislation if it
reaches her desk.
SOURCES:
Booth Newspapers, "Senate votes to dump high school MEAP,"
Nov. 11, 2004
https://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1100130000151890.xml?news/statewide?NE
MichiganVotes.org, 2004 Senate Bills 1153, 1154, 1155, 1156, and 1157
https://www.michiganvotes.org/2004-SB-1153
https://www.michiganvotes.org/2004-SB-1154
https://www.michiganvotes.org/2004-SB-1155
https://www.michiganvotes.org/2004-SB-1156
https://www.michiganvotes.org/2004-SB-1157
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "How Does the MEAP Measure Up?"
December 2001
https://www.mackinac.org/3919
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "POLICY BRIEF: Which Educational
Achievement Test is Best for Michigan?" May 2002
https://www.mackinac.org/4382
ORIGINAL AUTHORS OF 'PROPOSAL A' REVIEW THEIR HANDIWORK
BRIGHTON, Mich. — Twelve of the 14 state legislators who authored
'Proposal A,' which was approved by Michigan voters in 1994, have been
meeting for months to review the law to see if changes are necessary,
reported the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus last week.
Proposal A immediately reduced the property tax burden around the
state, earmarked part of the state sales tax for education funding and
limited the rate of increase in property tax assessments. Of the
original 14 authors of the proposal, according to the Daily Press &
Argus, one has died and another has moved out of state.
Susan Grimes Munsell, a Republican from Howell who served in the
Michigan Legislature from 1987 to 1996, is a member of the group
reviewing the proposal. She said one reason for the review is the
number of complaints from school districts about a lack of funding. "We
want to see what's causing it," Munsell told the Daily Press & Argus.
Michigan Prospect, a nonprofit think tank that is described as
"progressive" by its executive director, Lynn Jondahl, is funding
research for the review. Jondahl said his institution, which is
financed by several unions, will not attempt to influence the research.
"We're not going to meddle in terms of the output," he said. Jondahl,
an Okemos Democrat, was also one of the original 14 authors of the
proposal.
Two researchers from Wayne State University are part of the effort. The
group hopes to present its findings and recommendations to the state
Legislature next spring.
SOURCES:
Livingston Daily Press & Argus, "Proposal A receives review by its
authors," Nov. 12, 2004
https://www.hometownlife.com/Brighton/News.asp? pageType=Story&StoryID=65494&Section=Page%201&OnlineSection=Page%201 &SectionPubDate=Thursday,%20November%2011,%202004
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "'Proposal A,' 10 Years Later,"
February 2004
https://www.mackinac.org/6112
DETROIT TO CLOSE SCHOOLS, CUT JOBS DUE TO LOWER ENROLLMENT
DETROIT — Officials for the Detroit Public Schools said last week that
a severe drop in enrollment this year would necessitate cost-cutting
measures, including closing schools and laying off staff, according to
the Detroit Free Press. A subsequent announcement reported this week in
the Free Press suggests that 4,000 employees and up to 40 schools could
be affected.
Pupil counts this fall showed 140,716 students in the Detroit system, a
decrease of 9,307 students from last year and the highest one-year loss
in a decade. Because of the decline, the Detroit district will receive
$66.8 million less in state aid than it did last year, a financial loss
that is about $24 million more than the $42 million reduction the
district had projected.
The district has decreased its employment by about 2,100 jobs — roughly
10 percent — since spring in an effort to cut money from its budget.
The additional 4,000 jobs to be eliminated will include about 150
teaching positions during this school year, though this number may be
reached through early retirements, rather than layoffs, Detroit
Federation of Teachers President Janna Garrison told the Free Press.
The district will announce in January which of its 255 schools will be
closed.
Some attribute the enrollment declines to charter schools and expanded
school choice in and around the Detroit area. Doug Ross, principal of a
charter school in Detroit known as the University Preparatory Academy,
said parents place their students in charters mainly because, "They're
looking for an environment that is safe, customer-friendly and where
they perceive there is the chance their child's education is going to
improve." In contrast, the Detroit city schools are "perceived as
falling deeper and deeper into chaos," Ross told the Free Press.
SOURCES:
Detroit Free Press, "Detroit to close more schools, cut more jobs,"
Nov. 10, 2004
https://www.freep.com/news/education/dps10e_20041110.htm
Detroit Free Press, "Detroit schools to lose 4,000 jobs to red ink,"
Nov. 16, 2004
https://www.freep.com/news/education/dps16e_20041116.htm
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Six Habits of Fiscally
Responsible School Districts," December 2002
https://www.mackinac.org/4891
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Funding: Lack of Money or
Lack of Money Management?" August 2001
https://www.mackinac.org/3683
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Finance Reform Lessons from
Michigan," October 12, 2001
https://www.mackinac.org/3802
STATE HOUSE EDUCATION COMMITTEE PULLS SECESSION BILL
PONTIAC, Mich. — The Oakland Press reported that the state House
Education Committee last week pulled a bill that would have allowed
municipalities that were spread across several school districts to
secede from one district and join an adjacent one.
The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Shelley Goodman Taub, a
Republican from Bloomfield Hills. Under the proposal, a community could
have seceded from a district if 80 percent of its electorate had
approved and if the school board in the district that the community
wanted to join had agreed as well. Student transfers would have been
limited to 125.
Opponents of the bill said the measure would have permitted wealthy
communities to leave districts like Pontiac or Southfield, where more
minorities are enrolled. "For the benefit of a few people, it would
ruin school districts across the state," said Rep. Clarence Phillips, a
Pontiac Democrat.
Taub countered that the legislation would have made it easier for bond
issues in the Pontiac school district to pass. In 2003, 92 percent of
residents outside of the city of Pontiac voted against a $455 million
bond issue for the district. "It's a double-edged sword," Taub told the
Press. "Everybody is losing."
SOURCES:
Oakland Press, "Bill to allow switching of school districts pulled,"
Nov. 10, 2004
https://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/111004/loc_20041110017.shtml
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Impact of Limited School Choice
on Public School Districts," July 2000
https://www.mackinac.org/2962
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Case for Choice in Schooling,"
January 2001
https://www.mackinac.org/3236
MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST is a service of Michigan Education
Report (
https://www.educationreport.org),
a quarterly newspaper with a circulation of 130,000 published by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy (
https://www.mackinac.org),
a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute.
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