A Teacher Quality Primer

Shedding light on teacher contracts and school spending

Union contracts for all local school districts in Michigan, as well as district-by-district information on revenue and expenditures, are available online at the Michigan School Databases, hosted by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. This collection of databases is a valuable source of information about salaries, class size, health benefits and other school procedures as detailed in collective bargaining agreements in each district. The page also includes the center's "District Checkbook Register Report," a link to Michigan school districts which make their check registries available online for public inspection.

	MED March 16, 2010 Most of the country's public schools would have more freedom under a proposed rewrite of the No Child Left Behind law, according to The Washington Post. MED March 9, 2010 A public education advocacy group said Monday that Michigan should begin taxing consumer services at 5.5 percent, while reducing the existing sales tax from 6 to 5.5 percent, as a way to generate $550 million for schools in 2011, according to The Associated Press. Education news and analysis. ‘No Excuses’ at Dove Academy College is the new norm at this elementary school. Opinion: Teacher certification tests don’t get the job done School officials heard from all sides of the education funding debate in an ‘Education Summit’ at Saginaw Valley State University recently. Spend less? Tax more? System overhaul? School officials heard from all sides of the education funding debate in an ‘Education Summit’ at Saginaw Valley State University recently. Specializing in special education A private firm in southeast Michigan is helping public school districts solidify their special education programs.		Let's Race Dollars are there – if we’re willing to reform. Fuzzy Math MEA study is misleading. More or Less Length of school year doesn’t predict achievement. Tear Down This Wall Give DPS students a choice. Pool Party Health pool a step forward. ‘Dangerous’ to whom? Behind rhetoric, privatization saves money. The 'me' in MEA Pension proposal is expensive and does not help students. Dollars and sense We need to teach students about free enterprise. It merits discussion Discussing merit pay for teachers Unraveling MESSA Mission Creep: Charter School Oversight MEA Report: MEA Members Paying More for Less The Opportunities of Tax Credits Statewide School Contracting Could Save As Much As $500 Million NCLB Falls Short of Helping Parents Time to Reform Teacher Compensation in Michigan Let the Union Buyer Beware Selective Moral Outrage: MEA Tries to Downgrade MESSA Plan for Its Own Employees Proposal 5 Defeat Means Voters Want Changes A Barbed Portrayal of Urban Public Schools