Contents of this issue:
- Granholm pushes for teacher professional development days
- Rising health care costs impact school budgets
- Changes to Title IX would allow easier access to same-sex classes
- Report calls for changes in high school test
- Failing schools must meet fast-approaching deadline
- Governor's funding plan would leave net deficit per student
GRANHOLM PUSHES FOR TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAYS
LANSING, Mich. - Gov. Jennifer Granholm says giving teachers time
off for "professional development" is not a waste of time - but
that the time teachers do take off should be spent gaining skills
that will help students meet federal standards under the "No
Child Left Behind" Act.
Currently, schools can send teachers to seminars and training
sessions for a large variety of professional development
purposes. Granholm's proposed change would allow development
hours - 51 per year - solely for academic training.
The proposal will be part of Gov. Granholm's budget plan, which
must be approved by the Legislature. If the plan is enacted, the
state Department of Education would set specific requirements for
the types of training allowed teachers during professional
development days.
SOURCES:
Detroit Free Press, "Granholm proposes changes at schools,"
Mar. 3, 2004
https://www.freep.com/news/education/ntrain3_20040303.htm
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Frivolous, Trendy Teacher
Training in Michigan," May 5, 2003
https://www.mackinac.org/5374
RISING HEALTH CARE COSTS IMPACT SCHOOL BUDGETS
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A survey of school business officials around
the country found that the rising cost of health care is the most
pressing financial issue in schools.
Survey participants said the increase in payments to employee
health care takes money from necessary school functions such as
maintenance and technology upgrades, directly affecting the
ability to properly educate students.
Over half of survey participants said their district's health
care expenditures have risen over 21 percent in the last three
years; 17 percent said costs have risen more than 40 percent.
SOURCES:
Education Week, "Health Costs Strain School Budgets," Mar. 3, 2004
Free registration required.
http://www.edweek.com/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=25insure.h23
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Why School Districts Can't Save on Health Care," January 2004
https://www.mackinac.org/6053
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "MEA Abuses Public School
Health Care Funds," Aug. 7, 2001
https://www.mackinac.org/9404
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Michigan Education Special
Services Association: The MEA's Money Machine," November 1993
https://www.mackinac.org/8
Michigan Privatization Report, "Ensuring Insurance Competition,"
September 1998
https://www.mackinac.org/667
CHANGES TO TITLE IX WOULD ALLOW EASIER ACCESS TO SAME-SEX CLASSES
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Department of Education officials last
Wednesday announced plans to alter enforcement of the Title IX
anti-discrimination law to allow easier creation of single-gender
classrooms in public schools.
Currently, only 91 public schools nationwide offer single-gender
classes. Existing Department of Education regulations currently
allow single-gender classes only under special circumstances,
such as gym classes with contact sports. The planned changes
would allow schools to provide same-sex classes as an option
alongside comparable co-ed classes. In addition, rules for
creating entire single-sex schools would be relaxed.
Opponents of the plans say that single-gender classes bypass the
equality safeguards of Title IX and that little research exists
on the positive aspects of same-sex classes and schools. Those in
favor of the new policy say the changes would allow greater
options for students and their parents in choosing the best
possible education.
SOURCES:
Detroit Free Press, "Girls, boys may soon be able to learn
separately," Mar. 4, 2004
https://www.freep.com/news/education/class4_20040304.htm
REPORT CALLS FOR CHANGES IN HIGH SCHOOL TEST
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A commission created last year to analyze the
effectiveness of the National Assessment of Educational Progress
(NAEP) last Friday called for an overhaul of the portion of the
test administered to high school seniors.
The NAEP, also known as the Nation's Report Card, collects and
publishes data of student performance nationwide by testing a
sample of students. Currently, said the commission's report, the
12th grade section tests what students know but provides no gauge
as to students' readiness for college, work or the military.
One recommendation suggests that an incentive be provided to
students asked to participate in the test to reduce student
apathy and increase the sample base, which recently has shrunk to
a nearly unusable percentage of the national student population.
"One of the challenges [the test] has had to contend with is
getting parents and students to take it seriously, because no
individual students get results," Michael Nettles, commission co-
chairman and senior research director at the Educational Testing
Service told the Associated Press.
SOURCES:
CNN, "Report: 12th-grade test needs overhaul," Mar. 5, 2004
http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/03/05/12th.grade.test.ap/index.html
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "With Clear Eyes, Sincere
Hearts and Open Minds," July 2002
https://www.mackinac.org/4447
FAILING SCHOOLS MUST MEET FAST-APPROACHING DEADLINE
DETROIT, Mich. - Under the "No Child Left Behind" Act, schools
judged to be chronically failing must provide comprehensive
reform plans to the federal government by the following
September.
Michigan has over 100 chronically failing schools, and the state
Department of Education must oversee and complete reform plans
for each by the September deadline. State officials say they will
most likely file for an extension of that deadline because
district progress reports were released six months late this
year. The deadline is "unrealistic," said Ken Siver, spokesman
for the Southfield school district, which governs a school slated
for mandatory reform. "It will be too rushed. These things don't
happen overnight."
Reform options for chronically failing schools include everything
from replacing administrators and teachers to reopening as a
charter school, depending on the severity of student failure.
SOURCES:
Detroit News, "Failing schools face tight deadline," Mar. 5, 2004
https://www.detroitnews.com/2004/schools/0403/05/d01-82984.htm
Michigan Education Report, "No Child Left Behind law demands
'adequate yearly progress' and offers school choice options for
parents," Fall 2002
https://www.mackinac.org/4846
GOVERNOR'S FUNDING PLAN WOULD LEAVE NET DEFICIT PER STUDENT
LANSING, Mich. - Gov. Jennifer Granholm's budget proposal
contains a provision for restoring a $74 per student funding cut
that passed in December, raising the per-student minimum
foundation allowance to $6,700.
But her plan also requires school districts to shell out an
additional $108 per student on average to pay for mandated
retirement contributions. That's a net loss of $34 per pupil.
"I think school board members are quickly realizing that the
restoration to $6,700 is getting eaten up by ...retirement,"
Kevin Hollenbeck, president of the Michigan Association of School
Boards, told Booth Newspapers.
Some school and state officials say the $74 per student given
back to districts lacks solutions to greater budget problems.
"You put it in their front pocket and take it out their back
pocket," said Sen. Ron Jelinek, R-Three Oaks, the chair of the
Senate subcommittee on school aid spending.
SOURCES:
Booth Newspapers, "Schools take second look at Granholm funding
plan," Mar. 2, 2004
https://www.mlive.com/news/statewide/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1078184402115710.xml
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Michigan's Budget Challenge"
https://www.mackinac.org/4964
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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