Contents of this issue:
New visa policy may threaten overseas teacher recruitment
Gov. Granholm introduces plan to double number of college grads
EDITORIAL: Ads in school buses may bring in extra revenue
State Legislature begins ISD inquiry
Proposal A still debated after 10 years
Schools begin to require students to take MEAP
NEW VISA POLICY MAY THREATEN OVERSEAS TEACHER RECRUITMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A tightening visa policy for foreign workers
is affecting the number of teachers schools can hire from
overseas, reducing the supply of teachers from levels several
years ago.
Past visa rules allowed schools across the country to recruit
teachers from overseas, to alleviate shortages of specialized
teachers. In 2000, the visa ceiling was tripled to 195,000. This
year, however, only 65,000 visas are allowed, with no more
approvals until October.
"It will be impossible for these schools to have enough teachers
in place for the new school year," Paul L. Zulkie, president-elect of the Washington-based American Immigration Lawyers
Association, told the Washington Post.
Congress is generally unwilling to raise the visa ceiling due to
job growth issues in the United States, but some say over 200,000
teachers will be needed from overseas each year over the next 10
years to meet demand.
SOURCES:
Washington Post, "New Visa Ceiling Called Threat to Teacher
Recruitment," Mar. 8, 2004 (free registration required)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38691-2004Mar7.html
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Immigration and Open
Borders," November 1997
https://www.mackinac.org/681
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Private Solutions to the
Public School Teacher Shortage," January 2000
https://www.mackinac.org/2611
Michigan Education Report, "What teacher shortage?" Winter 2002
https://www.educationreport.org/4070
GOV. GRANHOLM INTRODUCES PLAN TO DOUBLE NUMBER OF COLLEGE GRADS
LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced yesterday a
plan to boost the number of college graduates in Michigan by 100
percent in the next 10 years.
Granholm's administration plans to instate a commission to study
what it calls a "skills gap" that keeps many students out of
college, affecting Michigan's economy. The number of residents
in Michigan over age 25 with a bachelor's degree is 22.5 percent,
below the national average of 26.7 percent. That difference
amounts to roughly the number of students currently enrolled in
Michigan public universities.
Over the next decade, many professions will require technical
skills acquired in college, furthering the need for higher
education. "We know it's going to be in science and technology
and high-end health-care service jobs" such as nursing, said Phil
Gardner, director of Michigan State University Collegiate
Employment Research Institute.
SOURCES:
Ann Arbor News, "College plan is in the works," Mar. 14, 2004
https://www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-8/
107926301676080.xml
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Cost of Remedial
Education," Aug. 31, 2000
https://www.mackinac.org/3025
EDITORIAL: ADS IN SCHOOL BUSES MAY BRING IN EXTRA REVENUE
DETROIT, Mich. — Ad agencies placing advertisements in and on
school buses pay enough money to be a significant source of
revenue for districts, a Detroit News editorial suggested last
week.
Elsewhere in the country, school districts are using the ads to
raise money to supplement student fundraising. An ad agency in
Pennsylvania plans to place 15 ads in buses at $30 per month, and
the Boston district gained $600,000 last year by selling ads on
all its buses.
Local districts can set rules specifying what messages are
appropriate for children, and whether the ads would be allowed on
the insides of buses. "The revenue potential for school bus
advertisements is significant," wrote the News, and could be used
to restore funding to field trips and other school functions.
SOURCES:
Detroit News, "School Bus Ads Could Mean Extra Dollars,"
Mar. 9, 2004
https://www.detroitnews.com/2004/editorial/0403/09/a10-85472.htm
Michigan Education Report, "Corporations donate millions for
public school programs," Early Fall 2001
https://www.educationreport.org/3749
STATE LEGISLATURE BEGINS ISD INQUIRY
LANSING, Mich. — A House committee set up to investigate
allegations of financial wrongdoing in the Oakland Intermediate
School District (ISD) heard testimony from several subpoenaed
witnesses last Wednesday in the first of five hearings aimed at
improving accountability in ISD operations.
In January, a Detroit Free Press report found that the Oakland
district allegedly awarded millions of dollars in no-bid
contracts and purchased a new fiber-optic network with $9 million
earmarked for special education, among other allegations.
Mike Flanagan, executive director of the Michigan Association of
Intermediate School Administrators, is saying the investigative
committee is redundant. "There already is a bunch of legislation
proposed to address [the problem]" he told the Detroit Free
Press. "If there is a criminal matter to be looked at, then
prosecution is in order."
SOURCES:
Detroit Free Press, "School talks concentrate on accountability,"
Mar. 11, 2004
https://www.freep.com/news/education/nois11_20040311.htm
The Oakland Press, "Inquiry into ISD mismanagement to begin,"
Mar. 10, 2004
http://www.zwire.com/site/
news.cfm?newsid=11097865&BRD=982&PAG=461&dept_id=467992&rfi=6
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Eliminate Intermediate School
Districts," August 2003
https://www.mackinac.org/5678
Michigan Education Report, "What Are Intermediate School
Districts?" Winter 2000
https://www.educationreport.org/2709
Michigan Education Report, "Group files complaints against
districts," Spring 2000
https://www.educationreport.org/2882
PROPOSAL A STILL DEBATED AFTER 10 YEARS
LANSING, Mich. — The leveling effect provided by 1994's Proposal
A is still hotly debated among educators, policy-makers and
parents around the state.
Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of a collection of bills
that partially altered the funding formula for the state's public
schools. Instead of relying on property tax income, which varies
greatly among urban and suburban districts, Michigan increased
the sales tax from 4 to 6 percent, earmarking the increase for
education. Every district is guaranteed at least $6,700 per
pupil, funded by local, state and federal capital.
Critics of 'Proposal A' say the reduction in property taxes
forced many schools to cut programs that students are now
required to pay for out of pocket.
Some economists, however, say the effect has been positive
overall for equality among school districts with different
demographics. "The promise of Proposal A has been more than
fulfilled by the taxpayers," Patrick Anderson of the Anderson
Economic Group told the Lansing State Journal. "There are no
longer monetary excuses for poor school performance."
SOURCES:
Lansing State Journal, "Proposal A still hotly debated,"
Mar. 15, 2004
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/news/schools/040315_proposala_1a-4a.html
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "'Proposal A,' 10 Years
Later," February 2004
https://www.mackinac.org/6112
Lansing State Journal, "McHugh: More money isn't guarantee of
better county education," Mar. 7, 2004
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/opinions/letters/040307_mchuptv_(millage_contxt.html
SCHOOLS BEGIN TO REQUIRE STUDENTS TO TAKE MEAP
DETROIT, Mich. — At the urging of the State Board of Education,
the South Redford School District in metro Detroit will require
high school students to take the Michigan Educational Assessment
Program (MEAP) tests in order to graduate.
Federal law requires that 95 percent of all students be tested in
each state, which the MEAP requirement would fulfill. The South
Redford School District policy not only requires students to take
the MEAP to graduate but to score at proficient levels to earn a
diploma.
Other districts, such as West Bloomfield, plan to establish
similar systems. Although support for the requirement is
building, critics say a mandatory test for graduation may prove
difficult for some students.
SOURCES:
Detroit News, "Schools seek to make students take MEAP,"
Mar. 12, 2004
https://www.freep.com/news/education/nmeap12_20040312.htm
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
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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