Contents of this issue:
Lawmakers approve cap on tuition increases
Grand Rapids mulls year-round school
Private driving schools on the rise as schools cancel programs
Study: Michigan ranks 45th on 'teachability index'
Utica teachers reject contract over health insurance costs
Eastern Michigan University apologizes after audit
Plymouth-Canton tries to improve grade through MEAP participation
LAWMAKERS APPROVE CAP ON TUITION INCREASES
DETROIT, Mich. — State legislators
last Thursday approved a bill that
forces state-run universities and
colleges to limit their tuition
increases unless they wish to forgo
some state funding.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm was expected
to sign the bill, which passed
unanimously in the House and received
only one "nay" vote in the
Senate. The bill provides $1.65
billion in state funding for the
state's 15 public universities, but
this funding is guaranteed to
institutions only if tuition
increases stay below the 2.8 percent cap
imposed by a clause in the
legislation.
The tuition increase cap is set at
2.8 percent because that is this
year's rate of inflation, meaning
there will be no effective change in
the cost of tuition at public
universities this year. "This was a very
fair outcome," said Michigan State
University President Peter
McPherson, according to the Detroit
Free Press.
SOURCES:
Detroit Free Press, "Tuition
increases can't exceed 2.8%,"
Sept. 10, 2004
https://www.freep.com/news/education/tuition10e_20040910.htm
MichiganVotes.org, 2004 Senate Bill
1067
https://www.michiganvotes.org/2004-SB-1067
Mackinac Center for Public Policy,
"Private Prepaid Tuition
Programs Can Help Make College
Affordable," September 2001
https://www.mackinac.org/3685
Mackinac Center for Public Policy,
"Competition among Professors
Would Help Parents Afford College,"
August 1999
https://www.mackinac.org/2105
GRAND RAPIDS MULLS YEAR-ROUND SCHOOL
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids
school district officials are
publicly investigating options for
opening several year-round schools
by next year, according to the Grand
Rapids Press.
The year-round schools would have the
same amount of instruction time —
182 days — as other schools, but
would have a shorter summer vacation
and dispersed breaks throughout the
rest of the year. Superintendent
Bert Bleke said that the current
summer vacation schedule degrades what
students learned the year before,
making a year-round schedule
appealing. "I think it works," said
Bleke. "And I think if it's good
for one school, it's good for all of
them."
The Press reports that nationwide,
there are year-round schedules at
3,100 schools, serving a total of 2.2
million students. The current
schedule is based on a time when
children would spend the summers
helping on the family farm, which is
anachronistic, said Debbie
McFalone, the district's executive
director of curriculum and
elementary instruction. "The world
has changed so tremendously that
there is an entirely different state
of affairs that our children have
to cope with," she observed, "and we
have to look at our system to see
if it is set up to meet the needs of
the modern student."
Administrators say they are looking
into whether the year-round option
would be cost-effective and feasible
for schools that do not have air
conditioning for the summer months.
SOURCES:
Grand Rapids Press, "GR eyes concept
of year-round schools,"
Sept. 8, 2004
https://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-16/
1094655271101690.xml
Michigan Education Report, "Public
Schools Innovate as Charters Get
Mixed Marks," Spring 1999
https://www.educationreport.org/1677
Mackinac Center for Public Policy,
"The Six Habits of Fiscally
Responsible School Districts,"
December 2002
https://www.mackinac.org/4891
PRIVATE DRIVING SCHOOLS ON THE RISE AS SCHOOLS CANCEL PROGRAMS
JACKSON, Mich. — Private driver
education schools are booming, taking
over demand that used to be the
dominion of the state's public schools.
Direct state funding for school
driving programs was canceled last
year, causing many schools to shut
down their programs altogether.
Since 1997, schools have been allowed
to charge fees for driver
education, but many schools find it
more economical to shut down their
programs. "For the schools, it's
convenient for them to bow out and let
a third party come in and offer
driver's education," said Janet Gamet,
a co-owner of ABC Testing and
Training, a driver education school.
Gamet told the Jackson Citizen
Patriot that enrollment at her school
increased 20 to 25 percent last year.
Dennis Whittington, owner of
Horton-based E-Z Way Driver Training Inc.,
said his company purchased 12 more
cars and hired 20 more teachers to
meet increased demand this year, for
a total of 50 teachers and 27
cars. E-Z Way serves 3,000 to 4,000
customers in several southern
Michigan counties. "The public was
already paying, through their taxes,
for the service," Whittington said.
"They've really not lost anything.
They've actually gained a competitive
market."
SOURCES:
Jackson Citizen Patriot, "Driving
schools boom as public schools phase
out driver's training," Sept. 7, 2004
https://www.mlive.com/news/jacitpat/index.ssf?/base/news-10/
109457310061520.xml
Lansing State Journal, "Many schools
phasing out driver's education
classes," Sept. 13, 2004
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/
20040913/NEWS01/409130341/1002
Michigan Privatization Report, "State
Adopts Another Mackinac Center
Idea," Spring 2004
https://www.mackinac.org/6513
Michigan Privatization Report, "On
the Road to Privatization,"
Spring 1998
https://www.mackinac.org/642
Michigan Privatization Report,
"School Budget Crunch Puts Privatization
on the Table," Summer 1999
https://www.mackinac.org/1797
STUDY: MICHIGAN RANKS 45TH ON 'TEACHABILITY INDEX'
DENVER, Colo. — A study ranking
states on how effective they are at
overcoming social problems in
teaching students ranked Michigan 45th on
its Adjusted School Efficiency Index.
The study, published by the New
York-based Manhattan Institute,
compared empirical data on students'
"teachability" nationwide. Taking
into account social problems like
poverty and teen pregnancy, authors
Jay P. Greene and Greg Forster
calculated each state's efficiency in
overcoming such problems and bringing
out the potential of students
affected by them. Michigan ranked
near the bottom: 45th in the country
on a scale that was adjusted for the
cost of living.
The study also found that students
today are generally easier to teach
than students 30 years ago. "Overall,
student disadvantages that pose
challenges to learning have declined
8.7 percent since 1970," said the
authors. "Children's physical health
and economic security have
substantially improved, and preschool
enrollment has grown
dramatically."
According to the results, said the
authors, the ability to teach a
student is not a factor of the social
and economic backgrounds of the
students, but the efficacy of each
state's school system: "This study
indicates that teachability cannot
serve as an excuse for the education
system's failure to perform, and it
provides evidence that student
disadvantages are not destiny: Some
schools do much better than others
at educating students with low levels
of teachability."
SOURCES:
Rocky Mountain News, "Schools rank
No. 2 at tackling barriers,"
Sept. 8, 2004
http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/
0,1299,DRMN_957_3167188,00.html
Manhattan Institute, "The
Teachability Index: Can Disadvantaged
Students Learn?" September 2004
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_06.htm
Mackinac Center for Public Policy,
"Is Michigan Public Education
Improving?" November 2001
https://www.mackinac.org/3842
Michigan Education Report, "Schools
and Businesses Share Techniques for
Success," Winter 1999
https://www.educationreport.org/1590
Mackinac Center for Public Policy,
"The Cost of Remedial Education,"
August 2000
https://www.mackinac.org/3025
Mackinac Center for Public Policy,
"The Case for Choice in Schooling:
Restoring Parental Control of
Education," January 2001
https://www.mackinac.org/3236
UTICA TEACHERS REJECT CONTRACT OVER HEALTH INSURANCE COSTS
DETROIT, Mich. — Teachers in the
Detroit-area Utica Community School
District rejected a new contract amid
a dispute over the rising cost of
health care for the district.
With more than 29,000 students, Utica
is the second-largest district in
Michigan, behind only the Detroit
Public Schools. Currently, the Utica
district pays all health insurance
premiums for its teachers. But an
increase in premiums has hindered the
district's ability to pay all of
the premiums for all teachers. "We've
experienced a 17 percent increase
in our health care costs," said Hildy
Corbett, a spokeswoman for the
district. "We've got budget problems,
and we're trying to contain those
costs."
The district offers two insurance
plans through the Michigan Education
Special Services Association, an
organization formed by the Michigan
Education Association. Under the
proposed new contract, teachers would
have been able to choose MESSA's
"Preferred Provider Option" and still
have it fully paid for by the
district, but teachers choosing MESSA's
Super Care I program would have had
to pay the difference in cost
between Super Care I and the PPO,
which is about $93 per month.
Jim Matrille, president of the local
Utica Education Association, said
teachers would continue to work
without a contract. Teacher strikes are
illegal under state law.
SOURCES:
Detroit News, "Utica teachers reject
contract," Sept. 12, 2004
https://www.detroitnews.com/2004/macomb/0409/12/b04-270666.htm
Michigan Education Report, "MESSA:
Keeping school districts from saving
money on health care," Summer 2004
https://www.educationreport.org/6742
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
EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY APOLOGIZES AFTER AUDIT
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A state audit this
summer of the new president's
house at Eastern Michigan University
forced the institution to
apologize in a statement submitted
last Friday.
In its statement, which was filed a
day before the state deadline to
respond to the audit, the university
said it will try harder in the
future to fully inform the public of
its expenses. "The university
belongs to the people, and they
deserve for there not to be mistakes,"
said EMU Interim President Craig
Willis. "But mistakes happen in the
course of human events, and we regret
that. We will do better."
Initially after the audit, Philip
Incarnati, chairman of the EMU Board
of Regents, insisted that the project
cost only $3.58 million — "within
the defined perimeter," according to
the Ann Arbor News. But the audit
had found that the university spent
$5.3 million on the home's
construction, plus $700,000 related
to the project.
State officials hope the university
will put the auditor general's
recommendations into effect. "I think
the statement] acknowledges that
the university could have done some
things in a different manner,"
state Rep. Ruth Ann Jamnick told the
News.
SOURCES:
Ann Arbor News, "EMU apologizes after
audit," Sept. 11, 2004
https://www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-10/
109489765033190.xml
Eastern Michigan University, "EMU
Audit Response Fact Sheet,"
Sept. 10, 2004
http://www.emich.edu/univcomm/releases/091004auditfactsheet.html
Eastern Michigan University, "EMU
Issues Formal Audit Response,"
Sept. 10, 2004
http://www.emich.edu/univcomm/releases/091004auditresponse.html
PLYMOUTH-CANTON TRIES TO IMPROVE GRADE THROUGH MEAP PARTICIPATION
DETROIT, Mich. — Administrators at
the Plymouth-Canton Community School
District are looking for ways to get
more students to take the
standardized Michigan Educational
Assessment Program test, in order to
meet federal standards and increase
the district's achievement grade.
The No Child Left Behind Act requires
95 percent of 11th-grade students
to take a standardized test to
measure student achievement, but only 90
percent of students in the
Plymouth-Canton district took the test last
year. This leads to a lower overall
score for the school when rated by
state and federal governments, even
though students score well on the
test. "There is a huge amount of
importance placed on that 95 percent,"
said Lisa Rentz, communication
manager for the Lansing-based Michigan
Association of School Administrators.
Plymouth-Canton administrators say
they are looking for ways to
increase student participation in the
test, including making it a
requirement for graduation. "When
you're trying to increase it from say
50 percent to 90, that is almost
easier," said Deborah Parizek, an
assistant principal at Plymouth High.
"But going from that 94 to 96 is
tough because you feel you are sort
of down to the last few, who may
have strong reasons for why they
don't take the test."
SOURCES:
Detroit News, "More MEAP test takers
are sought," Sept. 12, 2004
https://www.detroitnews.com/2004/wayne/0409/12/b03-270645.htm
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
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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