Contents of this issue:
State deadline for Detroit deficit plans may be postponed
Detroit teachers union criticizes district for Christmas Eve layoffs
Many Colorado charter schools earn top ratings on state test
Alpena considers collecting school taxes in money-saving effort
ISD officials criticize recent legislation at press conference
Upper Peninsula district consolidation produces financial solvency
STATE DEADLINE FOR DETROIT DEFICIT PLANS MAY BE POSTPONED
DETROIT — State officials told The Detroit News that they may grant
Detroit public school officials an extension of the state deadline for
submitting a plan to address the school district's accumulated $200
million deficit.
Detroit Public Schools CEO Kenneth Burnley has been asked to provide
the Michigan Department of Education with two- and five-year plans for
relieving the district's deficit. The plans were due last Friday, but a
state Department of Education spokeswoman suggested the deadline might
be pushed back pending the selection of a committee of community
members being convened to assist with budget decisions in the Detroit
district. Elizabeth Boyd, spokeswoman for Gov. Jennifer Granholm, told
The News that the governor is still assembling the committee.
The News reported that the Detroit Public Schools will run out of funds
in April if the district does not eliminate its deficit. "I don't think
we can languish too long," N. Charles Anderson, CEO and president of
the Detroit Urban League, told The News. "The clock is still ticking."
SOURCES:
Detroit News, "School budget plan may get delay," Dec. 29, 2004
https://www.detroitnews.com/2004/schools/0412/29/C01-44564.htm
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Dancing Around Education: A 170-Year Waltz With Reform," December 11, 2004
https://www.mackinac.org/6906
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Ironic Choices," November 29, 2004
https://www.mackinac.org/6895
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Funding: Lack of Money or
Lack of Money Management?" Aug. 30, 2001
https://www.mackinac.org/3683
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Six Habits of Fiscally
Responsible School Districts," December 2002
https://www.mackinac.org/4891
DETROIT TEACHERS UNION CRITICIZES DISTRICT FOR CHRISTMAS EVE LAYOFFS
DETROIT — The Detroit News reported that the president of the Detroit
Federation of Teachers criticized the Detroit Public Schools at a news
conference last week for the district's decision to lay off 374
teachers to help relieve the district's current-year $150 million
deficit. The layoffs drew particular ire because the notices were
distributed on Christmas Eve.
"This action demonstrates a blatant disregard for the union and the
members we represent," DFT President Janna Garrison said, according to
The News. "We don't believe there have to be layoffs," she added,
suggesting instead a retirement-incentive program for older teachers
that would allow new teachers to replace them, presumably at lower
salaries. According to The News, the district already has cut $76
million from its budget through school closings, spending reductions
and 2,100 layoffs.
District spokesman Kenneth Coleman defended the district's action,
telling The News, "I wouldn't agree with the characterization that this
came out of the blue." He also told The News that the layoffs might be
reduced if enough teachers avail themselves of the retirement options
referred to by Garrison. Both the layoffs and the incentive program are
scheduled to take effect in February.
SOURCES:
Detroit News, "Union critical of school cuts," Dec. 28, 2004
https://www.detroitnews.com/2004/schools/0412/28/B01-43540.htm
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Playing Monopoly With Detroit's
Kids," July 15, 2004
https://www.mackinac.org/6688
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Funding: Lack of Money or
Lack of Money Management?" Aug. 30, 2001
https://www.mackinac.org/3683
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Six Habits of Fiscally
Responsible School Districts," December 2002
https://www.mackinac.org/4891
MANY COLORADO CHARTER SCHOOLS EARN TOP RATINGS ON STATE TEST
DENVER — A Denver Post analysis found that a higher percentage of
Colorado charter schools than of traditional public schools earned the
state's highest ratings on a state standardized test this year.
According to the analysis, 46 percent of Colorado charter schools
earned an "excellent" or "high" rating this year on the state's School
Accountability Report, compared to 39.6 percent of traditional public
schools. A higher percentage of traditional school students scored
"average" than in charter schools, while there was little difference
between the two types of schools in the proportion of students who
scored in the "low" and "unsatisfactory" categories, the Post reported.
The Post observed that charter students in Colorado appear to serve
fewer low-income students and racial and ethnic minorities than
Colorado's traditional public schools do, which may help explain the
higher test scores. Charter school advocates argue that the state's
charter schools enroll just as many low-income students as traditional
public schools, but that many of the charter schools do not provide
lunch, thus reducing the number of their students who receive "free or
reduced-price lunch," a standard measure of low-income status.
Nina Rees, assistant deputy secretary for innovation and improvement at
the federal Department of Education, said it is difficult to compare
charters to traditional schools using test scores alone. "It's not like
comparing McDonald's to Burger King," she told the Post. "They're all
so different."
SOURCES:
Denver Post, "State's charter schools buck trend," Dec. 22, 2004
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~2612129,00.html
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "When Will Conventional Public
Schools Be as Accountable as Charters?" July 7, 2004
https://www.mackinac.org/6684
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Time to Stop Beating Up on Charter
Schools," December 2, 2002
https://www.mackinac.org/4864
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Impact of Limited School Choice
on Public School Districts," July 2000
https://www.mackinac.org/2962
ALPENA CONSIDERS COLLECTING SCHOOL TAXES IN MONEY-SAVING EFFORT
ALPENA, Mich. — The Alpena News reported that Alpena Public Schools
Superintendent David Werner has asked the Alpena Municipal Council to
consider collecting school taxes for the district. The superintendent
reportedly hopes that the city will be able to do the job for less
money than the county, which currently charges about $23,000 to collect
the district's taxes.
"In conversation with the county folks, they assured us that there
wasn't really a significant amount of additional work that would be
required to levy the taxes, in the sense that you (the city) already
send out a tax bill and you already collect taxes," Werner said,
according to The News.
The municipal council declined to collect the school tax in 2005, but
said it would consider doing so in 2006. The Alpena city clerk plans to
study the cost to the city of the school district's proposal.
SOURCES:
Alpena News, "City considering collecting school taxes," Dec. 23, 2004
http://www.thealpenanews.com/Archives/2004/December/23/local2.html
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Six Habits of Fiscally Responsible School Districts," December 2002
https://www.mackinac.org/4891
ISD OFFICIALS CRITICIZE RECENT LEGISLATION AT PRESS CONFERENCE
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — According to Advance Newspapers, officials from
two Michigan intermediate school districts publicly criticized
legislation that would force them to discontinue a practice they have
employed to bring in greater state funding for special education. The
legislation has been passed by the state Legislature and is currently
awaiting the signature of Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
At a December press conference, Kent Intermediate School District
Superintendent Michael Weiler defended so-called "dual employment," a
system by which special education employees are reported on the payroll
of both the ISD and the school district in which they work. The new
legislation would prohibit ISDs from continuing the practice.
"With this legislation, some ISDs can be funded and some can't. It's a
question of fairness and equity," said Weiler, according to Advance
Newspapers. Weiler argued that smaller intermediate school districts
are able to receive full reimbursement for special education by simply
rotating their staff among their component school districts, something
that larger ISDs do not do. Brian O'Connell, spokesman for the bill's
sponsor, state Sen. Shirley Johnson, said that ISDs have used dual
employment to receive more special education funding without providing
extra services. "The only thing that is different is an accounting
change," said O'Connell, Advance Newspapers reported.
Halting the dual-employment practice would reportedly cost the Kent ISD
$10 million and the Ottawa ISD $2.55 million in reduced state funding.
SOURCES:
Advance Newspapers, "School officials say legislation targets area
students," Dec. 21, 2004
https://www.mlive.com/news/advancenewspapers/south/index.ssf?/base/
news-1/110365901178190.xml
Michiganvotes.Org, Senate Bill 1193
https://www.michiganvotes.org/2004-SB-1193
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Michigan's Budget Challenge"
https://www.mackinac.org/4964
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Eliminate Intermediate School
Districts," August 21, 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
UPPER PENINSULA DISTRICT CONSOLIDATION PRODUCES FINANCIAL SOLVENCY
IRONWOOD, Mich. — The Ironwood Daily Globe reported yesterday on the
financial solvency of a new, consolidated school district in Michigan's
Upper Peninsula. The district was created when voters in two small
Upper Michigan school districts, Wakefield and Marenisco, chose last
June to consolidate their two districts into one.
The vote followed the Marenisco district's announcement last January
that it would be unable to operate past the 2003-2004 school year.
Marenisco officials considered annexation offers from two other school
districts, but preferred a consolidation with Wakefield schools, since
the two districts already shared programs and staff.
The subsequent Wakefield-Marenisco merger eliminated Wakefield's budget
deficit by increasing enrollment in the district. Most employees of the
two original districts were hired by the new district, although some
teachers reportedly disliked being employed on probationary status by
the district. One-year contracts offered by the consolidated district
included limits on the district's payment of health insurance premiums.
Contract negotiations are still underway between the district and its
unions, according to the Daily Globe.
The Wakefield-Marenisco merger was the first school district
consolidation in Michigan since 1987, according to the Daily Globe.
SOURCES:
Ironwood Daily Globe, "Tiny school districts unite," Jan. 3, 2005
http://www.ironwoodglobe.com/1231wskl.htm
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Districts: Is Less More?"
July 2001
https://www.mackinac.org/3544
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Six Habits of Fiscally
Responsible School Districts," December 2002
https://www.mackinac.org/4891
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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