Contents of this issue:
Study finds California charters outperform conventional schools
State representative requests audit of Granholm's scholarship program
Political Action Committees seek influence over higher ed. policies
Coalition pushes for revisions in "Proposal A"
Employers, taxpayers paying for remedial education
STUDY FINDS CALIFORNIA CHARTERS OUTPERFORM CONVENTIONAL SCHOOLS
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A study released last Wednesday found that charter
schools in California have a 33 percent greater probability of meeting
academic standards than that state's conventional public schools,
according to the Associated Press.
The study, released by Palo Alto-based EdSource, a nonpartisan research
organization, found that while just 54 percent of conventional public
middle schools in California met state standards for student
improvement, 81 percent of charter middle schools met those standards,
reported the AP.
The findings also identified charter schools as more proficient in
bringing students who are performing below grade-level standards up to
speed academically, according to Caprice Young, CEO of the California
Charter Schools Association. Charters "get kids who are far below grade
level, and we bring them up faster than noncharter schools," Young told
the AP.
Currently, over 180,000 students are enrolled in more than 500 charter
schools in California, totaling about 3 percent of that state's total
student population.
SOURCES:
Yahoo News, "Charter Schools Outperform Public Schools," May 25, 2005
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/charter_school_study
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "When Will Conventional Public
Schools Be As Accountable as Charters?" July 2004
https://www.mackinac.org/6684
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Time to Stop Beating Up on Charter
Schools," November 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
STATE REPRESENTATIVE REQUESTS AUDIT OF GRANHOLM'S SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
DETROIT — The Associated Press reported that a state representative
would ask Michigan's auditor general to investigate the disbursement of
millions of dollars of public funds to a private scholarship program
that was started by Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
A March resolution by the Michigan Higher Education Assistance
Authority allowed the private Great Lakes Great Hopes scholarship
organization to use nearly half of MHEAA's $21.4 million operating
fund, a move that one lawmaker said could violate state accountability
rules. State Rep. Jerry Kooiman, R-Grand Rapids, told the AP that he
would like Auditor General Thomas McTavish to investigate the
disbursement. "We're asking, 'Can we use those dollars in that way?'"
Kooiman said.
State Department of Education spokesman Terry Stanton said the
resolution should have specifically allowed the scholarship entity to
purchase $10 million in prepaid tuition contracts instead of the
general authorization enacted in March. "There is an oopsy," Stanton
told the AP. "It was a clerical error that should not have been there."
The Authority will meet next month to alter its original resolution, he
said.
SOURCES:
The Detroit News, "Lawmaker wants Granholm's scholarship program
audited," May 27, 2005
https://www.detroitnews.com/2005/schools/0505/27/B02-195328.htm
WNDU, "Audit of Granholm scholarship program," May 26, 2005
http://www.wndu.com/news/052005/news_42481.php
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Funding: Lack of Money or
Lack of Money Management?" August 2001
https://www.mackinac.org/3683
POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEES SEEK INFLUENCE OVER HIGHER ED. POLICIES
DETROIT — Friends, employees and other supporters of Michigan colleges
and universities have formed Political Action Committees to influence
higher education policies; activities of these PACs include
contributions to politicians' campaign funds, according to a Detroit
News report.
Independent groups have formed PACs in support of Ferris State, Western
Michigan and Michigan State Universities, and have donated tens of
thousands of dollars to the campaign funds of state politicians in an
effort to keep their favored candidates in office. The universities
benefit from the politicking, said Richard Robinson, director of the
Michigan Campaign Finance Network, a watchdog group. "They're like any
business," Robinson said. "You do what you can. They realize you've got
to play the game the way it's set up."
According to Detroit News figures, Gov. Jennifer Granholm has received
over $20,000 from such PACs, and state Sen. Ken Sikkema, R-Wyoming, has
received about $26,000 from the groups. The groups also donate tens of
thousands of dollars to political party campaign funds. "Whether you're
a for-profit or a not-for-profit, you've got issues in Lansing," said
Michael Boulus, director of the Presidents Council, State Universities
of Michigan, which represents all of Michigan's public universities.
SOURCES:
The Detroit News, "Universities' allies lobby lawmakers," May 27, 2005
https://www.detroitnews.com/2005/schools/0505/27/A01-195616.htm
Michigan Privatization Report, "Bringing the Market to the Ivory
Tower," Winter 2005
https://www.mackinac.org/6914
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Going Broke by Degree,"
September 2004
https://www.mackinac.org/6805
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Declining Standards at Michigan
Universities," November 1996
https://www.mackinac.org/236
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Privatize the University of
Michigan," March 2004
https://www.mackinac.org/6313
COALITION PUSHES FOR REVISIONS IN "PROPOSAL A"
LANSING, Mich. — A coalition composed of teachers unions and other
state education organizations has called for revisions in Michigan's
1994 constitutional amendment known as "Proposal A," saying the current
funding formula for K-12 education under that law is inadequate,
reported Booth Newspapers.
Tom White, leader of the K-16 Coalition and executive director of the
Michigan School Business Officials association, said the group, with
its planned June 21 rally in Lansing, wants legislators to look
seriously at changing the law. "Our sense has been that there hasn't
been a willingness on the part of the Legislature to really talk about
changes. We hope we can get their attention and we hope we can get them
engaged," White said.
But some state leaders, including Gov. Jennifer Granholm and some GOP
lawmakers said the current state budget appropriately prioritizes K-12
education and there is no extra money to appropriate. Additionally,
state superintendent Mike Flanagan told Booth that schools must address
cutting overhead costs such as healthcare if new taxes are to be
considered. "Any kind of revenue increase has to be tied into
purposeful cost-containment at the same time," Flanagan said.
SOURCES:
Booth Newspapers, "Groups call for Prop A update," May 30, 2005
https://www.mlive.com/news/statewide/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1117102237178490.xml
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "'Proposal A,' 10 Years Later,"
February 2004
https://www.mackinac.org/6112
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Funding, Proposal A, and
Property Taxes," November 2001
https://www.mackinac.org/3838
Michigan Education Report, "Proposal A provided more money, but better
management needed," Fall 2001
https://www.educationreport.org/3908
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Finance Reform Lessons from
Michigan," October 2001
https://www.mackinac.org/3802
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Six Habits of Fiscally
Responsible Public School Districts," December 2002
https://www.mackinac.org/4891
EMPLOYERS, TAXPAYERS PAYING FOR REMEDIAL EDUCATION
DETROIT — Businesses and taxpayers foot the bill for remedial education
for students that fail to graduate from high school or meet employment
requirements after receiving their GED, according to a Detroit News
special report.
A $3.5 million training center built by automotive supplier Dave Bing
and Ford Motor Co. helps train employees referred by Detroit's
Workforce Development Department who require remedial education. "We
literally have to teach decimals, fractions and percentages," said
George Stevenson, who directs the training center. "You need that to
use the various measuring devices." Taxpayers pay an estimated $1,000
per student for the training, according to The News.
Linda Kinney, executive director of Michigan Works! Association, said
businesses are concerned that their new hires show little work ethic or
lack basic skills necessary for their jobs. "They are saying, 'What's
broken with the system?'" Kinney told The News. "'Why am I having to
teach people how to read and write?'"
Bing has expressed interest in opening a charter high school near his
business in partnership with philanthropist Bob Thompson.
SOURCES:
The Detroit News, "Businesses are forced to teach the basics,"
May 29, 2005
https://www.detroitnews.com/2005/specialreport/0505/30/A10-196661.htm
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Cost of Remedial Education,"
August 2000
https://www.mackinac.org/3025
Michigan Privatization Report, "The 'Privatized' Cost of Remedial
Education in Michigan," August 2000
https://www.mackinac.org/3012
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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