Contents of this issue:
State-mandated graduation requirements presented
Teachers union faces unfair labor practice charges
Editorial: School health insurance pool cuts costs
Supreme Court ruling puts burden on parents
Ann Arbor schools say state owes $4.8 million
Audit finds problems in Muskegon Public Schools
Teachers quit union
STATE-MANDATED GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS PRESENTED
Lansing, Mich. - The number of credits required for high school
graduation could increase to 16 under a plan presented to the
state Board of Education last week, The Detroit News reported.
State Superintendent Mike Flanagan's recommendation calls for
four credits each of English and math, three credits each of
science and social studies, and one credit each of physical
education and fine arts, according to The News.
"This is our historic opportunity to do something," Flanagan told
the board. "I hope what we end up with is a high school that
reflects the 21st century rather than the romanticized high
school of the 1950s."
Board President Kathleen Straus told The News the board will most
likely approve the plan in December with few changes.
Specific courses, such as algebra I and II, geometry, biology,
English literature, U.S. and world history, economics and
government will make up the various credit requirements, The News
reported. Some board members questioned why foreign language was
not required. Currently, the only state-mandated graduation
requirement is a civics class.
"As a civics-only state, we're being left in the global dust,"
Flanagan said. "In today's marketplace, you need an associate's
degree just to work at the Cadillac plant down the street. The
game has changed, it's a global game, and Michigan needs to
change with it."
The state-mandated curriculum was put together in response to a
Department of Education survey that found a wide variety of
graduation requirements among public school districts. For
example, only one-third of school districts responding require
algebra I, while only 12 percent require algebra II. Fewer than
half of Michigan's school districts responded to the survey.
David Plank, co-director of the Education Policy Center at
Michigan State University, said the new requirements are a "good
idea," but noted that when the state tried this before, it came
up against the 1978 Headlee Amendment to the state Constitution,
which says the state must pay for mandates, The News reported.
Sen. Wayne Kuipers (R-Holland), chairman of the Senate Education
Committee, said that would not be a problem in this case.
"We're paying at least $6,700 per student and there's a minimum
we should expect for that," he told The News. "What do schools
think we're giving them money for in the first place?"
The Legislature will take up the issue once the board of
education approves it, The News said. If signed into law, the
mandated curriculum could begin for students who enter ninth
grade for the 2006-2007 school year.
SOURCES:
The Detroit News, "16 classes or forget a diploma," Nov. 13, 2005
https://www.detroitnews.com/2005/schools/0511/13/A01-380491.htm
The Detroit News, "State board likes school fixes," Nov. 16, 2005
https://www.detroitnews.com/2005/schools/0511/16/B01-383609.htm
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Flanagan Says Survey Shows Need for
State-Mandated Curriculum," Oct. 11, 2005
https://www.mackinac.org/7380
Michigan Education Digest, "Algebra Required in Just One-Third of
Michigan High Schools," Oct. 25, 2005
https://www.educationreport.org/7391
TEACHERS UNION FACES UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE CHARGES
Holland, Mich. ? The Holland Education Association has been
accused of unfair labor practices, according to the Holland
Sentinel.
Holland Public Schools filed two more unfair labor charges
against the teachers union, one of them stemming from a Nov. 9
proposal the HEA made regarding health insurance costs, the
Sentinel reported. The plan offered to let teachers pay their own
health care costs in exchange for higher pay. The matter now goes
to the Michigan Employment Relations Commission, the Sentinel
reported.
"The proposal they submitted was substantially more costly to the
district," attorney Marshall Grate told the Sentinel. "We call
that regressive bargaining. They moved backward economically."
Grate, who filed the grievances with MERC on behalf of the
district, said the union's proposal would have cost the district
an additional $723,000 this year alone.
The second complaint is about a hiring freeze the HEA proposed.
Barb Ruga, the district's labor attorney, told the Sentinel the
union wanted a hiring freeze on staff unless replacements would
be necessary under the No Child Left Behind Act.
"It would dramatically increase class size," Ruga said.
The school board filed an earlier unfair labor practice against
the union over an Oct. 24 HEA press conference, according to the
Sentinel. Holland schools said the press conference violated an
agreement both sides had reached.
The HEA filed its own unfair labor charges against the school
board in August, the Sentinel said. Those complaints were about a
letter sent in August by the school board to teachers, explaining
contract proposals, and the union's claim that it did not receive
financial information about the district's health insurance
proposal.
SOURCE:
Holland Sentinel, "District files unfair labor practice charges
against union," Nov. 16, 2003
http://hollandsentinel.com/stories/111605/local_20051116013.shtml
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Holland Contract Talks Stall,"
Oct. 18, 2005
https://www.educationreport.org/7384
Michigan Education Digest, "Holland Board Picks Cost-Saving
Insurance," Nov. 15, 2005
https://www.educationreport.org/7430
EDITORIAL: SCHOOL INSURANCE POOL CUTS COSTS
Grand Rapids, Mich. - The Grand Rapids Press in an editorial
Sunday praised a coalition of western Michigan school districts
that have come together in an effort to reduce costs for employee
health insurance.
School districts in Caledonia, Coopersville, East Grand Rapids,
Northview, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer, Rockford, South Haven, Spring
Lake, Thornapple Kellogg, Vicksburg and Wyoming, plus
intermediate school districts for Kent, Ottawa and Newaygo
counties, have formed the West Michigan Health Alliance. The
self-insured group covers about 1,100 employees, all from
administrative and other non-union positions, The Press reported.
The districts expect to spend $1.3 million less on health
insurance this year, according to The Press.
Bills introduced in the Michigan Senate promote similar cost-saving steps statewide, and the Michigan Federation of Teachers,
the second largest teachers' union in the state, backs the plan.
The Press said the MFT estimates savings statewide could be $573
million the first three years.
"Most teacher insurance in Michigan is issued through the
Michigan Education Special Services Association, which is an arm
of the state's largest teacher union, the Michigan Education
Association," The Press editorial said. "The union allows no
competitive bidding or cafeteria-style employee choice of
insurers."
A study by the Hay Group, commissioned by the Michigan
Legislature earlier this year, found the average health insurance
plan for public school employees cost about $11,700. The Kaiser
Family Foundation reports the average family health insurance
plan for 2005 is about $10,800.
In closing its editorial, The Press said regional pools,
reflecting regional costs, would work better than a statewide
plan.
"The success in West Michigan is undeniable," the editorial said.
"So are the dollars that are being freed up for education. Ms.
Granholm and every lawmaker should be for that."
SOURCES:
The Grand Rapids Press, "Chance to save on school insurance,"
Nov. 20, 2005
https://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-1/113248543118280.xml&coll=6
Kaiser Family Foundation, "Survey Finds Steady Decline in
Businesses Offering Health Benefits to Workers," Sept. 14, 2005
http://www.kff.org/insurance/chcm091405nr.cfm
Hay Group, "Report on the Feasibility and Cost Effectiveness of a
Consolidated Statewide Health Benefits System for Michigan Public
School Employees," July 13, 2005
http://council.legislature.mi.gov/exec_summary.pdf
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Why School Districts Can't
Save on Health Care," Jan. 6, 2004
https://www.mackinac.org/6053
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Teachers Deserve Good
Benefits; Schools Deserve To Know What They Cost," July 6, 1998
https://www.mackinac.org/366
SUPREME COURT RULING PUTS BURDEN ON PARENTS
Washington, D.C. - A Supreme Court ruling last week puts the onus
on parents who challenge schools over the special education needs
of their children, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The 6-2 decision puts the "burden of persuasion" on those who
claim a special education program does not meet a student's
needs. About 7 million students, or 13 percent of public school
attendees nationwide, receive special education services,
according to The Journal.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which requires
school districts to provide individualized education plans for
special education students, does not address who bears the burden
of proving a program's inadequacies, The Journal said. Parents
can request what is known as an "impartial due process hearing"
if they are not satisfied with the program being offered.
"There's now basically a presumption that the (special program)
that the schools propose has validity and that it's up to parents
to disprove that," said Beth Sigall, a Virginia attorney who
specializes in special-education cases.
"A lot of parents sue and don't have a lawyer because they can't
afford one," Sigall told The Journal. "But the school district
always has a lawyer, funded by parent tax dollars."
SOURCE:
The Wall Street Journal, "Parents face tougher burden in special-education ruling," Nov. 15, 2005
https://www.wsj.com/article/SB113198146297396488.html?mod=home_whats_news_us
(subscription required)
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "No local autonomy for special
education in Michigan," May 30, 2002
https://www.educationreport.org/4365
Michigan Education Report, "Frightened first grader becomes
courageous college sophomore: Student benefits from special
education in private school setting," Aug. 15, 1999
https://www.educationreport.org/2223
ANN ARBOR SCHOOLS SAY STATE OWES $4.8 MILLION
Ann Arbor, Mich. - Ann Arbor Public Schools is waiting on a $4.8
million payment from the State of Michigan for tax money that was
incorrectly distributed, The Ann Arbor News reported.
Since the passage of Proposal A in 1994, local school taxes are
sent to the state, which then redistributes the money statewide.
Scio Township, outside of Ann Arbor, sent part of the money to
the school district, The News said. AAPS set the money aside and
worked with state and township officials to determine where the
money should be sent.
During the 2004-2005 school year, however, the state said the
district had $13 million that should have been sent to Lansing,
according to The News. The state reduced Ann Arbor's school aid
by that amount. School officials later determined the township
had made $4.8 million in payments to the state education fund.
"It's a mistake (by the state that) we're paying for," school
board Trustee Deb Mexicotte told The News.
Pending state verification, Ann Arbor is waiting on a check from
the state for $4.8 million. The district spent $9 million from
its fund balance during the 2004-2005 school year, The News said,
but is anticipating an $18 million budget deficit within three
years.
SOURCE:
The Ann Arbor News, "Officials say state owes schools $4.8
million," Nov. 12, 2005
https://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-15/1131795752185260.xml?aanews?NEA&coll=2
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "MSU School Finance Study Too
Narrow To Support Tax Hike Recommendation," Dec. 4, 2003
https://www.mackinac.org/5974
Michigan Education Report, "School property taxes could increase
$5.5 billion over 10 years," Sept. 8, 2002
https://www.educationreport.org/4621
AUDIT FINDS PROBLEMS IN MUSKEGON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Muskegon, Mich. ? Several financial "deficiencies" were flagged
by accountants from Brickley DeLong who performed the Muskegon
Public Schools' 2004-2005 audit, the Muskegon Chronicle reported.
The failure to comply with a No Child Left Behind Act requirement
that parents of students in underperforming schools be notified
of transfer options was listed as a "reportable condition," by
auditors, according to the Chronicle. Inadequate tracking of
fund-raising money and athletic event gate receipts, improper use
of the district's federal identification number on bank accounts
by organizations not directly under the school board's control
and incomplete documentation of employee time also were singled
out as deficiencies by auditors.
The district's 2004-2005 budget increased to $64.2 million, $1.8
million more than the approved budget for last year, the
Chronicle said. Muskegon covered a $1.3 million deficit using
fund balance money, leaving $4.1 million in the fund balance.
"You are going through some very difficult times," auditor Gary
Rasmussen told the board.
The Chronicle reported that some of those difficulties include a
drop in enrollment of 226 students. As a result, Muskegon
received $1.5 million less than the previous year in per pupil
state aid. A district-run day care and after school program could
not pay for itself, requiring a $350,000 subsidy from the fund
balance.
SOURCE:
Muskegon Chronicle, "Audit finds some problems with fund-raising,
gate receipts," Nov. 16, 2005
https://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1132159522157780.xml&coll=8
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "Financial scandals exposed in
Michigan school districts," Nov. 17, 2002
https://www.educationreport.org/4835
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Six Habits of Fiscally
Responsible School Districts," December 2002
https://www.mackinac.org/4891
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Funding: Lack of Money
or Lack of Money Management?" August 2001
https://www.mackinac.org/3683
TEACHERS QUIT UNION
Spokane, Wash. - Teachers in the Sprague-Lamont School District
have quit the Washington Education Association, according to the
Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The teachers will not negotiate at
all, keeping for another year the contract that expired Aug. 31.
"Some of us felt we were not represented," said Jim Dishon, a
science and math teacher in the district.
The WEA has about 78,000 members and negotiates contracts in 285
of Washington's 296 public school districts, the Post-Intelligencer reported. Dues are $650 a year per teacher.
"We will work to welcome these folks back and have an honest
discussion about the value of a local, state and national voice,"
said Charles Haase, WEA president.
The Evergreen Freedom Foundation praised the teachers' decision.
"The National Education Association and its local affiliate, the
Washington Education Association, disrespect teachers by
overcharging for collective bargaining in order to finance a
radical political agenda that is out of line with the views of a
majority of teachers," said Michael Reitz, director of
Evergreen's Labor Policy Center, in a press release.
Several of the teachers have since joined the Northwest
Professional Educators, an affiliate of the Association of
American Educators, according to the Post-Intelligencer. The
group describes itself as an "alternative to the partisan
politics and non-educational agendas of the teacher labor
unions."
The association provides non-bargaining support services such as
liability insurance, professional development, conferences and
newsletters.
SOURCES:
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "Sprague teachers scrap union
bargaining," Nov. 15, 2005
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/248361_lschoolunion15.html
Evergreen Freedom Foundation, "Teachers reject union, form
independent professional association," Oct. 26, 2005
http://www.effwa.org/main/article.php?article_id=1165
Association of American Educators, "About Us"
http://www.aaeteachers.org/aboutus.shtml
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "Teacher's lawsuit overturns MEA
policy," Jan. 10, 2001
https://www.educationreport.org/3216
Michigan Education Report, "Teachers vote to remove union from
charter school," Dec. 13, 2001
https://www.educationreport.org/3890
MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST is a service of Michigan Education
Report (
https://www.educationreport.org),
a quarterly newspaper
with a circulation of 140,000 published by the Mackinac Center
for Public Policy (
https://www.mackinac.org),
a private,
nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute.
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