Contents of this issue:
- Detroit Public Schools spends $1.3 million on travel
- Ypsilanti schools look at competitive contracts for busing
- Dowagiac schools consider contracting custodial services
- DPS caterer operates without food license
- Essexville-Hampton high school considers trimesters
DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS SPENDS $1.3 MILLION ON TRAVEL
DETROIT — Detroit Public Schools last year spent more than $1.3
million in travel, hotel and workshop expenses, according to the
Detroit Free Press.
"We're not doing anything here that is unethical, illegal or a
disservice to the taxpayers," DPS spokesman Lekan Oguntoyinbo
said. "We're spending these funds judiciously."
Over the past year, the district spent $240,000 on catering,
$430,000 at hotels for business meetings, and $700,000 on travel
to conferences all over the country, the Free Press reported.
The district said most of the costs were paid for by local,
state and federal grants. Former State Superintendent Tom
Watkins referred to this as the "game that people use — 'The
grant made me do it,'" the Free Press reported.
DPS math teacher Heather Miller objects to the spending.
"They're taking some pretty lavish vacations that the students,
parents and teachers can't afford to take on their own," she
told the Free Press.
Superintendent William F. Coleman III declined to comment, but
signed a memo on Jan. 17 halting all discretionary spending by
the district's central office, the Free Press reported.
SOURCE:
Detroit Free Press, "As Detroit student did without, district
spent $1.3 million on trips," Feb. 9, 2007
https://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007702090329
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Detroit Public Schools announces
school closings," Jan. 9, 2007
https://www.educationreport.org/8167
Michigan Education Digest, "Detroit Public Schools enrollment
drops again," Nov. 29, 2005
https://www.educationreport.org/7448
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Budgets: A Crisis of
Management, Not Finance," Feb. 11, 2005
https://www.mackinac.org/6980
YPSILANTI SCHOOLS LOOK AT COMPETITIVE CONTRACTS FOR BUSING
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Ypsilanti Public Schools are looking to
alleviate a $4.2 million deficit as well as make up $547,000 in
anticipated state funding cuts. The district could save $500,000
a year by contracting for busing service, according to the
Ypsilanti Courier. That savings is effectively a $123 per-student increase in funding, according to the Mackinac Center
for Public Policy.
Durham School Services of Downers Grove, Ill., is looking to
sign a combined contract with the Ypsilanti and Lincoln school
districts, but will contract separately if needed. Currently,
the company does not serve any Michigan schools but has more
than 14,000 buses nationwide, The Ann Arbor News reported.
The company usually hires about 80 percent of districts' drivers
and said it will employ as many Ypsilanti bus drivers as
possible. Durham said it would pay as much or more than the
district does now and will also offer a health package and a
401(k) plan, according to The News.
SOURCES:
The Ann Arbor News, "Board eyes privatized busing," Feb. 4, 2007
https://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-21/1170578878109090.xml?aanews?NEA&coll=2
Ypsilanti Courier, "Officials look at district's future,"
Feb. 8, 2007
http://www.ypsilanticourier.com/stories/020807/loc_20070208005.shtml
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Effective funding increases
from competitive contracting in selected Michigan school
districts," Feb. 12, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/8222
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Kalamazoo-area schools utilize
competitive contracting," Jan. 23, 2007
https://www.educationreport.org/8179
Michigan Education Report, "Beyond brooms, burgers and buses,"
Nov. 21, 2006
https://www.educationreport.org/8032
DOWAGIAC SCHOOLS CONSIDER CONTRACTING CUSTODIAL SERVICES
DOWAGIAC, Mich. — Dowagiac Union Schools received six bids on
competitive contracting for custodial services and could save
between $101,566 and $242,435, according to The Dowagiac Daily
News — up to a $91 per-student effective funding increase,
according to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.
This year, the district is looking at a budget deficit of about
$566,000 and is still in the preliminary steps of contracting.
The next step is examining contracted custodial services in
other districts, The Daily News reported.
"So far, the K-12 references I've contacted, they're very
satisfied," Assistant Superintendent for Business and Operations
Hal Davis told The Daily News.
SOURCES:
The Dowagiac Daily News, "Privatizing savings weighed,"
Feb. 7, 2007
http://www.leaderpub.com/articles/2007/02/07/stories/dowagiac/dnnews1.txt
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Effective funding increases
from competitive contracting in selected Michigan school
districts," Feb. 12, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/8222
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Brandywine schools pleased with new
janitorial service," Jan. 16, 2007
https://www.educationreport.org/8174
Michigan Privatization Report, "Survey 2006: School Outsourcing
Continues to Grow," Dec. 21, 2006
https://www.mackinac.org/8130
Michigan Education Digest, "Dowagiac crunched by teacher
benefits," Nov. 28, 2006
https://www.educationreport.org/8085
DPS CATERER OPERATES WITHOUT FOOD LICENSE
DETROIT — The Detroit Public Schools paid more than $100,000 to
an unlicensed catering company, according to the Detroit Free
Press.
The company, which is run out of DPS Principal Karen Doneghy's
Eastpointe home, was ticketed after complaints of rats and
garbage made their way to officials, according to the Free
Press. The Free Press also reported that the company provided
food for student field trips, parent workshops and teacher
meetings. It is illegal to operate a catering service without a
food license in Michigan, the Free Press said.
The company, Executive Catering, is owned by Robert Horrington
II, who has a license to operate an office out of Doneghy's
home, but is not certified to provide food for the public, the
Free Press reported.
"We deal with thousands of vendors," district spokesman Lekan
Oguntoyinbo told the Free Press. "We're not aware of all of the
violations that some of these businesses might have."
Annie Carter, a member of DPS' board of education, questions the
spending because the schools already have a $21 million contract
with Aramark Corp., and have culinary arts students who could
prepare food for workshops and receptions, according to the Free
Press.
SOURCE:
Detroit Free Press, "District caterer didn't have food license,"
Feb. 9, 2007
https://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070209/NEWS01/702090331
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "DPS limits 'excessive' retreat
spending," May 23, 2006
https://www.educationreport.org/7710
Michigan Education Digest, "DPS administrators to get raises,"
Jan. 10, 2006
https://www.educationreport.org/7533
ESSEXVILLE-HAMPTON HIGH SCHOOL CONSIDERS TRIMESTERS
BAY CITY, Mich. — Garber High School in the Essexville-Hampton
school district is looking to switch from its two-semester block
schedule to 12-week trimesters, according to The Bay City Times.
The potential switch is a result of the state's new high school
graduation requirements, The Times reported.
"Given the situation that we're facing, I think (trimesters) are
a viable solution," Principal Doug Trombley told The Times.
Essexville-Hampton has noted the experience of the Spring Lake
school district, which has seen its MEAP scores continually
increase since it instituted trimesters in 2000, The Times
reported.
"We moved from good to great when we went to this schedule,"
Spring Lake Assistant Superintendent Mark Westerburg told The
Times.
SOURCE:
The Bay City Times, "At Garber High, school officials consider
switch to trimesters," Feb. 5, 2007
https://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-8/117069210385520.xml?bctimes?NEB&coll=4
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Grand Rapids area schools move to
trimesters," Jan. 16, 2007
https://www.educationreport.org/8174
Michigan Education Digest, "Lapeer may switch to trimester
system," Nov. 28, 2006
https://www.educationreport.org/8085
Michigan Education Digest, "Hamilton looking at trimesters,"
June 20, 2006
https://www.educationreport.org/7786
Michigan Education Report, "Hope in state graduation standards
misplaced," Mar. 7, 2006
https://www.educationreport.org/7633
MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST is a service of Michigan Education
Report (
https://www.educationreport.org),
a quarterly newspaper
with a circulation of approximately 150,000 published by the
Mackinac Center for Public Policy (
https://www.mackinac.org),
a
private, nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational
institute.
Font size:
