Contents of this issue:
- Education grads can't find jobs in Michigan
- Howell board stands behind its decision to leave MESSA
- Competitive contracting popular in Port Huron area
- Feds, state have no jurisdiction in school book complaint
- Troy schools end high school inter-district choice
- New issue of Michigan Education Report; Win an iPod
EDUCATION GRADS CAN'T FIND JOBS IN MICHIGAN
DETROIT — Michigan ranks fifth in the nation in the number of
education bachelor's degrees it awards, but 75 percent of those
graduates can't find jobs in the state, according to The Detroit
News.
According to State Superintendent Mike Flanagan, education
schools are producing elementary teachers, while Michigan has a
shortage in special education, math, science and language arts
educators. He believes that colleges should work to funnel
students into different areas of study though scholarships,
according to The News.
"Otherwise, you are subsidizing kids with public dollars who go
to another state and we are still stuck holding with bag with not
enough math and science teachers," Flanagan told The News.
The large pool of graduates may be benefiting Michigan school
districts, The News reported.
"Districts are definitely getting the best teachers that are out
there, because they have so many to pick from," Oakland Schools
Public Relations Specialist Danelle Gittus told The News.
SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "75% of education school grads can't get jobs
in Michigan," March 12, 2007
https://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070312/SCHOOLS/703120328/1026
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "Michigan lags behind some states,"
Nov. 21, 2006
https://www.educationreport.org/8017
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Does Teacher Certification
Matter?" Sept. 14, 2004
https://www.mackinac.org/6831
HOWELL BOARD STANDS BEHIND DECISION TO LEAVE MESSA
HOWELL, Mich. — The Howell school board is standing behind its
decision to declare itself the district's health insurance
policyholder, despite complaints from the teachers union,
according to the Livingston Daily Press and Argus.
In response to the Howell board's decision, the Howell Education
Association proposed an alternative that would involve continuing
the purchase of health insurance coverage from the Michigan
Education Special Services Association and having the HEA's
members each contribute $600 a year to the cost of their own
insurance, the Daily Press and Argus reported. MESSA is a third-party administrator affiliated with the Michigan Education
Association school employee union.
The board issued a news release stating that the union's plan is
less costly than the district's in the first year, but would not
continue to be cost effective in the future, according to the
Daily Press and Argus. Board Treasurer Phil Westmoreland thinks
that the board's decision is the correct one for the district.
"Our plan includes top-notch, comprehensive health benefits our
teachers deserve, and provides low annual deductibles and no
required employee contribution toward premium costs,"
Westmoreland said, according to the Daily Press and Argus. "Our
plan will, now and over time, save the district substantial
dollars in health insurance costs that can be sent to the
classroom or given to teachers in raises.
The board and HEA will be meeting with a state-appointed mediator
later this month, according to the Daily Press and Argus.
Michigan law states it is a management right for school boards to
declare themselves as the policyholder for health insurance, and
that such a decision does not have to be bargained.
SOURCE:
Livingston Daily Press and Argus, "Howell board responds to
teachers' union," March 14, 2007
http://www.dailypressandargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070314/NEWS01/703140313/1002
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Howell schools seek health benefit
options," Feb. 20, 2007
https://www.educationreport.org/8319
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "A Collective Bargaining
Primer For Michigan School Board Members," Feb. 28, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/8258
Michigan Education Digest, "Howell custodians abandon MESSA,"
Sept. 5, 2006
https://www.educationreport.org/7919
Michigan Education Report, "Growing number of districts seek
solutions to costly health insurance," Dec. 15, 2005
https://www.educationreport.org/7479
COMPETITIVE CONTRACTING POPULAR IN PORT HURON AREA
PORT HURON, Mich. — More than 50 percent of school districts in
the Blue Water Area have contracted for at least one of several
non-instructional services, according to the Port Huron Times
Herald.
Contracting for food services is the most popular option in the
area, according to the Times Herald. None of the districts have
contracted for custodial services, and Marysville is the only
district with private busing services. Elsewhere, Jackson Public
Schools recently signed a contract for custodial services and
will save $1.3 million, or $193 per pupil, the Times Herald
reported.
According to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, these
districts contribute to the 38 percent of the state's schools
that have moved towards competitive contracting for non-instructional services, the Times Herald reported.
SOURCE:
Port Huron Times Herald, "Privatizing in schools increases,"
March 11, 2007
https://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070311/NEWS01/703110310/1002
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "Do private employees in public
schools provide the same quality of service as public employees
in public schools? Yes," Feb. 23, 2007
https://www.educationreport.org/8254
Michigan Education Report, "Profit has a role in public schools,"
Feb. 23, 2007
https://www.educationreport.org/8250
Michigan Education Report, "Map: School contracting continues to
grow," Feb. 23, 2007
https://www.educationreport.org/archives/2007/mer2007-01maps.pdf
FEDS, STATE HAVE NO JURISDICTION IN SCHOOL BOOK COMPLAINT
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Federal and state officials have been looking
into a complaint filed by the founder of Livingston Organization
for Values in Education regarding the use of three books in
Howell High School English classes, The Ann Arbor News reported.
The complaint claimed that books by Kurt Vonnegut, Richard Wright
and Toni Morrison violate federal obscenity laws and should be
pulled from the curriculum. Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox
recently stated that the state and federal governments have no
jurisdiction in this type of issue and told the organization they
"must either take appropriate civil legal action or use the
electoral process to change the members of the board," according
to The News. Cox said that it is the school board's
responsibility to examine issues of obscenity.
Board President Sue Drazic believes these books are suitable for
the classes in which they are taught.
"I think for advanced English, for grade 11, these books are
appropriate," she told The News.
SOURCE:
The Ann Arbor News, "Feds: Books don't violate laws,"
March 16, 2007
https://www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1174056440249650.xml&coll=2
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "States' English Standards
Still Need Improvement, Study Says," March 28, 2005
https://www.mackinac.org/7013
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Political Correctness
Suppresses Education," March 16, 2004
https://www.mackinac.org/6460
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "What is the Best Way to Teach
Reading?" April 25, 2003
https://www.mackinac.org/5365
TROY SCHOOLS END HIGH SCHOOL INTER-DISTRICT CHOICE
TROY, Mich. — The Troy Board of Education voted to end inter-district choice for its high schools, according to the Royal Oak
Daily Tribune.
The district has been experimenting with open enrollment for the
past few years in order to stabilize enrollment at Athens and
Troy high schools. Community Relations Director Tim McAvoy feels
removing choice for parents is critical for equitable
distribution of resources.
"Currently Athens enrollment is 1,991 and Troy High is 2,107. We
want to ensure that we have equity of building size," McAvoy told
the Daily Tribune.
SOURCE:
Royal Oak Daily Tribune, "Troy schools close open enrollment,"
March 12, 2007
https://www.dailytribune.com/stories/031207/loc_20070312003.shtml
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Thousands of parents exercise limited
school choice rights," July 5, 2006
https://www.educationreport.org/7807
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Case for Choice in
Schooling: Restoring Parental Control of Education," Jan. 29,
2001
https://www.mackinac.org/3236
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Impact of Limited School
Choice on Public School Districts," July 24, 2000
https://www.mackinac.org/2962
NEW ISSUE OF MICHIGAN EDUCATION REPORT; WIN AN IPOD
MIDLAND, Mich. — The expanded spring issue of Michigan Education
Report is available now, and can be accessed on the Web at
https://www.educationreport.org.
Michigan Education Report is offering readers a chance to win an
iPod when they comment on articles in its spring 2007 issue.
Comments can be made via e-mail about stories on the U.S. House
Fellows program (
https://www.educationreport.org/8238),
school
district health benefits savings
(
https://www.educationreport.org/8239),
whether private employees
in public schools provide the same quality of service as public
employees in public schools (
https://educationreport.org/8254
and
https://www.educationreport.org/8255), a community college
cooperating with home-school students
(
https://www.educationreport.org/8228)
and the role of profit in
public schools (
https://www.educationreport.org/8250).
Please
visit
https://www.educationreport.org for more information.
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.
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