Contents of this issue:
- Detroit Public Schools to lay off 555 teachers
- Midland Public Schools considers contracting for custodial work
- Royal Oak teachers protest at board meeting, want to keep MESSA
- Goodrich schools to expand Schools of Choice program
- Win an iPod; Map: Does your district competitively contract?
- Hillsdale offering free seminar for teachers
DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO LAY OFF 555 TEACHERS
DETROIT — The Detroit Public Schools has sent layoff notices to
555 teachers, according to The Detroit News.
Detroit Federation of Teachers President Virginia Cantrell told
The News that a district often distributes more notices than
needed.
"Based on the information we have seen, we believe most of the
layoffs will be rescinded before they take effect," Cantrell
wrote in a statement.
The number of teachers who lose their jobs my also decline
because between 300 and 400 teachers are planning to retire at
the end of this year, The News reported.
SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "Detroit Public Schools sends layoff notices to
555 teachers," April 27, 2007
https://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070427/UPDATE/704270436/1003/METRO
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Detroit schools could lay off 430,"
Oct. 24, 2006
https://www.educationreport.org/8013
Michigan Education Digest, "Detroit teachers union wants more
money," June 27, 2006
https://www.educationreport.org/7798
Michigan Education Digest, "Study: Detroit graduation rate worst
in the nation," June 27, 2006
https://www.educationreport.org/7798
MIDLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS CONSIDERS CONTRACTING FOR CUSTODIAL WORK
MIDLAND, Mich. — The Midland Public Schools could save between
$700,000 and $900,000 in the first year, and about $2.6 million
over three years, if it chooses to competitively contract for
custodial services, according to the Midland Daily News.
Midland needs to cut $5 million to balance next year's budget and
has decided that if it is going to contract its custodial
services, it will hire Grand Rapids Building Services.
The Midland City Educational Support Personnel Association
protested at a recent school board meeting, expressing concern
about health and retirement packages as well as making claims
about potential safety risks associated with hiring a competitive
company.
"I hope the board of education will hear the voice of this
community," said Fred Baker, a spokesman for the Michigan
Education Association, which is headquartered in East Lansing.
"We want to maintain our local control and local accountability."
GRBS Vice-President Karin Wysocki cleared up many concerns by
explaining that the company puts an emphasis on hiring locally,
offers a health package and makes its job applicants go through
an intensive screening, according to the Daily News. The company
also refuses to hire anyone with a felony or misdemeanor record
other than a traffic violation, the Daily News reported.
Wysocki also stated that her employees are trained to do many of
the popular jobs done by current custodial staff, like setting up
tables, adjusting chairs and walking teachers to their cars.
Midland has recently sent lay off notices to 21 teachers, reduced
the schedules of eight others and eliminated the media specialist
positions in the district, according to the Daily News.
The board will vote on contracting for food and custodial
services at its May 14 meeting, the Daily News reported.
SOURCES:
Midland Daily News, "Midland school outsourcing decision nears,"
April 24, 2007
https://www.ourmidland.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18252234&BRD=2289& PAG=461&dept_id=472542&rfi=6
Midland Daily News, "Midland schools announce 21 teachers laid
off, 8 have duties reduced," April 25, 2007
https://www.ourmidland.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=18258256&BRD=2289&PAG=461& dept_id=578054&rfi=8
Midland Daily News, "MPS media specialist positions to be cut,"
April 25, 2007
https://www.ourmidland.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=18258648&dept_id=578054&brd=2289&pag=461
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
ROYAL OAK TEACHERS PROTEST AT BOARD MEETING, WANT TO KEEP MESSA
ROYAL OAK, Mich. — Members of the Royal Oak teachers union
protested the district's proposed health insurance changes at a
recent board meeting, according to the Royal Oak Daily Tribune.
The Royal Oak board of education has stated that it will allow
teachers to keep health coverage purchased from the Michigan
Education Special Services Association, a third-party
administrator affiliated with the Michigan Education Association
school employee union, if teachers contribute $2,500 per year
towards their own insurance. District officials are looking to
control benefit costs. Superintendent Thomas Moline reports that
MESSA costs $15,500 per teacher with family coverage, while the
average insurance cost in the Detroit area is $11,900 per
employee, the Daily Tribune reported.
"All they need to do is give a concession on insurance and we're
done," Moline said, according to the Daily Tribune. "They can
have it; they just have to help us pay for it."
SOURCE:
Royal Oak Daily Tribune, "Teachers rally for contract,"
April 27, 2007
https://www.dailytribune.com/stories/042707/loc_protest001.shtml
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Howell board stands behind decision
to leave MESSA," March 20, 2007
https://www.educationreport.org/8357
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
GOODRICH SCHOOLS TO EXPAND SCHOOLS OF CHOICE PROGRAM
GOODRICH, Mich. — The Goodrich board of education voted 4-3 to
approve a limited Schools of Choice plan that would open
enrollment to 21 students from outside Genesee County in a effort
to bring more revenue in to the district, according to The Flint
Journal.
The district will continue to allow another 21 students from
other districts inside the county to enroll each school year.
"This is the only way we can get revenue," board member James
Bertrand told The Journal. "The other option is to cut costs."
Board member Michael J. Thorp questioned how much the district
will gain from bringing these students into the schools because
their families will not pay any district or intermediate school
district taxes.
SOURCE:
The Flint Journal, "School board votes to accept out-of-county
students," April 24, 2007
https://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-43/1177428041267880.xml&coll=5
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
WIN AN IPOD; MAP: DOES YOUR DISTRICT COMPETITIVELY CONTRACT?
MIDLAND, Mich. — The spring issue of Michigan Education Report
offers a map illustrating which districts have taken advantage of
competitive contracting. It can be accessed here:
https://www.educationreport.org/archives/2007/mer2007-01maps.pdf
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/8332 for more information.
HILLSDALE OFFERING FREE SEMINAR FOR TEACHERS
HILLSDALE, Mich. — Economics, social studies, civics and history
teachers are invited to participate in a free summer seminar July
15-21 as part of the Foundation for Teaching Economics program,
"Economics for Leaders." The seminar takes place on the campus of
Hillsdale College and will be led by Dr. Gary Wolfram, Munson
Professor of Political Economy at the school. The program is
based on the National Voluntary Standards in Economic Education.
Room and board is free, and each participant will receive a $150
stipend. Credit hours are available, and three SBCEUs are free of
charge for Michigan public school teachers.
Visit
http://www.fte.org/teachers/programs for more information,
or call 800-383-4335.
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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