Contents of this issue:
- Detroit Public Schools loses more students than projected
- Muskegon Public Schools considers international charter
- Alternative school meets goals despite funding cuts
- Suttons Bay concerned about American Indian achievement gap
- Berkley renews schools of choice program participation
- Comment and win an iPod
DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS LOSES MORE STUDENTS THAN PROJECTED
DETROIT — More than 7,400 students have fled the Detroit Public
Schools in the past year, according to The Detroit News.
Enrollment in the district has dropped to 104,975, down from
112,437 in September 2006. DPS anticipated a loss of 5,000
students when calculating this year's $1.2 billion budget and is
preparing to reduce expenditures to balance it, The News
reported. The loss of students means a difference of about $71
million.
"We've done a pretty decent job in trying to be as lean as we
can," Board Vice President Joyce Hayes-Giles, who chairs the
school board's finance committee, told The News. "Now we'll have
to tighten our belt some more and figure out where the
reductions come from."
In addition to the loss of foundation allowance, the district is
becoming increasingly concerned about its enrollment shrinking
to less than 100,000 students, at which point more charter
public schools are allowed to be established and compete with
the district for students, according to The News.
SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "DPS expects $71M loss," Nov. 16, 2007
https://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071116/SCHOOLS/711160341/1026
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Pupil Counts," in "A
Michigan School Money Primer," May 30, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/8579
MUSKEGON PUBLIC SCHOOLS CONSIDERS INTERNATIONAL CHARTER
MUSKEGON, Mich. — The Muskegon city school district is looking
for community input as it works to formalize plans for an
international elementary and middle charter school, according to
The Muskegon Chronicle.
The proposed public school will be planned by the Michigan
Coalition of Essential Schools, a non-profit organization
specializing in school improvement. The district will then
provide oversight and daily management for the school, The
Chronicle reported.
The initial plans for the K-8 school include an elementary
school which offers immersion learning in both English and
Spanish, while using International Baccalaureate curriculum for
middle school students. School officials are excited about the
plans, but want to do their best to make sure they are meeting
the needs of parents, according to The Chronicle.
"We need to understand what our community expects of us,"
Superintendent Colin Armstrong told The Chronicle. "We need to
come up with the idea ... and they need to tell us did we come
up with the right idea and if not, what direction should we be
heading."
SOURCE:
The Muskegon Chronicle, "Forums will seek community input on
International School," Nov. 15, 2007
https://www.mlive.com/news/chronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1195141716129570.xml&coll=8
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Dearborn: A Traditional
Public School District Accepts the Charter School Challenge," in
"The Impact of Limited School Choice on Public School
Districts," June 24, 2000
https://www.mackinac.org/2977
ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL MEETS GOALS DESPITE FUNDING CUTS
BESSEMER, Mich. — An Ironwood alternative school has met all of
its academic goals, despite losing a major portion of its
funding last year, according to the Ironwood Daily Globe.
The school reduced its staff after the federal Even Start Family
Literacy Program grant, a program to provide adult education for
parents with young children, was cut for schools across the
country. Although the school saw a loss in revenue, it is still
able to offer services for alternative high school students,
basic adult education, general equivalency diploma completion
and other basic life skill education, the Daily Globe reported.
According to an informal survey of students who completed the
high school program or received their GED, all of the students
who were surveyed were either attending college or employed. The
staff at the school remains committed to the mission of the
program, according to the Daily Globe.
"Some of these kids need a second chance," program coordinator
Lori Struwe told the Daily Globe. "They just don't fit in at the
regular schools for a variety of reasons."
SOURCE:
Ironwood Daily Globe, "Community school thrives despite funding
restrictions," Nov. 14, 2007
http://www.ironwooddailyglobe.com/1114gccs.htm
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Budgets: A Crisis of
Management, Not Finance," Feb. 11, 2005
https://www.mackinac.org/6980
SUTTONS BAY CONCERNED WITH AMERICAN INDIAN ACHIEVEMENT GAP
SUTTONS BAY, Mich. — The Suttons Bay school district is looking
for solutions to the disproportionate number of minority
students, primarily American Indian, enrolled in the schools'
special education program, according to the Leelanau Enterprise.
In 2004-2005 the number of American Indian students scoring
proficient on state standardized tests was 40 percent lower than
non-white students. Additionally, in 2005 more than 44 percent
of the district's American Indian students received some sort of
special education services, compared to a statewide average of
15.8 percent, the Enterprise reported.
District teachers, administrators and school board members are
planning to meet with the Michigan Department of Education to
gain insight into increasing achievement among minority
students.
"If we don't talk about it, it's never going to change,"
Superintendent Mike Murray told the Enterprise.
SOURCE:
Leelanau Enterprise, "'Achievement gap' concerns are being met
by S-B schools," Nov. 17, 2007
http://www.leelanaunews.com/blog/2007/11/17/achievement-gap-concerns-are-being-met-by-s-b-schools/
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "How Ideology Perpetuates the
Achievement Gap," Feb. 2, 2005
https://www.mackinac.org/6974
BERKLEY RENEWS SCHOOLS OF CHOICE PROGRAM PARTICIPATION
ROYAL OAK, Mich. — The Berkley school board voted 5-1 to renew
its participation in the schools of choice program, a practice
it began in 2000, according to the Royal Oak Mirror.
The district opened 99 slots for elementary students in Oakland
County during the 2008-2009 school year. District Superintendent
Michael Simeck said funding from the schools of choice program
accounts for about 20 percent of the total budget, or $800,000,
according to the Mirror.
The one dissenting vote was cast by board Vice President Marc
Katz, who said the program wastes taxpayer money on advertising
while competing for students. Simeck said the district does not
fund advertising and only accepts elementary school students so
that they can catch up by the time they graduate, the Mirror
reported.
SOURCE:
Royal Oak Mirror, "Berkley opts for another year of Schools of
Choice," Nov. 14, 2007
https://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS18/71114010/1035
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Nonresident Student
Adjustment Under Sections 105 and 105c" in "A Michigan School
Money Primer," May 30, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/8628#nonassign
COMMENT AND WIN AN IPOD
MIDLAND, Mich. — Go to
https://educationreport.org and post a comment for a chance to win one of three iPods.
MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST is a service of Michigan Education
Report (
https://www.educationreport.org),
a quarterly newspaper
published by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy
(
https://www.mackinac.org),
a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan
research and educational institute.
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