Contents of this issue:
- Bills would increase oversight of charters
- DPS student accidentally shot in classroom
- Report: Michigan achievement, standards get mixed rankings
- Monroe schools creates marketing position
- Decatur Public Schools adds to fund balance
- Comment and win an iPod
BILLS WOULD INCREASE OVERSIGHT OF CHARTERS
LANSING, Mich. — A legal battle over a charter school in Warren
has spurred two bills in the state Legislature that would
require a charter public school to re-apply to its authorizer
when it wants to relocate, instead of just adjusting its
contract, according to The Macomb Daily.
The bills, introduced by two Warren legislators, Sen. Dennis
Olshove and Rep. Steve Bieda, are the result of a dispute
involving Connor Creek Academy East. The charter public school
planned to build a combined junior and senior high school in an
area where city officials and residents say it will lead to
traffic problems and hurt property values, The Daily reported.
Olshove said that "several" charter public schools throughout
the state are planning to relocate or to expand and have only
made contract amendments with their public university
authorizers and the Michigan Department of Education. Both
legislators think a new application should be filed for each
location, according to The Daily.
"Far too often we are finding charter schools averting the law
in amending their contracts and expanding or relocating their
sites," Olshove said previously. "This legislation is intended
to restore some accountability in the application process."
SOURCE:
The Macomb Daily, "Legislation would close charter school
'loophole,'" Jan. 14, 2008
https://www.macombdaily.com/stories/011408/loc_charter.shtml
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Mission Creep,"
Jan. 11, 2008
https://www.mackinac.org/9183
Michigan Education Digest, "Charter school gets building
permits, still faces legal battles," Nov. 27, 2007
https://www.educationreport.org/9131
DPS STUDENT ACCIDENTALLY SHOT IN CLASSROOM
DETROIT — A Detroit Public Schools freshman was accidentally
shot Jan. 9, 2008, during a science class, according to The
Detroit News.
A bullet grazed the thigh of the student, but he was unaware
that he had been shot until he got home from school. He was
treated and released from the hospital within a day. The DPS
student who was carrying the gun was arrested by police and is
being held at the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility, The
News reported.
"We understand that he was shot by a gun that was shot
accidentally," DPS Spokesman Steve Wasko told The News. "Whether
or not the bag dropped or the gun dropped out of the bag we
don't know. This was not a premeditated incident."
School safety officers conducted a sweep of the school and found
no other weapons, according to The News.
SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "Detroit student didn't know he was shot in
class until he got home," Jan. 11, 2008
https://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080111/UPDATE/801110441/1361
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The three P's of school
safety: parents, prevention, and police," Nov. 1, 2000
https://www.mackinac.org/3134
REPORT: MICHIGAN ACHIEVEMENT, STANDARDS GET MIXED RANKINGS
DETROIT — A national study rates Michigan students near the
bottom of the nation in achievement, but ranks the state highly
for implementing policies to correct the achievement level,
according to The Detroit News.
The report, "Quality Counts: Tapping into Teaching," released by
Education Week ranks Michigan 43rd on standardized test
performance. However, the state ranked fifth for streamlining
its education programs from pre-kindergarten into the workforce,
and 11th in standards for school district accountability. On the
whole, Michigan ranked 18th for overall quality of education,
The News reported.
According to Lynn Olson, executive project editor for Quality
Counts, Michigan has some of the finest education policy in the
nation but has to develop plans to create a superior teaching
force. The report ranked the state 37th in attracting,
encouraging and retaining quality teachers, according to The
News.
"Michigan just doesn't have some of these policies in place,"
Olson told The News. "It has no incentives to attract teachers
in hard-to-staff schools or to teach hard-to-staff subjects, or
to encourage teachers to take on additional roles such as
mentoring or coaching other teachers."
The Michigan Department of Education sees this as verification
that recent reforms are moving state education forward.
"This report confirms that we're going in the right direction in
the reforms we're making, many of which are just being
implemented. It will take several years before we see the
benefits of some of these reforms, such as the new high school
graduation requirements, which were just implemented this year,"
MDE Spokeswoman Jan Ellis told The News.
SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "Policies in place to raise low Mich. K-12
scores, study says," Jan. 10, 2008
https://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/SCHOOLS/801100318/1026
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Michigan Rankings on
National Education Test Fall in 8th Grade, Stagnate in 4th;
Proficiency Scores Flat," Sept. 26, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/9010
MONROE SCHOOLS CREATES MARKETING POSITION
MONROE, Mich. — The Monroe Public Schools will add a marketing
position in an attempt to attract more students to the district,
according to the Monroe News.
The board of education voted to hire Bobb Vergiels, an announcer
for the Detroit Tigers, for the new post. The schools will pay
approximately $74,000 for Vergiels' salary and benefits. Board
President David Vensel said this was a good step because of the
need for families to hear more about the schools. Although the
district has been struggling financially, he hopes the position
will bring in more students, and the state dollars attached to
them, the News reported.
"We're not in good times financially," Vensel told the News.
"But we need to promote why Monroe Public Schools would make an
excellent choice. I think it'll make money."
SOURCE:
Monroe News, "District creates marketing post," Jan. 9, 2008
http://www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080109/NEWS01/937181258
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Conclusion: Competition Is
Improving Public Schools for Michigan Children," in "The Impact
of Limited School Choice on Public School Districts,"
July 24, 2000
https://www.mackinac.org/2979
Michigan School Money Report, "District Revenue and Expenditure
Report: Monroe Public Schools 2005, 2006"
https://www.mackinac.org/depts/epi/fiscal.aspx?Year1=2005-6&DCode1=58010&Year2=2004-5 &DCode2=58010
DECATUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS ADDS TO FUND BALANCE
DECATUR, Mich. — The Decatur Public Schools adopted a revised
2007-2008 budget which shows savings of $118,195, according to
The Kalamazoo Gazette.
The additional revenue will be added to the district's fund
balance. When budgeting last June, the district anticipated less
than $8.7 million in revenue but will receive $8.86 million. The
fund balance is expected to total more than $1.35 million at the
end of the year, The Gazette reported.
Decatur Superintendent Elizabeth Godwin told The Gazette that
the increase in revenue was due to an increase in funding and
strong enrollment figures.
SOURCE:
The Kalamazoo Gazette, "Schools fund balance improves,"
Jan. 8, 2008
https://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-27/119980744178620.xml&coll=7
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Fund Balance" in "A Michigan
School Money Primer," May 30, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/8565
A Michigan School Money Report, "Decatur Public Schools"
https://www.mackinac.org/depts/epi/fiscal.aspx?Year1=2005-6&DCode1=80050&Year2=2004-5 &DCode2=80050
COMMENT AND WIN AN IPOD
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post
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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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