Contents of this issue:
- MESSA outsources Jackson wellness program
- Detroit Federation of Teachers $1.7M in debt
- Galesburg-Augusta super quits; union won't agree to contract
- KCC faculty agree to contract
- Grand Rapids teachers picket board meeting over contract
- Comment and win an iPod
MESSA OUTSOURCES JACKSON WELLNESS PROGRAM
JACKSON, Mich. — The Michigan Education Special Services
Association, the third-party administrator affiliated with the
Michigan Education Association school employees union, has hired
a private consultant to run a trial employee wellness program in
the Jackson Public Schools, according to The Jackson Citizen
Patriot.
MESSA hired the Kalamazoo-based Holtyn & Associates to run the
program, but was unwilling to release information about its
costs, the Citizen Patriot reported.
"Ultimately, we want to see what we can do to contain costs,"
Mona Tropf, health education and promotion specialist for MESSA,
told The Citizen Patriot.
The company will begin by examining and surveying the district's
785 employees about their health and will then collect blood
pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, body-fat and physical
fitness information twice a year, The Citizen Patriot reported.
"You set goals with somebody — who you now have a rapport with —
and now you have to be accountable," Ken Holtyn told the Jackson
board of education. "If we can change the culture within an
organization ... you will get all of the benefits scientists
talk about: lower health-care costs and higher productivity."
SOURCE:
The Jackson Citizen Patriot, "JPS to monitor workers' health,"
Jan. 25, 2008
https://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/01/jps_to_monitor_workers_health.html
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Opposition to
Privatization," in "A School Privatization Primer,"
June 26, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/8723
DETROIT FEDERATION OF TEACHERS $1.7M IN DEBT
DETROIT — The Detroit Federation of Teachers union owes $1.7
million in a combination of back property taxes and dues to
state and national affiliates, according to The Detroit News.
According to DFT business manager Sherri M. Patrick, the union
thought it had paid off all of its property tax debts until it
found, through questions from a reporter, that they were not.
The Wayne County Treasurer's office could have petitioned for
foreclosure if the tax problems from 2005 weren't settled by
April 1. Patrick said that the union has completed paying its
back taxes, The News reported.
The $1.5 million in late dues to the state and national
affiliates came about after the union purchased a new
headquarters in 2004 and increased operating costs. This dropped
the union's cash reserves from just under $4 million to $2.22
million, The News reported. Additionally, financial problems
only worsened because of an unbudgeted two-week strike at the
beginning of the 2006-2007 school year, according to The News.
Teacher strikes are illegal under Michigan law. The union also
has seen a drop in dues of about $1 million annually as
membership has decreased by 3,000 since 2004.
Union President Virginia Cantrell has enacted a number of
spending reforms and restructured union staff, The News
reported. The union has cut at least $300,000 in salaries and
benefits through this reorganization.
"President Cantrell has made a number of budget cuts and skimmed
and trimmed the fat," Patrick told The News. "We are comfortable
now. We don't feel we will be in that situation again."
SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "Teachers union acts to fix debts of $1.7M,"
Jan. 28, 2008
https://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/SCHOOLS/801280353/1026
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Detroit Federation of Teachers owes
$2 million to affiliates," April 17, 2007
https://www.educationreport.org/8378
GALESBURG-AUGUSTA SUPER QUITS; UNION WON'T AGREE TO CONTRACT
GALESBURG, Mich. — The superintendent of Galesburg-Augusta
schools has resigned in an attempt to save the district money,
while the teachers union remains in the midst of an eight-month
contract battle, according to the Battle Creek Enquirer.
Superintendent Eric Palmu, 54, resigned from his $93,000-a-year
job as a way to save money and prevent the elimination of some
programs and reduce the effect on teaching staff. He hopes the
district can hire an interim superintendent with a smaller
salary. The district is currently overspending its budget by
about $250,000, the Enquirer reported.
"I was thinking maybe this was going to be my last year, but
when our budget got to a point to where we were going to disrupt
two teachers, it just made no sense to me," Palmu told to the
board of education, according to the Enquirer. "Save those two
teachers; don't disrupt those learning environments. That's
what's really important."
The district initially planned to reduce hours for two
librarians, four support staff, four aides and two high school
teachers, while also cutting administrator salaries and
eliminating the $1,200 stipend for the board of education, the
Enquirer reported.
While these groups are receiving pay cuts, the Galesburg-Augusta
Education Association union has been held up in teacher contract
negotiations. Neither the union nor the district would discuss
the details.
SOURCE:
Battle Creek Enquirer, "Galesburg-Augusta schools chief quits,"
Jan. 22, 2008
https://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080122/NEWS01/ 801220309/1002/NEWS01
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School District Budgeting,"
in "A Michigan School Money Primer," May 30, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/8560
KCC FACULTY AGREE TO CONTRACT
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — The Kellogg Community College faculty
union has agreed to accept a less expensive health benefits
plan, saving the school about $140,000, according to the Battle
Creek Enquirer.
Until now, the college faculty received the Michigan Education
Special Services Association Supercare health insurance package,
but has moved to the less-costly Choices II plan, according to
the Enquirer. MESSA is a third-party administrator affiliated
with the Michigan Education Association school employees union
that outsources insurance underwriting and then resells it to
schools.
Administrators and other collective bargaining groups within the
college switched to health savings accounts. However, the
professors received a 2 percent pay increase for their
concessions, the Enquirer reported.
"The faculty were interested in saving on health insurance and
we were, too," college President Ed Haring told the Enquirer.
"That was kind of the entree."
SOURCE:
Battle Creek Enquirer, "KCC board approves tentative teacher
contract, health insurance to change," Jan. 23, 2008
https://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080123/NEWS01/301230040
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Selective Moral Outrage,"
Sept. 24, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/9003
GRAND RAPIDS TEACHERS PICKET BOARD MEETING OVER CONTRACT
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Grand Rapids Public Schools teachers
union picketed a recent board meeting over stalled contract
negotiations due to salaries and benefits conflicts, according
to WOOD-TV.
The district's 1,700-plus teachers have failed to come to an
agreement with the district and have worked without a contract
the entire school year. According to a union memo, the district
is currently offering a 1 percent pay increase, in addition to a
$90 a month co-pay for insurance coverage, WOOD-TV reported.
Teachers are the only employment group in the district that does
not contribute to their own health insurance, according to WOOD-TV.
Union President Paul Helder sees no problem with insurance
contributions, but says the pay raise does not offset the new
insurance charge.
"You cannot expect educated professionals to increase their
workload while decreasing their incomes year after year after
year," Helder told the school board, according to WOOD-TV.
GRPS Superintendent Bernard Taylor said the demands placed on
the teachers are not at all different from trends in employment
throughout the state.
"The bottom line is that this state does not have sufficient
resources for us to continue to provide quality education for
these children and meet the myriad of demands that their
families put before us and at the same time look at doing things
we've done in the past. Those days are over. And if you don't
believe that, ask an auto worker if their benefits are the same
as they were in years past?" Taylor said during the board
meeting, according to WOOD-TV.
SOURCE:
WOOD TV, "Contract issues heat up GRPS meeting,"
Jan. 23, 2008
http://woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7759406
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "A Collective Bargaining
Primer," Feb. 28, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/8258
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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