Contents of this issue:
- DPS graduation rate is 32 percent
- Independent schools advertise for students
- Michigan schools received recalled beef
- Southfield considers competitive contracting
- Highland Park school board member sues colleagues over funds
- Comment and win an iPod
DPS GRADUATION RATE IS 32 PERCENT
DETROIT — About 32 percent of Detroit Public Schools students
graduate in four years, according to The Detroit News.
The results come from a Michigan State University study using
methods now required by the federal government. The Michigan
Department of Education, which will adopt the MSU model
statewide, says the DPS graduation rate is 66.8 percent, The
News reported.
"It doesn't seem credible to me," DPS Board President Carla
Scott told The News. "You can make data for anything you want it
to say, but (they) should have factored in the reasons why they
left."
Scott said students who leave the district before graduation
should not be counted as dropouts.
The statewide graduation rate for the four years ending in 2006
was 72.9 percent, The News said, which is lower than the 85.7
percent claimed by the MDE.
SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "Detroit schools grad rate: 32%,"
Feb. 25, 2008
https://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080225/SCHOOLS/802250382
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Legislators: Listen to
Detroit Parents," Feb. 5, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/8205
INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS ADVERTISE FOR STUDENTS
DETROIT — Private and parochial schools in Michigan have begun
to embrace advertising and marketing as a way to attract
students and combat dropping enrollment, according to The
Detroit News.
Enrollment at independent schools in Michigan has dropped 28
percent in the last decade, while the number of nonpublic
schools has decreased from more than 1,000 to about 870, The
News reported.
University Liggett School in metro Detroit has increased
spending on advertising.
"It's pretty aggressive," Peggy O'Connor, Liggett's director of
marketing and public relations, told The News. "I can tell you
that our (advertising) spending is well into the six figures and
that's a significant increase for us."
O'Connor said that while it is a sacrifice for parents to send
their children to an independent school, they also should think
about the benefits.
"But our kids end up going to some excellent colleges and
universities with scholarships," O'Connor told The News. "So, it
helps parents to know they might be paying for school now, but
they may not have to later."
The Archdiocese of Detroit, which has seen a 25 percent drop in
enrollment the last six years, started an advertising campaign
two years ago that includes billboards and radio spots.
Laura Wroblewski, who has one son in Catholic grade school and
another son in Catholic high school, said the ads helped her
family realize the sacrifices they are making are worth it.
"You need to know there's always an option," Wroblewski told The
News. "Our children are learning compassion and tolerance (at
school). They're learning that there are other people out there
and we all need to help each other."
SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "Private schools make public pitch,"
Feb. 23, 2008
https://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080223/SCHOOLS/802230386
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Opportunities of
Education Tax Credits," Nov. 23, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/9128
MICHIGAN SCHOOLS RECEIVED RECALLED BEEF
DETROIT — Several Michigan school districts received beef that
is part of the largest food recall ever, according to The
Detroit News.
Schools in Detroit, Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids received products
from Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. in California, which is
the target of a USDA investigation for animal abuse, The News
reported.
USDA Undersecretary Kate Houston said much of the beef, shipped
since February 2006, has most likely already been consumed by
students, and that it is unlikely to cause an illness, according
to The News.
Detroit Public Schools found 24 cases of processed taco meat and
126 cases of processed chili meat from the company in its
warehouse, Karen Cutler, a spokeswoman for Aramark, told The
News. Aramark is a company hired by DPS to manage the district's
lunch program.
SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "Schools received recalled meat,"
Feb. 19, 2008
https://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/METRO01/802190319/1026
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "Privatization vote prompts violent thread against DPS board," May 23, 2006
https://www.educationreport.org/7710
SOUTHFIELD CONSIDERS COMPETITIVE CONTRACTING
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — Southfield Public Schools has hired
consultants from the Oakland County Intermediate School District
to examine the possibility of competitively contracting
janitorial, food and busing services, according to the
Southfield Eccentric.
Four consultants will work for $50-$100 an hour for a total
contract that will not exceed $50,000. This is the first time
such an arrangement has been made for contracting, the Eccentric
reported.
The district's support services union has already started a
petition drive against competitive contracting and estimates a
total of 1,325 signatures. The school board voted 4-0 to approve
the agreement and maintains that it is only looking into the
option and has not made a decision. The district is expecting a
0.9 percent increase in student spending, but that is negated by
a 1 percent increase in the cost of employee retirement
benefits. The district projects that it will spend $6 million
more than it takes in for 2008-2009, according to the Eccentric.
SOURCE:
Southfield Eccentric, "Southfield schools look for outside help in deciding on privatization," Feb. 21, 2008
http://hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080217/NEWS20/802170378/1037
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Survey 2007: More Growth in
School Support Service Privatization," Aug. 16, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/8881
HIGHLAND PARK SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER SUES COLLEAGUES OVER FUNDS
HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. — A member of the Highland Park board of
education has filed a lawsuit against certain members —
including the board president — for using taxpayer money to
purchase a variety of electronic goods, according to The Detroit
News.
Robert Davis filed a lawsuit asking other board members to pay
back about $13,000 to the district for items like home
computers, PDAs and printers. He is also seeking the judge to
rule that board President Jamille Edwards has violated her oath
of office, The News reported.
"Their conduct is too egregious for me to just sit back and let
it happen and not bring it to the forefront," Davis said. "It is
a clear violation of the person's oath of office."
The district has faced financial woes and declining enrollment
for years. Davis's suit claims board member Joyce Watkins has
spent the most district money for personal electronics, The News
reported. Watkins spent a total of $2,764 for a desktop
computer, two printers, a wireless card, a sound system, web
cam, a laptop computer and a cell phone, according to The News.
Board member Brenda Epperson was shocked by the lawsuit, saying
she was given a laptop and case to use for board business.
"When I was elected to the board this equipment was lent to me,
not to keep, but to be used for board business," Epperson told
The News. "This is for when I travel, and I'm taking classes to
become a certified board member. I have my own desktop, I have a
fax machine, I have my own cell phone, I have my own stuff. This
is what I use for board business."
SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "Member sues chief, school board,"
Feb. 20, 2008
https://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080220/METRO/802200391/1026/rss06
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Board Self-Help,"
Sept. 27, 2004
https://www.mackinac.org/6844
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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