Contents of this issue:
- Detroit schools might have to repay $1.3 million to feds
- Michigan ranks last in graduating black males
- Bay City high schools switch to trimesters
- Schools adjust to rising fuel costs
- State adopts AYP 'growth model'
DETROIT SCHOOLS MIGHT HAVE TO REPAY $1.3 MILLION TO FEDS
DETROIT — A report from the U.S. Department of Education
recommends that Detroit Public Schools be required to pay back
at least $1.3 million in misused funds, according to the Detroit
Free Press.
The report from the Office of the Inspector General found that
from 2004-2006 the district did not properly report its spending
of federal funds aimed at helping low-income students. DPS may
also be required to pay up to $52 million more if it is not able
to track down additional records, the Free Press reported.
District and state Department of Education officials claim that
DPS does not owe anything. Department of Education spokeswoman
Jan Ellis said many of the records have been found.
"We hope to be able to resolve almost all of it," Ellis told the
Free Press.
SOURCE:
Detroit Free Press, "U.S. report says DPS must repay $1.3
million," July 23, 2008
https://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080723/NEWS01/ 807230340
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "DPS overspending pegged at $408
million for 2009," June 27, 2008
https://www.educationreport.org/9611
Michigan Education Digest, "DPS sues former employees for
allegedly issuing illicit contracts," July 10, 2008
https://www.educationreport.org/9655
MICHIGAN RANKS LAST IN GRADUATING BLACK MALES
DETROIT — A national report found that Michigan has the lowest
graduation rate for black males in the country, with Detroit
Public Schools graduating the second lowest number of black
males when compared to other large urban districts, according to
The Kalamazoo Gazette.
The Schott Foundation for Public Education's report, "Given Half
a Chance: The Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and
Black Males," found that Michigan graduates 33 percent of black
males, compared to 47 percent nationwide. Michigan graduates 74
percent of white males, which is just one percentage point lower
than the national figure. Detroit Public Schools graduates 20
percent of black males and 17 percent of white males, The
Gazette reported.
North Dakota led the country by graduating 89 percent of its
black male population, according to The Gazette.
SOURCE:
Kalamazoo Gazette, "State worst in grad rate for black males,"
July 27, 2008
https://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-30/12171 32408219340.xml&coll=7&thispage=1
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "How Ideology Perpetuates the
Achievement Gap," Feb. 2, 2005
https://www.mackinac.org/6974
BAY CITY HIGH SCHOOLS SWITCH TO TRIMESTERS
BAY CITY, Mich. — Bay City Public Schools will move to a
trimester system in its high schools starting in 2009-2010,
according to The Bay City Times.
The schools will move to three 12-week terms, as opposed to the
current two 18-week semesters. The switch will allow students to
take 15 classes per year, instead of the standard 12 under the
semester system. The district decided to change schedules as an
adjustment to the new state graduation requirements, which leave
little time for elective courses or for making up failed
courses, The Times reported.
SOURCE:
The Bay City Times, "Bay City high schools to switch to
trimesters as answer to Michigan's curriculum requirements,"
July 27, 2008
http://blog.mlive.com/bctimes/2008/07/bay_city_high_schools_to_switc.html
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "New high school graduation
requirements in action" May 6, 2008
https://www.educationreport.org/9457
SCHOOLS ADJUST TO RISING FUEL COSTS
WATERFORD, Mich. — School districts across Oakland County are
adjusting their budgets and enacting cost-saving measures to
cope with rising fuel prices, according to Spinal Column Online.
"Individual districts are working on ways to reduce their
operational costs by consolidating bus runs and routes, reducing
bus idling times, examining bus stop locations and reviewing
their operational practices to determine other cost-saving
measures," Lori Richardson, program director of transportation
services for the Oakland Intermediate School District, told
Spinal Column Online. "Oakland Schools is continuing to work
with districts to evaluate their transportation operations and
assist them in implementation of cost-cutting measures whenever
possible."
Last fall the ISD consolidated some of its special education bus
routes and eliminated a 15-minute window where buses would idle.
The measure saved the county schools about $3.5 million, Spinal
Column Online reported.
Some districts are also participating in a fuel consortium. The
Macomb/Oakland Fuel Consortium Aggregate Bus Fuel Purchasing
Program allows schools to band together to purchase bus fuel at
lower prices. Individual districts are consolidating runs or
seeing transportation savings from new all-day kindergarten
programs, according to Spinal Column Online.
SOURCE:
Spinal Column Online, "Schools consider changes to deal with
rising fuel costs," July 29, 2008
http://www.spinalcolumnonline.com/Articles-i-2008-07-23-55732.113117_
Schools_consider_changes_to_deal_with_rising_fuel_costs.html
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Empirical Studies on Cost
Reduction," in "A School Privatization Primer," June 26, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/8711
STATE ADOPTS AYP 'GROWTH MODEL'
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan schools now get credit for students
who have made headway in reading or math — but still are not
proficient — in their effort to meet the academic bar set by the
No Child Left Behind Act.
Called a growth model, the new system allows students who have
not reached proficiency on state standardized tests, but who are
"on trajectory" to reach proficiency within three years, to be
counted favorably in NCLB calculations. Until now, only students
who reached proficiency could be counted.
The new formula will make it easier for some schools to make
"adequate yearly progress" and avoid sanctions under NCLB,
although only a relatively small number of students are
involved, according to the Michigan Department of Education. Nationwide, critics of NCLB have long said that schools deserve
credit for improvement, not just proficiency, while others say
that NCLB provisions already have been watered down enough.
SOURCE:
Michigan Education Report, "Michigan adopts NCLB 'growth
model,'"
July 29, 2008
https://www.educationreport.org/9682
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "'A PLUS' plan would permit states to
opt out of NCLB," Aug. 15, 2007
https://www.educationreport.org/8813
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "NCLB Falls Short of Helping
Parents," Aug. 24, 2007
https://www.mackinac.org/8960
MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST is a service of Michigan Education
Report (
https://www.educationreport.org),
an online 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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