PLEASE NOTE: Michigan Education Digest will be published every other
week beginning with this issue. We will resume our weekly publication
schedule on Tuesday, August 23. -Ed.
Contents of this issue:
Michigan Supreme Court rules retiree benefits subject to change
MEAP scores fall in all subjects but reading
Editorial: Loss of new teachers a concern
Hoogendyk introduces 65-percent solution
Ohio governor institutes state-wide voucher program
MICHIGAN SUPREME COURT RULES RETIREE BENEFITS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Detroit - The Michigan Supreme Court ruled against six retired public school employees who contended that an increase in their health insurance deductibles and prescription drug copays was unconstitutional, the Detroit Free Press reported. The plaintiffs sued the Michigan Public School Employees' Retirement System for changing retiree deductibles and copays in 2000.
The majority in the 5-2 decision said that health care was not an "accrued financial benefit," which the Michigan Constitution forbids the state from decreasing. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice Clifford Taylor ruled that health care is "non-monetary" and does not accrue with the number of years an employee works. Justice Michael Cavanagh dissented, arguing that, "A health care benefit is a benefit because it clearly costs the state money and has an economic value to the employee," the Free Press reported.
According to the Free Press, the state argued that each dollar spent on benefits for retirees is a dollar not spent on the education of students. If retiree benefits were not cut, they said, other areas would be. The Michigan Education Association supported the retirees.
SOURCE:
Detroit Free Press, "School retirees lose health insurance case in state Supreme
Court," June 29, 2005
https://www.freep.com/news/statewire/sw117721_20050628.htm
FURTHER READING:
State of Michigan Court of Appeals, "Alberta Studier et al. v. Michigan Public
School Employees' Retirement System," Feb. 3, 2005
http://courtofappeals.mijud.net/documents/OPINIONS/FINAL/COA/20040203_C243796_29_15O.243796.OPN.COA.PDF
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "4M: The Real Structural Problem,"
February 2005
https://www.mackinac.org/6983
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "How Much Is Enough?", May 2005
https://www.mackinac.org/7116
MEA Voice Today, "MEA members, retirees need to protest MPSERS plan to shift health care costs," June 1, 2004
http://www.mea.org//design.cfm?p=5559
MEAP SCORES FALL IN ALL SUBJECTS BUT READING
Lansing, Mich. — The Michigan
Education Assessment Program test scores
for graduating seniors released on
Friday improved over last year's
results in reading, but not in other
subjects, several papers reported
over the weekend.
Results of the six-part assessment
taken by high school juniors showed
that 77.9 percent of students met or
exceeded standards in reading, up
from 76.2 percent last year. Other
scores did not improve. For example,
the percentage of students meeting or
exceeding standards in science
was down from 63.4 to 58, according
to The Toledo Blade. Writing scores
did not show as sharp a decline with
57.2 percent meeting or surpassing
standards this year, compared to 57.8
last year.
Reactions to the scores varied. John
Austin of the Michigan Board of
Education told the Free Press that,
"We've got a lot of work to do
moving forward. There's an urgency in
defining more rigorous high
school standards." State Board
President Kathleen Straus advised that
"We need to continue addressing the
academic challenges our high
schools are facing."
Jon White, superintendent of Bedford
Schools in Monroe County,
expressed misgivings over the
assessment itself. "What's confusing
about high school test scores," he
told The Blade, "is that kids can
take these tests as sophomores,
juniors, and seniors, and you don't get
the information back until after
these kids have graduated."
Superintendent Craig Haugen of
Whiteford Agricultural Schools told The
Blade that the scores do not provide
the level of detail that is
available with tests given at the
elementary and middle school levels,
"so districts have a more challenging
time trying to address their
specific weaknesses to improve
student achievement." The State Board of
Education will meet in a special
session on July 28 to talk about high
school education.
SOURCES:
The Toledo Blade, "Most test scores
decline in Michigan," July 2, 2005
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050702/NEWS04/507020381/-1/NEWS
The Jackson Citizen Patriot, "Reading
scores rise, others fall,"
July 2, 2005
https://www.mlive.com/news/jacitpat/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1120298813238210.xml
Detroit Free Press, "MEAP scores drop
in math, science, social studies,
writing," July 1, 2005
https://www.freep.com/news/statewire/sw117905_20050701.htm
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy,
"How Does the MEAP Measure Up?",
December 2001
https://www.mackinac.org/3919
EDITORIAL: LOSS OF NEW TEACHERS A CONCERN
Detroit — Almost half of new Michigan
teachers quit within a few years
of starting their jobs, The Detroit
News editorialized. The situation
is not unique to Michigan. According
to the Alliance for Education, job
turnover costs U.S. school districts
$2.6 trillion each year. Estimates
from the U.S. Department of Labor
indicate that a district spends about
30 percent of a lost teacher's salary
to replace him or her.
The exodus of new teachers has
another cost. Mike Reno, Rochester
Community Schools Trustee, told The
News that districts also lose "that
sense of confidence that these
seasoned teachers bring. Having a stable
teaching work force helps assure
parents."
The News editorial discussed some of
the most common reasons for
teacher attrition. Some mathematics
and science teachers are lost to
private firms that offer higher
salaries. Lack of support is another
problem for new teachers, although
some districts have instituted
effective mentoring support programs
to address this issue. Richard
Ingersoll, associate professor of
education and sociology at the
University of Pennsylvania, commented
that "The data is pretty clear:
where you have more support, you keep
more teachers." Family
obligations also play a role in the
loss of new teachers, though The
News said that an estimated 25
percent of teachers who leave their
teaching jobs return after raising a
family.
SOURCE:
The Detroit News, "Teacher exodus
plagues schools," June 26, 2005
https://www.detroitnews.com/2005/editorial/0506/26/A15-227749.htm
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy,
"Frivolous, Trendy Teacher Training
in Michigan," May 2003
https://www.mackinac.org/5374
HOOGENDYK INTRODUCES 65-PERCENT SOLUTION
Lansing, Mich. — State Rep. Jack
Hoogendyk, R-Kalamazoo, has introduced
legislation, now in the House
Committee on Appropriations, that
stipulates that 65 cents of every
dollar appropriated for education be
spent in the classroom, Booth
Newspapers reported.
According to a study by First Class
Education on the amount spent for
classroom costs, Michigan ranks 48th
out of 50 states and the District
of Columbia. Michigan schools spend
an average of 57.4 cents per dollar
in the classroom. Nationally, schools
spend an average of 61.5 cents
per dollar appropriated to education
for classroom costs.
Classroom expenditures may include
teachers and benefits, books and
supplies, teaching aides, clubs and
groups, and even athletics. Booth
Newspapers reported that the bill's
backers believe that it is more
effective to use money on classroom
expenses than on administration and
overhead costs. The idea is not as
popular with Tom White, executive
director of the Michigan School
Business Officials and director of the
K-16 Coalition. He told Booth
Newspapers that, "It's dangerous to
overemphasize a single statistic like
this."
SOURCES:
The Jackson Citizen Patriot, "Beyond
the quick fix," June 29, 2005
https://www.mlive.com/news/jacitpat/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1120061112277120.xml
Booth Newspapers, "Education bills
look to earmark money, raise
funding," June 16, 2005
https://www.mlive.com/news/statewide/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1119003017201940.xml
FURTHER READING:
Michiganvotes.org, "2005 House Bill
4975"
https://www.michiganvotes.org/2005-HB-4975
Time Magazine, "Teaching Schools How
to Spend," June 20, 2005
http://www.firstclasseducation.org/other.asp
Firstclasseducation.org, "Frequently
Asked Questions"
http://www.firstclasseducation.org/faqs.asp
OHIO GOVERNOR INSTITUTES STATE-WIDE VOUCHER PROGRAM
Cincinnati — The Cincinnati Enquirer
reported that up to 14,000 Ohio
students in the most poorly
performing public or charter schools will
be able to use vouchers under a
budget signed into law on Thursday by
Gov. Bob Taft. The Ohio Department of
Education must begin preparing
the program by September, according
to The Enquirer. Students would
begin receiving scholarships in the
2006-2007 school year.
The state-wide voucher program is new
in Ohio, although Cleveland has
had a voucher program for 9 years.
Under that program, which was upheld
by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2002,
vouchers of up to $3,000 are
available to K-8 students. The new
program is state-wide and will cover
grades K-12. Vouchers of up to $4,250
will be available to eligible K-8
students, with as much as $5,000
offered to those in grades 9-12. Only
students from schools that have been
rated as being in "academic
emergency" status for 3 years would
qualify. That would include 34
schools in Hamilton County, where
Cincinnati is located, and three in
Butler County, but none in Warren or
Clermont counties, if the program
were to begin this year.
Jack Gilligan, a Cincinnati school
board member and former Ohio
governor, considers the program
"thoughtless and irresponsible" because
it "dishes out money all over the
place" while "not doing anything to
improve public schools." But many
parents hold a different opinion. One
parent told The Enquirer, "A lot of
kids don't have the opportunities
to go to a Catholic high school"
because the cost is prohibitive, so
"every little bit helps."
SOURCE:
The Enquirer (Cincinnati, Ohio),
"Budget includes vouchers for up to
14,000 students," July 1, 2005
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050701/NEWS01/507010387/-1/CINCI
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy,
"Forging Consensus," April 2004
https://www.mackinac.org/6517
Mackinac Center for Public Policy,
"Vouchers or Tuition Tax Credits:
Which is the Better Choice for School
Choice?", July 2004
https://www.mackinac.org/6710
MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST is a
service of Michigan Education
Report (
https://www.educationreport.org),
a quarterly newspaper
with a circulation of 130,000
published by the Mackinac Center
for Public Policy (
https://www.mackinac.org),
a private,
nonprofit, nonpartisan research and
educational institute.
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