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Sunday, July 20, 2008

Editorial

Senate school budget creates room for more competition

Detroit will remain Michigan's only first-class school district under a budget deal hammered out by the state Senate. But parents who see the irony in describing the miserable Detroit Public Schools as "first class" will have more options for getting their children a decent education.

That's the best outcome that could be hoped for, and the compromise package should be approved when it goes to the state House this week.

Detroit has enjoyed first-class status as the state's only district with more than 100,000 students. That has entitled it to additional funds from the state, up to $15 million more in some years.

But the district is expected to fall under 100,000 when classes resume in September, setting off a scramble in the Legislature to redefine the size of a first-class district. Senate Republicans wisely tied a lowering of the first-class threshold to 60,000 students to a preservation of a law that opens Detroit for more charter schools once enrollment falls below 100,000.

So Detroit keeps its special funding, which we hope it will use to rapidly address a dropout rate that may be as high as 75 percent. And parents who are tired of waiting for the Detroit Public Schools turnaround will have more options.

Some GOP senators wanted more in exchange for preserving the first-class status, including a much-needed state audit of the district's finances.

With the district facing a $400 million deficit -- roughly one-third of its total budget -- a careful accounting of how it is using its money would seem to be in order.

"That's a fairly significant gift for the district of Detroit for which we get nothing in return," Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland, Senate Education Committee chairman, said after he voted no on the plan. "We get no deficit reduction plan, no power to audit the district."

But in truth, the introduction of more high-quality charters is the best education reform Detroit parents could ask for from the Legislature. It will force Detroit school district to either fix itself or wither away.

Parents who have an alternative will not keep their children in failing schools. This is, in effect, a last chance for Detroit to get it right.

And some opportunities for reform remain. The Senate allotted $15 million to Gov. Jennifer Granholm's small school initiative -- about half of what she requested. The money will be used to spur and reward the creation of smaller high schools with site-based management, giving principals the power to hire and fire teachers.

By demanding such practices from schools, which will compete for up to $3 million per grant, Granholm's venture fund may serve as a catalyst for improving teacher quality in areas with high dropout rates.

And the governor promises to spend as much as one-third of the money on the best charter schools -- spurring all schools to compete harder and innovate to better serve their students.

The Senate deal maintains an opportunity for Detroit Public Schools to turn itself around. And it also frees parents and children from the long wait for better schools.