Monday, January 25, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Race to the Top (Closer)
Michigan shirks
Efforts to derail application for federal school stimulus cash reflect the state’s dysfunction
Michigan’s dysfunction is perfectly embodied in the ridiculous struggle to put together an application for $400 million in fed eral education funds — its stubborn refusal to embrace reform as a path out of its misery, its fealty to labor at the expense of sound policy, and its irrational fear of change.
The Race to the Top application, due Tues day, should have been signed, sealed and on its way to delivery to the White House by now. The program is President Barack Obama’s effort to improve academic performance, largely by improving the quality of classroom instruction.
To be eligible, Michigan had to agree to a series of measures to better assess the job performance of teachers, hold them account able for how well students learn and provide innovative alternatives to traditional public schooling.
As you can imagine, the Michigan Education Associ ation, the state’s largest teacher and school employee union, wanted no part of these reforms.
Even with the support of Gov. Jennifer Granholm and key legislative leaders, the Race to the Top bill faced an uphill fight in the Legislature before a watered-down version was finally adopted the weekend before Christmas.
Having lost in Lansing, MEA President Iris Salters and her staff took the fight to local districts, urging school boards and local unions not to sign on to the application. Eight Oakland County districts dropped out of the program, saying the benefits weren’t worth subjecting teachers to the more rigorous accountability.
What those districts ignore is that half the federal money will go to statewide programs, freeing up cash in the general School Aid Fund and mitigating the per-pupil cuts need ed to balance the state budget. All districts will benefit.
Now there are even defections on the State Board of Education, led by board President Kathleen Straus, the MEA’s de facto repre sentative on that body. If state Superintendent of Public Instruc tion Mike Flanagan is able to get a competitive package in the mail on Tuesday, it will be a miracle.
Michigan is again shooting itself in the foot. The reforms passed by the Legislature are in place and will be put into effect even if the Race to the Top funds don’t come.
Additional changes tied to Race to the Top will likely be included in the rewrite of the federal No Child Left Behind law, particularly now that the American Federation of Teachers has signed off on the reforms.
The change is coming. Michigan might as well get the money.
Everyone should be mindful of the steep budget cliff the state faces in 2011, when the federal stimulus dollars run out. School dis tricts face cutting an additional $400 to $500 per pupil because of declining state aid pay ments.
It’s insane not to aggressively pursue the aptly named Race to the Top dollars. This is a race — a race tomake education in this coun try the best in the world. Michigan, a state with such a high level of need, should be sprinting at the head of the pack instead of shirking along at the rear.
Hopefully, all parties with a stake in this application will wake up Monday morning and do whatever it takes to give Flanagan the makings of a great application.
Michigan
Race for more stimulus cash on to next step
Kathleen Straus, presi dent of the State Board of Education, signed on Saturday Michigan’s application to receive up to $400 million in additional federal stimulus funds.
Her sig nature put the final stamp on the state’s quest to be selected by the U.S. Department of Education to receive the money through Race to the Top, a program that will award, on a compet itive basis, $4.35 billion to states to support school reform. Straus’ signature, along with those of Gov.
Jennifer Granholm and state schools Superin tendent Mike Flanagan, was required on the ap plication.
The deadline to submit the application is Tues day. Straus had declined to sign the application, saying she wanted time to read the full application, which details Michigan’s plans for spending the money. Only a summary of the plan was available at the time. Straus re ceived the application Friday.
Efforts to derail application for federal school stimulus cash reflect the state’s dysfunction
Michigan’s dysfunction is perfectly embodied in the ridiculous struggle to put together an application for $400 million in fed eral education funds — its stubborn refusal to embrace reform as a path out of its misery, its fealty to labor at the expense of sound policy, and its irrational fear of change.
The Race to the Top application, due Tues day, should have been signed, sealed and on its way to delivery to the White House by now. The program is President Barack Obama’s effort to improve academic performance, largely by improving the quality of classroom instruction.
To be eligible, Michigan had to agree to a series of measures to better assess the job performance of teachers, hold them account able for how well students learn and provide innovative alternatives to traditional public schooling.
As you can imagine, the Michigan Education Associ ation, the state’s largest teacher and school employee union, wanted no part of these reforms.
Even with the support of Gov. Jennifer Granholm and key legislative leaders, the Race to the Top bill faced an uphill fight in the Legislature before a watered-down version was finally adopted the weekend before Christmas.
Having lost in Lansing, MEA President Iris Salters and her staff took the fight to local districts, urging school boards and local unions not to sign on to the application. Eight Oakland County districts dropped out of the program, saying the benefits weren’t worth subjecting teachers to the more rigorous accountability.
What those districts ignore is that half the federal money will go to statewide programs, freeing up cash in the general School Aid Fund and mitigating the per-pupil cuts need ed to balance the state budget. All districts will benefit.
Now there are even defections on the State Board of Education, led by board President Kathleen Straus, the MEA’s de facto repre sentative on that body. If state Superintendent of Public Instruc tion Mike Flanagan is able to get a competitive package in the mail on Tuesday, it will be a miracle.
Michigan is again shooting itself in the foot. The reforms passed by the Legislature are in place and will be put into effect even if the Race to the Top funds don’t come.
Additional changes tied to Race to the Top will likely be included in the rewrite of the federal No Child Left Behind law, particularly now that the American Federation of Teachers has signed off on the reforms.
The change is coming. Michigan might as well get the money.
Everyone should be mindful of the steep budget cliff the state faces in 2011, when the federal stimulus dollars run out. School dis tricts face cutting an additional $400 to $500 per pupil because of declining state aid pay ments.
It’s insane not to aggressively pursue the aptly named Race to the Top dollars. This is a race — a race tomake education in this coun try the best in the world. Michigan, a state with such a high level of need, should be sprinting at the head of the pack instead of shirking along at the rear.
Hopefully, all parties with a stake in this application will wake up Monday morning and do whatever it takes to give Flanagan the makings of a great application.
Michigan
Race for more stimulus cash on to next step
Kathleen Straus, presi dent of the State Board of Education, signed on Saturday Michigan’s application to receive up to $400 million in additional federal stimulus funds.
Her sig nature put the final stamp on the state’s quest to be selected by the U.S. Department of Education to receive the money through Race to the Top, a program that will award, on a compet itive basis, $4.35 billion to states to support school reform. Straus’ signature, along with those of Gov.
Jennifer Granholm and state schools Superin tendent Mike Flanagan, was required on the ap plication.
The deadline to submit the application is Tues day. Straus had declined to sign the application, saying she wanted time to read the full application, which details Michigan’s plans for spending the money. Only a summary of the plan was available at the time. Straus re ceived the application Friday.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
TIME is an Invaluable Resource
Pontiac school board to meet more often to discuss budget
Friday, January 15, 2010
By DIANA DILLABER MURRAY
Of The Oakland Press
Of The Oakland Press
Trustees on the Pontiac Board of Education plan to double their meetings from two to four nights a month to get the necessary work done to restructure district schools and reduce the deficit.
Board members are also considering a change in board pay. Trustees discussed Wednesday the possibility of voluntarily giving up the $81.50 per meeting stipend for one of the meetings each month or lowering the amount of the stipend.
The majority of trustees said they didn’t run for office for the money.
The issue of board pay was brought up by new board President Gill Garrett at a special meeting on board governance. However, the issue has not come to a board vote and may require a change in board policy.
“We are going to have meetings,” Garrett said. “The administrators have clearly stated there are items facing the district that the board has to make decisions on. The board has the option of not being paid for meetings outside of regular meetings.”
Trustees plan to focus on the deficit elimination plan, due to the state Feb. 15, and on the budget for the next school year, due to the state June 30.
But new Vice President Caroll Turpin, whose focus as a school activist for the past 31⁄2 years has been on academics, is pushing the board to set goals and objectives so key programs are protected when cuts are made.
She said she had no objections to more meetings. She wants more discussion and dialogue on issues before the votes at a regular meeting.
Superintendent Tom Maridada II has also said it is important for the board to determine its priorities so that there is money in the budget for those priorities.
“We want to make sure we get off on the right foot,” Garrett said. “We want to make sure we speak on these things before they are presented to us for a vote.” He pointed out, however, that board discussions have to be done at an open meeting and not away from the public, even if there is no vote.
Turpin is also urging the board to create a method of evaluating the superintendent.
“Dr. Maridada has been here since August and no evaluation has been set up,” Turpin said.
“What do we see as our goals this year?” Turpin asked. “What do we want to accomplish? We do not have those two measures (goals and objectives and evaluation method) in place and it is January.”
Trustee Christopher Northcross pointed out that the board has already approved the creation of niche schools, with the idea that they would attract students interested in a themed education, such as performing arts or science and technology.
Safety and security, and public access to the board are also priorities, Northcross said.
To improve its decision making, the board is working with Michigan Association of School Boards in a pilot study of a national program that instructs boards on making decisions based on data, such as test scores, drop-out rates and the number of students who go to college. The program is covered by a grant.
Trustees have also committed themselves to a second yearlong program that is geared to helping the board work efficiently without letting personal issues get in the way.
Northcross suggested trustees might do better to operate more efficiently with fewer regular board meetings so trustees can be more involved in community-school activities.
Trustee Robert Bass said he agreed meetings need to be more efficient but, “I disagree with anyone who says we don’t need to meet. We are so far behind. We have so much to do, so much discussion needs to take place.”
Trustee Karen Cain said she had no problem increasing the number of meetings, but she does have a problem if trustees are going to be paid for more than two meetings a month.
“That’s doubling the expense,” Cain said.
While Bass said money is not an issue for him, he had trouble understanding why trustees were willing to approve contracts and vote raises and extensions in contracts “but can’t add $81.50” for a board meeting.
Turpin said she couldn’t understand why the board didn’t wait for the new trustees to be seated before approving contracts.
Audit report Tuesday
A report on the forensic audit ordered by the Pontiac Board of Education in late September will be given to trustees at a closed session at 4 p.m. Tuesday before the regular 5:30 p.m. board meeting at Rogers Elementary School. PNH Consulting Group was contracted to audit accounts payable, including federal funds, and a payroll review.
The scope of the investigation into possible mismanagement of funds is confidential until the audit report is released.
Board members are also considering a change in board pay. Trustees discussed Wednesday the possibility of voluntarily giving up the $81.50 per meeting stipend for one of the meetings each month or lowering the amount of the stipend.
The majority of trustees said they didn’t run for office for the money.
The issue of board pay was brought up by new board President Gill Garrett at a special meeting on board governance. However, the issue has not come to a board vote and may require a change in board policy.
“We are going to have meetings,” Garrett said. “The administrators have clearly stated there are items facing the district that the board has to make decisions on. The board has the option of not being paid for meetings outside of regular meetings.”
Trustees plan to focus on the deficit elimination plan, due to the state Feb. 15, and on the budget for the next school year, due to the state June 30.
But new Vice President Caroll Turpin, whose focus as a school activist for the past 31⁄2 years has been on academics, is pushing the board to set goals and objectives so key programs are protected when cuts are made.
She said she had no objections to more meetings. She wants more discussion and dialogue on issues before the votes at a regular meeting.
Superintendent Tom Maridada II has also said it is important for the board to determine its priorities so that there is money in the budget for those priorities.
“We want to make sure we get off on the right foot,” Garrett said. “We want to make sure we speak on these things before they are presented to us for a vote.” He pointed out, however, that board discussions have to be done at an open meeting and not away from the public, even if there is no vote.
Turpin is also urging the board to create a method of evaluating the superintendent.
“Dr. Maridada has been here since August and no evaluation has been set up,” Turpin said.
“What do we see as our goals this year?” Turpin asked. “What do we want to accomplish? We do not have those two measures (goals and objectives and evaluation method) in place and it is January.”
Trustee Christopher Northcross pointed out that the board has already approved the creation of niche schools, with the idea that they would attract students interested in a themed education, such as performing arts or science and technology.
Safety and security, and public access to the board are also priorities, Northcross said.
To improve its decision making, the board is working with Michigan Association of School Boards in a pilot study of a national program that instructs boards on making decisions based on data, such as test scores, drop-out rates and the number of students who go to college. The program is covered by a grant.
Trustees have also committed themselves to a second yearlong program that is geared to helping the board work efficiently without letting personal issues get in the way.
Northcross suggested trustees might do better to operate more efficiently with fewer regular board meetings so trustees can be more involved in community-school activities.
Trustee Robert Bass said he agreed meetings need to be more efficient but, “I disagree with anyone who says we don’t need to meet. We are so far behind. We have so much to do, so much discussion needs to take place.”
Trustee Karen Cain said she had no problem increasing the number of meetings, but she does have a problem if trustees are going to be paid for more than two meetings a month.
“That’s doubling the expense,” Cain said.
While Bass said money is not an issue for him, he had trouble understanding why trustees were willing to approve contracts and vote raises and extensions in contracts “but can’t add $81.50” for a board meeting.
Turpin said she couldn’t understand why the board didn’t wait for the new trustees to be seated before approving contracts.
Audit report Tuesday
A report on the forensic audit ordered by the Pontiac Board of Education in late September will be given to trustees at a closed session at 4 p.m. Tuesday before the regular 5:30 p.m. board meeting at Rogers Elementary School. PNH Consulting Group was contracted to audit accounts payable, including federal funds, and a payroll review.
The scope of the investigation into possible mismanagement of funds is confidential until the audit report is released.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Informs our Understanding
Promises and Facts on Charter Schools
Proponents initially argued that charter schools could provide a better education because they were allowed to operate independently. But the research has turned up mixed results. To ensure that this new money goes only to operators with proven records of success, Mr. Duncan will need to be guided by well-designed studies like the one being carried out by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes.
The center startled many education specialists last summer with a report that showed that a large number of charter schools are failing to deliver on their promises. It compared the performance of charter schools and traditional schools in 15 states and the District of Columbia and found that only about 17 percent of charters offered students a better education than traditional schools — and that 37 percent were worse.
A new study from the center has turned up a brighter picture in New York City, where students at more than half of the charter schools are showing more academic improvement in math than their traditional-school counterparts. The reading numbers were not as strong, but still nearly 30 percent of charters outperformed traditional schools.
The Stanford study does not explain why charter schools in New York City are outperforming charters elsewhere. But some ideas spring readily to mind.
New York City has a rigorous mechanism for licensing charters as well as strong oversight of performance. The city also gives charter operators free space, and provides them with administrative support so that they can more easily get up and running and comply with state and federal education law. This environment has been a magnet for strong operators that have been treated almost like pariahs in other states.
Critics have often charged that charter schools look better academically because they skim off the most talented students from neighboring traditional schools. The Stanford study rules out this explanation by carefully controlling for all known variables, including race, gender, ethnicity and achievement level.
The success of high-quality charter schools in places like New York supports Mr. Duncan’s view that charters can play an important role in efforts to reform the country’s flawed education system — but only if they are closely monitored and held to high standards.
TIME will TELL!
Union leader's speech bodes well for D.C. education reform
Thursday, January 14, 2010; A18
IT TAKES GUTS for a labor leader to concede how hard it is to get rid of union members not doing their jobs. It takes even more guts to admit just how wrong that is. So, it is a credit to American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten that she has called for reform in due process for teachers. Whether she follows through will be a test of her resolve as well as the willingness of her membership to give up long-held protections that have favored the interests of bad teachers over the needs of students.
Ms. Weingarten acknowledged the "glacial process" of disciplining and removing ineffective teachers in a speech Tuesday that called for major improvements in how teachers are evaluated and developed. She promised to lead the way in streamlining the system whereby complaints against teachers are adjudicated. Equally significant was her admission that student test scores should factor in as one measure of a teacher's performance, although she provided little detail on how this would work.
To be sure, there is -- as skeptics were quick to point out -- a big difference between saying and doing. Consider that last year at about this same time, Ms. Weingarten, newly installed as head of the 1.4-million-member union, proclaimed that everything, save school vouchers, was on the table to reform schools. The results, as evidenced by contracts in New Haven, Conn., and Detroit, proved to be, if not disappointing, far from revolutionary. And, in the District, where Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee has pushed for real change in seniority and tenure practices, there's yet to be an agreement announced after two years of negotiations and mediation.
Nonetheless, we want to take Ms. Weingarten at her word; her decision to tap Kenneth R. Feinberg, President Obama's "compensation czar," speaks well of her interest in trying to fix the system. No doubt she recognizes the pressure for change caused by the Obama administration's insistence that only states ready to challenge the status quo will be rewarded with federal education money. Time will attest to her ability to bring about real reform.
Thursday, January 14, 2010; A18
IT TAKES GUTS for a labor leader to concede how hard it is to get rid of union members not doing their jobs. It takes even more guts to admit just how wrong that is. So, it is a credit to American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten that she has called for reform in due process for teachers. Whether she follows through will be a test of her resolve as well as the willingness of her membership to give up long-held protections that have favored the interests of bad teachers over the needs of students.
Ms. Weingarten acknowledged the "glacial process" of disciplining and removing ineffective teachers in a speech Tuesday that called for major improvements in how teachers are evaluated and developed. She promised to lead the way in streamlining the system whereby complaints against teachers are adjudicated. Equally significant was her admission that student test scores should factor in as one measure of a teacher's performance, although she provided little detail on how this would work.
To be sure, there is -- as skeptics were quick to point out -- a big difference between saying and doing. Consider that last year at about this same time, Ms. Weingarten, newly installed as head of the 1.4-million-member union, proclaimed that everything, save school vouchers, was on the table to reform schools. The results, as evidenced by contracts in New Haven, Conn., and Detroit, proved to be, if not disappointing, far from revolutionary. And, in the District, where Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee has pushed for real change in seniority and tenure practices, there's yet to be an agreement announced after two years of negotiations and mediation.
Nonetheless, we want to take Ms. Weingarten at her word; her decision to tap Kenneth R. Feinberg, President Obama's "compensation czar," speaks well of her interest in trying to fix the system. No doubt she recognizes the pressure for change caused by the Obama administration's insistence that only states ready to challenge the status quo will be rewarded with federal education money. Time will attest to her ability to bring about real reform.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
WHAT a TANGLED WEB We WEAVE.....
Bid for Race to the Top school funds may go down to the wire
Some on state board of education have reservations
By LORI HIGGINS
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
The head of the State Board of Education said she wants to hold off on signing Michigan’s application to receive up to $400 million in federal stimu lus funds.
“I would like to see the whole plan before I sign it,” Kathleen Straus of Detroit, the board president, said at a State Board of Education meeting Tuesday. “I want to make sure it says what I think it does.”
The state plans to send its application by express mail Monday, a day before the dead line for the federal Race to the Top Program, a $4.35-billion competition that will award se lected states with money to support school reform.
The Signatures of Gov. Jen nifer Granholm, state schools Superintendent Mike Flana gan and Straus are required on the application. The final wording won’t be available un til Sunday, state officials told Straus.
So far, the Michigan De partment of Education has re leased only summaries of its plan. But it was clear Tuesday that feelings are mixed.
Board member Nancy Dan hof, for instance, said there have been many misunder standings in the community about the state’s reasons for submitting an application. “It is not to rubber-stamp a feder al program in order to get mon ey. It is because it’s the right thing to do for children,” Dan hof of East Lansing said.
But board member Mari anne Mc Guire of Detroit ex pressed strong reservations, saying she thought teachers were bearing much of the bur den of the increased accountability that comes with the state’s plan. “I’m not really seeing a lot of fairness with this plan,” Mc Guire said.
One of the biggest criti cisms the state has received is that the plan sets state policy on how student achievement growth will be used when eval uating teachers. But Flanagan said it’s up to local school districts and their unions to bargain over how that would happen.
“It isn’t imposed by the state,” Flanagan said.
Straus said that’s not clear in the summary the Michigan Department of Education posted on its Web site Satur day.
■ CONTACT LORI HIGGINS: 313-222-6651 OR LHIGGINS@FREEPRESS.COM
Some on state board of education have reservations
By LORI HIGGINS
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
The head of the State Board of Education said she wants to hold off on signing Michigan’s application to receive up to $400 million in federal stimu lus funds.
“I would like to see the whole plan before I sign it,” Kathleen Straus of Detroit, the board president, said at a State Board of Education meeting Tuesday. “I want to make sure it says what I think it does.”
The state plans to send its application by express mail Monday, a day before the dead line for the federal Race to the Top Program, a $4.35-billion competition that will award se lected states with money to support school reform.
The Signatures of Gov. Jen nifer Granholm, state schools Superintendent Mike Flana gan and Straus are required on the application. The final wording won’t be available un til Sunday, state officials told Straus.
So far, the Michigan De partment of Education has re leased only summaries of its plan. But it was clear Tuesday that feelings are mixed.
Board member Nancy Dan hof, for instance, said there have been many misunder standings in the community about the state’s reasons for submitting an application. “It is not to rubber-stamp a feder al program in order to get mon ey. It is because it’s the right thing to do for children,” Dan hof of East Lansing said.
But board member Mari anne Mc Guire of Detroit ex pressed strong reservations, saying she thought teachers were bearing much of the bur den of the increased accountability that comes with the state’s plan. “I’m not really seeing a lot of fairness with this plan,” Mc Guire said.
One of the biggest criti cisms the state has received is that the plan sets state policy on how student achievement growth will be used when eval uating teachers. But Flanagan said it’s up to local school districts and their unions to bargain over how that would happen.
“It isn’t imposed by the state,” Flanagan said.
Straus said that’s not clear in the summary the Michigan Department of Education posted on its Web site Satur day.
■ CONTACT LORI HIGGINS: 313-222-6651 OR LHIGGINS@FREEPRESS.COM
Monday, January 11, 2010
It Speaks for Itself!
Pontiac school board seeks state’s opinion on hiring teacher
Sunday, January 10, 2010
By ANN ZANIEWSKI
Of The Oakland Press
Of The Oakland Press
At a meeting that lasted about 31⁄2 hours, the Pontiac Board of Education voted Saturday to seek an opinion from the state attorney general’s office about its legal options regarding a trustee who works as a teacher for the district.
Mary Barr, a Pontiac Middle School teacher, was elected in November to a partial term and publicly was sworn in Monday. Questions have been raised as to whether she can legally serve as a trustee while working as a district teacher.
Board of Education President Gill Garrett said the purpose of Saturday’s meeting was so the board could get more information before determining its next step.
Trustees received a letter in which board attorney George Pitchford said it’s his opinion, based on an attorney general’s opinion and relevant statutes, that it’s a violation of law to hold both the position of board trustee and employee of the same school district.
Much of the meeting was spent discussing a timeline of contacts among various people in the last several weeks about the topic. Officials said Joseph Rozell, the head of the county’s Elections Division, said no formal action could take place until Barr formally accepted the position and took the oath of office.
Trustees also talked about the possible ramifications of Barr holding both positions. Pitchford said allowing a potentially conflicted board member to participate in meetings could result in an Oakland Circuit judge overturning the board’s decisions, a point that concerned board members.
“Until it is resolved, the board is in peril as it relates to any of our decisions,” Trustee Karen Cain said.
Pitchford said he contacted both the elections office and the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, and was told that a prosecutor had been assigned to the matter and would not act until a criminal complaint was received. It was unclear Saturday whether the prosecutor’s office has launched a formal investigation.
Trustee Damon Dorkins suggested that Barr be censured until the matter is resolved. Garrett said he would not support a censure.
Dorkins said as a teacher, Barr takes direction from a principal who reports to a supervisor who reports to the superintendent. At the same time, board trustees give direction to the superintendent.
“To me, clearly that is a conflict,” he said.
Barr said she was laid off when she petitioned to run for office. She was later called back to work.
Barr said she has been honest with voters about being a teacher and wants to do what’s best for the district’s children.
Barr said she believes the law is unclear.
“I do not have a problem resigning from my job as a school board employee,” she said, “but I’m only going to resign from my job if it’s the right thing.”
Community activist Kevin Stewart has contacted State Rep. Tim Melton, D-Auburn Hills, the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office and Pontiac police about Barr. He told the board that Barr being a trustee and a teacher is a conflict.
Frederick Barr, a local pastor and Barr’s brother, spoke in support of his sister.
“We live in a Democratic society,” he said. “The voice of the people was heard on election day.”
In the end, the board voted to authorize Garrett to ask a state official to solicit an opinion from the state attorney general’s office regarding the board’s legal options in the matter of the potential conflict of interest.
Saturday’s meeting started several minutes late because of a discussion about whether the meeting itself was even legal.
Trustee Christopher Northcross, the board’s secretary, said the meeting was posted without his knowledge. The trustees talked about the issue until Pitchford was asked his opinion, and said he believed the meeting was being held legally.
Contact staff writer Ann Zaniewski at (248) 745-4628 or ann.zaniewski@oakpress.com.
Mary Barr, a Pontiac Middle School teacher, was elected in November to a partial term and publicly was sworn in Monday. Questions have been raised as to whether she can legally serve as a trustee while working as a district teacher.
Board of Education President Gill Garrett said the purpose of Saturday’s meeting was so the board could get more information before determining its next step.
Trustees received a letter in which board attorney George Pitchford said it’s his opinion, based on an attorney general’s opinion and relevant statutes, that it’s a violation of law to hold both the position of board trustee and employee of the same school district.
Much of the meeting was spent discussing a timeline of contacts among various people in the last several weeks about the topic. Officials said Joseph Rozell, the head of the county’s Elections Division, said no formal action could take place until Barr formally accepted the position and took the oath of office.
Trustees also talked about the possible ramifications of Barr holding both positions. Pitchford said allowing a potentially conflicted board member to participate in meetings could result in an Oakland Circuit judge overturning the board’s decisions, a point that concerned board members.
“Until it is resolved, the board is in peril as it relates to any of our decisions,” Trustee Karen Cain said.
Pitchford said he contacted both the elections office and the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, and was told that a prosecutor had been assigned to the matter and would not act until a criminal complaint was received. It was unclear Saturday whether the prosecutor’s office has launched a formal investigation.
Trustee Damon Dorkins suggested that Barr be censured until the matter is resolved. Garrett said he would not support a censure.
Dorkins said as a teacher, Barr takes direction from a principal who reports to a supervisor who reports to the superintendent. At the same time, board trustees give direction to the superintendent.
“To me, clearly that is a conflict,” he said.
Barr said she was laid off when she petitioned to run for office. She was later called back to work.
Barr said she has been honest with voters about being a teacher and wants to do what’s best for the district’s children.
Barr said she believes the law is unclear.
“I do not have a problem resigning from my job as a school board employee,” she said, “but I’m only going to resign from my job if it’s the right thing.”
Community activist Kevin Stewart has contacted State Rep. Tim Melton, D-Auburn Hills, the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office and Pontiac police about Barr. He told the board that Barr being a trustee and a teacher is a conflict.
Frederick Barr, a local pastor and Barr’s brother, spoke in support of his sister.
“We live in a Democratic society,” he said. “The voice of the people was heard on election day.”
In the end, the board voted to authorize Garrett to ask a state official to solicit an opinion from the state attorney general’s office regarding the board’s legal options in the matter of the potential conflict of interest.
Saturday’s meeting started several minutes late because of a discussion about whether the meeting itself was even legal.
Trustee Christopher Northcross, the board’s secretary, said the meeting was posted without his knowledge. The trustees talked about the issue until Pitchford was asked his opinion, and said he believed the meeting was being held legally.
Contact staff writer Ann Zaniewski at (248) 745-4628 or ann.zaniewski@oakpress.com.
Houston We Have Lift-Off!
LANSING
Schools on board to get federal aid
The Michigan Department of Education received more than 700 letters of agreement by Friday from school dis tricts and charter schools that want a slice of up to $400 million the state could receive in federal aid.
The agreements are crucial to Michigan’s chances of sharing in $4.35 billion set aside from stimulus funds to support innovation in schools. The U.S. Department of Education is to award the money on a competitive basis to states with promising reform plans. If Michigan is select ed, the state could receive between $200 million and $400 million.
The agreements have been controversial, though, with some union leaders — and administrators and board mem bers in some districts — refusing to sign.
A consistent concern school leaders raise is the lack of clarity in what Michigan’s plan will include.
There are about 850 school districts and charter schools in Michigan.
To view a summary of Michigan’s plan, go to www.michigan.gov/mde.
Schools on board to get federal aid
The Michigan Department of Education received more than 700 letters of agreement by Friday from school dis tricts and charter schools that want a slice of up to $400 million the state could receive in federal aid.
The agreements are crucial to Michigan’s chances of sharing in $4.35 billion set aside from stimulus funds to support innovation in schools. The U.S. Department of Education is to award the money on a competitive basis to states with promising reform plans. If Michigan is select ed, the state could receive between $200 million and $400 million.
The agreements have been controversial, though, with some union leaders — and administrators and board mem bers in some districts — refusing to sign.
A consistent concern school leaders raise is the lack of clarity in what Michigan’s plan will include.
There are about 850 school districts and charter schools in Michigan.
To view a summary of Michigan’s plan, go to www.michigan.gov/mde.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Direction: Governance & Accountability (Read Leadership)
Pontiac school board to discuss its role amid controversy over board member
Saturday, January 9, 2010
By DIANA DILLABER MURRAY
Of The Oakland Press
Of The Oakland Press
PONTIAC – New Pontiac Board of Education President Gill Garrett has called a special meeting for 11 a.m. today to discuss what the board’s role should be amid allegations that newly seated board Treasurer Mary Barr can’t legally sit on the board while she is a teacher.
As of Friday, State Rep. Tim Melton, D-Auburn Hills, had received two requests to intervene. He said his staff was preparing an official request to the state Attorney General’s Office for an opinion on whether the teacher, who was elected to finish out a one-year term, will be legally required to give up one of the positions.
“I want to handle this in the open and above board,” Garrett said. “I don’t like to play political games. I don’t know what all this is about,” he said, referring to attempts of more than one person to file a complaint about Barr’s dual role at the Pontiac Police Department, where complainants said they were told the process had to be started.
The fact that the issue has been raised only after Barr has been seated and officers have been elected makes it a distraction for the board that has so many other issues to work on, Garrett said. He didn’t want to wait until already scheduled meetings next week because he wants to have the issue dealt with before then.
“I am calling a special meeting so we can all get out our differences and decide what we think and what we should do,” Garrett said. “I need direction on moving forward as the current board president. I don’t want to move on my own.”
He said he had asked former President Damon Dorkins Nov. 4 to find out whether the board had any legal responsibility in the matter before Barr was seated and before he became president, but never got an answer. He has asked that copies of all correspondence on the issue be prepared for today’s meeting.
As of now, Garrett said he doesn’t believe the board has a role in such a situation. But he said he was planning to consult with the school board attorney before today’s meeting.
“If any trustee has anything that will help us they should state it now. If they do, they can put a motion on the floor and move on with this.”
Garrett said the issue is a distraction when the board is in the middle of restructuring the district.
“Our kids are at stake,” he said.
In reaction to the call for an attorney general’s opinion, Barr, who was the top vote-getter in the November school board election, said simply, “I respect the democratic process.” She had said earlier that she had met many challenges in her life and whatever challenges she has, she will address. Melton said there are opinions on cases in Michigan similar to Barr’s that indicate she needs to give up one of the positions. He said he had sent opinions to district offices before the meeting Monday.
One of the requests for Melton’s intervention was filed by city activist Kevin Stewart, and the second by William R. Fuqua, a retired 32-year school teacher who lives in Pontiac and taught in Highland Park.
“How is Ms. Mary Barr allowed to be a trustee and remain a teacher?” Fuqua wrote. “I was under the impression this would be a conflict of interest,” he said, asking Melton for an investigation and telling him to “make sure the district is in compliance with the law.”
Fuqua said Barr should vacate her position just as former Pontiac Councilman Marc Seay did, when he was ordered by Oakland County Circuit Court to choose between his job as firefighter or council member.
Barr was part of a voting bloc that replaced Dorkins with former board Vice President Garrett. On the same night, Barr was voted in as board treasurer and newly elected trustee Caroll Turpin as vice president by the same 4-3 voting bloc of Garrett, Barr, Turpin and Trustee Robert Bass.
In his request for intervention and an attorney general’s opinion, Stewart said “I believe the actions of the Pontiac Board of Education at its organizational meeting and official business meeting held on Monday, Jan. 4, 2010, were in violation of the law and that every action taken must be revisited and considered null and void.”
As of Friday, State Rep. Tim Melton, D-Auburn Hills, had received two requests to intervene. He said his staff was preparing an official request to the state Attorney General’s Office for an opinion on whether the teacher, who was elected to finish out a one-year term, will be legally required to give up one of the positions.
“I want to handle this in the open and above board,” Garrett said. “I don’t like to play political games. I don’t know what all this is about,” he said, referring to attempts of more than one person to file a complaint about Barr’s dual role at the Pontiac Police Department, where complainants said they were told the process had to be started.
The fact that the issue has been raised only after Barr has been seated and officers have been elected makes it a distraction for the board that has so many other issues to work on, Garrett said. He didn’t want to wait until already scheduled meetings next week because he wants to have the issue dealt with before then.
“I am calling a special meeting so we can all get out our differences and decide what we think and what we should do,” Garrett said. “I need direction on moving forward as the current board president. I don’t want to move on my own.”
He said he had asked former President Damon Dorkins Nov. 4 to find out whether the board had any legal responsibility in the matter before Barr was seated and before he became president, but never got an answer. He has asked that copies of all correspondence on the issue be prepared for today’s meeting.
As of now, Garrett said he doesn’t believe the board has a role in such a situation. But he said he was planning to consult with the school board attorney before today’s meeting.
“If any trustee has anything that will help us they should state it now. If they do, they can put a motion on the floor and move on with this.”
Garrett said the issue is a distraction when the board is in the middle of restructuring the district.
“Our kids are at stake,” he said.
In reaction to the call for an attorney general’s opinion, Barr, who was the top vote-getter in the November school board election, said simply, “I respect the democratic process.” She had said earlier that she had met many challenges in her life and whatever challenges she has, she will address. Melton said there are opinions on cases in Michigan similar to Barr’s that indicate she needs to give up one of the positions. He said he had sent opinions to district offices before the meeting Monday.
One of the requests for Melton’s intervention was filed by city activist Kevin Stewart, and the second by William R. Fuqua, a retired 32-year school teacher who lives in Pontiac and taught in Highland Park.
“How is Ms. Mary Barr allowed to be a trustee and remain a teacher?” Fuqua wrote. “I was under the impression this would be a conflict of interest,” he said, asking Melton for an investigation and telling him to “make sure the district is in compliance with the law.”
Fuqua said Barr should vacate her position just as former Pontiac Councilman Marc Seay did, when he was ordered by Oakland County Circuit Court to choose between his job as firefighter or council member.
Barr was part of a voting bloc that replaced Dorkins with former board Vice President Garrett. On the same night, Barr was voted in as board treasurer and newly elected trustee Caroll Turpin as vice president by the same 4-3 voting bloc of Garrett, Barr, Turpin and Trustee Robert Bass.
In his request for intervention and an attorney general’s opinion, Stewart said “I believe the actions of the Pontiac Board of Education at its organizational meeting and official business meeting held on Monday, Jan. 4, 2010, were in violation of the law and that every action taken must be revisited and considered null and void.”
Saturday, January 9, 2010
WHOOPS! DO-OVER: May be Necessary!
School board treasurer’s status challenged
Friday, January 8, 2010
By DIANA DILLABER MURRAY Of The Oakland Press
PONTIAC – A community activist is asking the state to take action to require teacher Mary Barr to give up her job or step down from the school board.
Barr, a Pontiac Middle School teacher, was elected in November to a partial one-year term and sworn in to office Monday night.
“I believe the actions of the Pontiac Board of Education at its organizational meeting and official business meeting held on Monday, Jan. 4, 2010, were in violation of the law and that every action taken must be revisited and considered null and void,” wrote Kevin Stewart, in a letter to state Rep. Tim Melton, DAuburn Hills.
Barr was part of a voting bloc that replaced former board president Damon Dorkins with former vice president Gill Garrett. On the same night, Barr was voted in as board treasurer and newly elected trustee Caroll Turpin as vice president by the same 4-3 voting bloc of Garrett, Barr, Turpin and Trustee Robert Bass.
Contacted in Lansing Thursday morning, Melton said he had been told he was being asked to get an Attorney General’s opinion and he would do so after he received the request. Stewart said that on Thursday he faxed a copy to Melton’s office, one to the Pontiac city attorney and one to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office. In part of his complaint, which cites state law regarding incompatible public offices, Stewart said, “I am disturbed that the school district of the city of Pontiac is in violation of the law ... to allow an employee to receive confidential information while still employed with the school district.”
Stewart said he tried to file a complaint at Pontiac Police Department more than once and was told they could not take the complaint because there was no crime. Police and prosecutor’s office spokesperson’ were not available for comment. He said he was also looking into filing a complaint at the Oakland County Sheriff ’s Department and the Pontiac City Attorney’s Office.
Melton said he had already sent the school district three previous attorney general opinions Monday before the organizational meeting that indicated an employee cannot serve as employer.
This puts Barr in a similar situation as Mark Seay, a Pontiac firefighter, who was elected to the Pontiac City Council. In Seay’s case, he maintained he should be able to do both. Eventually, he was ordered by an Oakland County Circuit Court judge to either give up his seat on the Pontiac City Council or his job. Seay opted to give up his job so he could serve on the council.
This is the first time anyone has taken a step to challenge Barr’s right to hold both positions.
Nick DeLeeuw, spokesman for the state Attorney General’s Office, said the office had not been previously requested to examine the details of Barr’s situation.
However, he released a fourpage letter written in 2005 that addresses a similar situation. In the letter to State Sen. Wayne Kuipers, who posed a question on whether a school employee could serve on a board, Chief Deputy Attorney General Gary Gordon stated, in part: “The board of education of a school district has direct supervisory authority over school district employees ... Therefore, because one public office is supervised by the other, simultaneously holding both positions is prohibited under the statute.”
Barr was not available for comment, but when the issue came up after she was elected as top vote getter in November, she said, “I feel that I will always have challenges, so whatever challenge I have, I will address it.”
Garrett said what concerns him is that there are no checks and balances to ensure this does not happen to a board or to the person who is seated on the board.
“People knew who elected her that she was a teacher in the school district. What about the people who elected her?”
Contact staff writer Diana Dillaber Murray at (248) 745-4638 or diana.dillaber@oakpress.com.
Barr, a Pontiac Middle School teacher, was elected in November to a partial one-year term and sworn in to office Monday night.
“I believe the actions of the Pontiac Board of Education at its organizational meeting and official business meeting held on Monday, Jan. 4, 2010, were in violation of the law and that every action taken must be revisited and considered null and void,” wrote Kevin Stewart, in a letter to state Rep. Tim Melton, DAuburn Hills.
Barr was part of a voting bloc that replaced former board president Damon Dorkins with former vice president Gill Garrett. On the same night, Barr was voted in as board treasurer and newly elected trustee Caroll Turpin as vice president by the same 4-3 voting bloc of Garrett, Barr, Turpin and Trustee Robert Bass.
Contacted in Lansing Thursday morning, Melton said he had been told he was being asked to get an Attorney General’s opinion and he would do so after he received the request. Stewart said that on Thursday he faxed a copy to Melton’s office, one to the Pontiac city attorney and one to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office. In part of his complaint, which cites state law regarding incompatible public offices, Stewart said, “I am disturbed that the school district of the city of Pontiac is in violation of the law ... to allow an employee to receive confidential information while still employed with the school district.”
Stewart said he tried to file a complaint at Pontiac Police Department more than once and was told they could not take the complaint because there was no crime. Police and prosecutor’s office spokesperson’ were not available for comment. He said he was also looking into filing a complaint at the Oakland County Sheriff ’s Department and the Pontiac City Attorney’s Office.
Melton said he had already sent the school district three previous attorney general opinions Monday before the organizational meeting that indicated an employee cannot serve as employer.
This puts Barr in a similar situation as Mark Seay, a Pontiac firefighter, who was elected to the Pontiac City Council. In Seay’s case, he maintained he should be able to do both. Eventually, he was ordered by an Oakland County Circuit Court judge to either give up his seat on the Pontiac City Council or his job. Seay opted to give up his job so he could serve on the council.
This is the first time anyone has taken a step to challenge Barr’s right to hold both positions.
Nick DeLeeuw, spokesman for the state Attorney General’s Office, said the office had not been previously requested to examine the details of Barr’s situation.
However, he released a fourpage letter written in 2005 that addresses a similar situation. In the letter to State Sen. Wayne Kuipers, who posed a question on whether a school employee could serve on a board, Chief Deputy Attorney General Gary Gordon stated, in part: “The board of education of a school district has direct supervisory authority over school district employees ... Therefore, because one public office is supervised by the other, simultaneously holding both positions is prohibited under the statute.”
Barr was not available for comment, but when the issue came up after she was elected as top vote getter in November, she said, “I feel that I will always have challenges, so whatever challenge I have, I will address it.”
Garrett said what concerns him is that there are no checks and balances to ensure this does not happen to a board or to the person who is seated on the board.
“People knew who elected her that she was a teacher in the school district. What about the people who elected her?”
Contact staff writer Diana Dillaber Murray at (248) 745-4638 or diana.dillaber@oakpress.com.
TROUBLED WATERS: NOT SO FAST THERE, Partner! (And do these folks NOT read the newspapers, watch the news, etc?)
Some schools reluctant to ask for funding
Friday, January 8, 2010
By DIANA DILLABER MURRAY and KAREN WORKMAN
Of The Oakland Press
Of The Oakland Press
A majority of Oakland County school districts have filed documents to support the state’s Race to the Top reforms — some of them reluctantly.
State officials urged district superintendents, board presidents and teacher union presidents to sign memorandums of understanding to show the Obama administration that Michigan should get up to $400 million of the $4.3 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to pay for the improvements.
The documents commit the districts to creating and adopting a reform plan under recently approved Michigan Race to the Top legislation, as well as support a state plan not yet finalized.
If Michigan is one of the eight states to get the stimulus dollars, only the districts that signed the documents will receive funding.
Oakland Schools intermediate district and 18 of the county’s 29 school boards, including Clarenceville, had signed the memorandums by Thursday. Four signed messages of intent. They plan to sign memorandums Tuesday after review of the plan over the weekend, according to a list provided by Oakland Schools.
At least five boards, including Birmingham, Lake Orion, Novi, South Lyon and Walled Lake, have voted against signing the state-provided memorandums of understanding. Another planned to vote Thursday night and one district did not vote.
The legislation pushed by House Education Committee Chairman Tim Melton, DAuburn Hills, gives the state the power to take over poorly performing schools and open more charter schools while closing those that don’t perform. It allows districts to evaluate teachers and administrators based on student achievement and requires students to stay in school until they are 18.
The option to sign a message of intent and delay the decision on memorandums until Tuesday became available to districts Wednesday — after most boards had met and made their decisions.
The deadline for school districts to submit memorandums to their intermediate or regional districts was Thursday, and intermediate districts were to have them to the state by today. But state school Superintendent Mike Flanagan extended the deadline to give districts and union leaders until today to submit a letter of intent and until Tuesday to file their replies to Oakland Schools and then the state.
Oakland Schools Superintendent Vickie Markavitch said many school officials had concerns about making a commitment to a plan they hadn’t seen and details that may not be worked out for several weeks. One major barrier for some was the fear that if they voluntarily approved it they could be giving up their rights under the Headlee Amendment, which requires the state to pay for any mandated programs.
Several boards that signed the memorandums, including the Pontiac school board, got around this by including a clause in their resolution that they reserved the right to rescind their vote if they determined that implementing the finished plan was detrimental to their districts.
Kent Barnes, superintendent of Holly Area Schools said the Holly school board agreed to sign the memorandum Tuesday, but, as in most Oakland districts, the union president did not.
“I did ask the board to sign it. Did I have some concerns? Sure. One is that, as they say, the devil is in the details ... and what we don’t know right now would make a big book,” Barnes said.
“These monies are encumbered with certain strings attached and we don’t know what all the strings are yet,” he said.
“The bottom line for me was twofold — public schools have argued additional monies are needed for operations and I feared if we rejected the memo, we would be judged harshly by our community,” Barnes said.
Lake Orion and South Lyon school districts both had special meetings Thursday morning to vote on the memorandum and both boards voted unanimously against signing.
“We’re being asked to make decisions without having all the information,” said Ken Gutman, superintendent of Lake Orion Community Schools. “To be responsible, we have to know what all the ramifications of these decisions are.”
Among the reasons for voting against the memorandum: “It is an unfunded mandate,” Gutman said. “Second, the unknown obligations, both educationally and financially, are prohibitive, and then there’s the potential loss of collective bargaining rights.” He was referring to a clause added late this week in hopes of encouraging union presidents to commit to the plans.
“The financial obligations could be greater than what we would receive from Race to The Top funds,” Gutman said.
Even though Flanagan is making the plan available for districts to look at, Markavitch said there is concern the details may not all be worked out and the plan may evolve during the next several weeks as the federal requirements become clearer.
Markavitch said districts have to follow the state Race to the Top reform, whether they receive federal funding or not, but the cost may be higher than anticipated.
According to Oakland Schools’ attorney, if a board voluntarily approves a memorandum, it has basically waived the right to file a Headlee complaint that the state has imposed mandates for which the costs are not covered.
“What if it flies in the face of bargaining agreements or it costs the districts far more money than the money they are getting in?” Markavitch asked.
“That’s the reason districts are saying, once we see it or once we understand the full impact, we may need to rescind. If they decide to rescind after they have gotten the money, they have to give it back — even if they spent it,” she said.
State officials urged district superintendents, board presidents and teacher union presidents to sign memorandums of understanding to show the Obama administration that Michigan should get up to $400 million of the $4.3 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to pay for the improvements.
The documents commit the districts to creating and adopting a reform plan under recently approved Michigan Race to the Top legislation, as well as support a state plan not yet finalized.
If Michigan is one of the eight states to get the stimulus dollars, only the districts that signed the documents will receive funding.
Oakland Schools intermediate district and 18 of the county’s 29 school boards, including Clarenceville, had signed the memorandums by Thursday. Four signed messages of intent. They plan to sign memorandums Tuesday after review of the plan over the weekend, according to a list provided by Oakland Schools.
At least five boards, including Birmingham, Lake Orion, Novi, South Lyon and Walled Lake, have voted against signing the state-provided memorandums of understanding. Another planned to vote Thursday night and one district did not vote.
The legislation pushed by House Education Committee Chairman Tim Melton, DAuburn Hills, gives the state the power to take over poorly performing schools and open more charter schools while closing those that don’t perform. It allows districts to evaluate teachers and administrators based on student achievement and requires students to stay in school until they are 18.
The option to sign a message of intent and delay the decision on memorandums until Tuesday became available to districts Wednesday — after most boards had met and made their decisions.
The deadline for school districts to submit memorandums to their intermediate or regional districts was Thursday, and intermediate districts were to have them to the state by today. But state school Superintendent Mike Flanagan extended the deadline to give districts and union leaders until today to submit a letter of intent and until Tuesday to file their replies to Oakland Schools and then the state.
Oakland Schools Superintendent Vickie Markavitch said many school officials had concerns about making a commitment to a plan they hadn’t seen and details that may not be worked out for several weeks. One major barrier for some was the fear that if they voluntarily approved it they could be giving up their rights under the Headlee Amendment, which requires the state to pay for any mandated programs.
Several boards that signed the memorandums, including the Pontiac school board, got around this by including a clause in their resolution that they reserved the right to rescind their vote if they determined that implementing the finished plan was detrimental to their districts.
Kent Barnes, superintendent of Holly Area Schools said the Holly school board agreed to sign the memorandum Tuesday, but, as in most Oakland districts, the union president did not.
“I did ask the board to sign it. Did I have some concerns? Sure. One is that, as they say, the devil is in the details ... and what we don’t know right now would make a big book,” Barnes said.
“These monies are encumbered with certain strings attached and we don’t know what all the strings are yet,” he said.
“The bottom line for me was twofold — public schools have argued additional monies are needed for operations and I feared if we rejected the memo, we would be judged harshly by our community,” Barnes said.
Lake Orion and South Lyon school districts both had special meetings Thursday morning to vote on the memorandum and both boards voted unanimously against signing.
“We’re being asked to make decisions without having all the information,” said Ken Gutman, superintendent of Lake Orion Community Schools. “To be responsible, we have to know what all the ramifications of these decisions are.”
Among the reasons for voting against the memorandum: “It is an unfunded mandate,” Gutman said. “Second, the unknown obligations, both educationally and financially, are prohibitive, and then there’s the potential loss of collective bargaining rights.” He was referring to a clause added late this week in hopes of encouraging union presidents to commit to the plans.
“The financial obligations could be greater than what we would receive from Race to The Top funds,” Gutman said.
Even though Flanagan is making the plan available for districts to look at, Markavitch said there is concern the details may not all be worked out and the plan may evolve during the next several weeks as the federal requirements become clearer.
Markavitch said districts have to follow the state Race to the Top reform, whether they receive federal funding or not, but the cost may be higher than anticipated.
According to Oakland Schools’ attorney, if a board voluntarily approves a memorandum, it has basically waived the right to file a Headlee complaint that the state has imposed mandates for which the costs are not covered.
“What if it flies in the face of bargaining agreements or it costs the districts far more money than the money they are getting in?” Markavitch asked.
“That’s the reason districts are saying, once we see it or once we understand the full impact, we may need to rescind. If they decide to rescind after they have gotten the money, they have to give it back — even if they spent it,” she said.
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Some Michigan school districts are choosing to not participate in the state’s plan to try and win up to $400 million in federal cash for schools.
Several Oakland County school districts are among those saying Friday they won’t sign documents endorsing Michigan’s Race to the Top plan.
That means those districts wouldn’t get money from the Obama administration competition even if Michigan is chosen as one of the program’s state-level winners.
State applications for Race to the Top are due Jan. 19. Most states won’t win any money from the competition even though they’re agreeing to widely change education policy.
Some of the Michigan districts choosing to not endorse the plan have very little financial incentive to participate. Bloomfield Hills would get only $43,000 from the program.
Districts shun federal money
Leaders say Race to the Top goal unclear
By LORI HIGGINS
FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER
Some metro-area school leaders are refusing to sign agreements that would assure they could share in up to $400 million in federal stimulus funds — money that will be awarded to states with innovative plans to reform schools.
It is unclear whether the lack of signatures will affect the state’s application for the grant from the Race to the Top program. Federal officials have said it is imperative tohave support from local dis tricts — school boards, admin istrators and union officials. But a consistent concern school leaders raise is the lack of clarity in what Michigan’s plan will include. Districts had to submit the agreements by the close of business Friday, before the Michigan Depart ment of Education posted a fi nal summary of its plan..
And for many school officials opting not to sign, the uncertainty isn’t worth the little money they would receive. Birmingham Public Schools, for instance, stood to receive only $60,000. The amount depends on how many low-income students a district educates.
“They didn’t feel it would be responsible to sign something that lacked clarity. It committed us to adopt a plan that isn’t yet finalized,” said district spokeswoman Marcia Wilkinson.
School boards in Bloomfield Hills, Eastpointe, Lake Orion, Novi, Richmond, South Lyon and Walled Lake also opted not to sign. The board in Berkley took no action.
Jan Ellis, spokeswoman for the education department, said the refusal to sign “is troubling” at a time when “education is paramount and every penny counts.”
In Bloomfield Hills Schools, where the Board of Education decided Thursday night not to sign the agreement, there were broader issues than the lack of clarity. In a letter sent to parents and staff, Superintendent Steven Gaynor said he’s concerned that the Race to the Top grant ties teacher evaluations to student achievement.
Gaynor said there is no evidence that linking the two is effective, and he said he’s concerned that teachers fearful for their jobs will be forced to teach to the state exams “to the exclusion of all other worth while instruction now going on in Bloomfield Hills Schools.”
But Ellis responded that “it no longer matters” now that the governor has signed legislation that requires districts to use student achievement growth to evaluate teachers.
“It’s now state law,” she said.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
RACE to the FUDGE-FACTORS!
Extra school funds in jeopardy?
Some local union leaders say they won’t support state’s proposal
By LORI HIGGINS
FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER
Michigan’s quest to receive up to $400 million in federal education aid could be jeopar dized because some local union leaders are refusing to support the state’s plans.
The Michigan Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers-Mich igan issued a letter this week urging their local leaders not to sign a memoranda of un derstanding that is necessary for districts to receive the money.
They say union leaders are being asked to sign an agree ment for a plan they haven’t seen, and they say draft ver sions of the plan in some cases includes controversial issues that were not part of bills Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed Monday to improve public schools.
Among the items at issue: the MEA says the state is in cluding a proposed new li censing system for teachers and a formula that would be used to determine how stu dent academic growth would be factored into a teacher’s evaluation, something the MEA says the Legislature in tended to leave up to local dis tricts to decide.
Their refusal could leave the state without the neces sary union buy-in to compete for $4.3 billion available through the federal Race to the Top, a stimulus-funded program designed to spur in novation in schools.
Michigan is estimated to receive between $200 million and $400 million.
But Granholm may have brokered a tentative compro mise during a meeting she held Tuesday afternoon with state Superintendent Mike Flanagan and representatives of the two state unions.
Union leaders received an e-mail from the MEA after the meeting that expressed opti mism that they would have more time to view the state’s final application before having to sign the agreement.
Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd was not specific, but said she expected a positive outcome.
For now, though, union leaders like Ted Peters, presi dent of the Southfield Educa tion Association, are refusing to sign.
“There are too many unex plained items out there right now,” Peters said.
States must submit appli cations by mid-January, but the Michigan Department of Education has set a Thursday deadline for local school dis tricts to submit paperwork of support.
Flanagan added a wrinkle Tuesday saying districts can submit agreements without the union signature.
Some local union leaders say they won’t support state’s proposal
By LORI HIGGINS
FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER
Michigan’s quest to receive up to $400 million in federal education aid could be jeopar dized because some local union leaders are refusing to support the state’s plans.
The Michigan Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers-Mich igan issued a letter this week urging their local leaders not to sign a memoranda of un derstanding that is necessary for districts to receive the money.
They say union leaders are being asked to sign an agree ment for a plan they haven’t seen, and they say draft ver sions of the plan in some cases includes controversial issues that were not part of bills Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed Monday to improve public schools.
Among the items at issue: the MEA says the state is in cluding a proposed new li censing system for teachers and a formula that would be used to determine how stu dent academic growth would be factored into a teacher’s evaluation, something the MEA says the Legislature in tended to leave up to local dis tricts to decide.
Their refusal could leave the state without the neces sary union buy-in to compete for $4.3 billion available through the federal Race to the Top, a stimulus-funded program designed to spur in novation in schools.
Michigan is estimated to receive between $200 million and $400 million.
But Granholm may have brokered a tentative compro mise during a meeting she held Tuesday afternoon with state Superintendent Mike Flanagan and representatives of the two state unions.
Union leaders received an e-mail from the MEA after the meeting that expressed opti mism that they would have more time to view the state’s final application before having to sign the agreement.
Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd was not specific, but said she expected a positive outcome.
For now, though, union leaders like Ted Peters, presi dent of the Southfield Educa tion Association, are refusing to sign.
“There are too many unex plained items out there right now,” Peters said.
States must submit appli cations by mid-January, but the Michigan Department of Education has set a Thursday deadline for local school dis tricts to submit paperwork of support.
Flanagan added a wrinkle Tuesday saying districts can submit agreements without the union signature.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
21st Century LEADERSHIP NECESSARY for 21st Century Schools
New Pontiac Board of Education leader named
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
By DIANA DILLABER MURRAY
Of The Oakland Press
Of The Oakland Press
PONTIAC — Former vice president Gill Garrett is the new president of the Pontiac Board of Education.
In an quiet coup, former president Damon Dorkins was ousted from the top position Monday night as Garrett and two newly elected board trustees Caroll Turpin and Mary Barr easily took over three of the four top board positions.
Turpin, a district activist, is now vice president and Barr, a teacher, is now treasurer.
The three were both elected by a 4-3 majority of the board, with Garrett, Turpin, Barr and Trustee Robert Bass voting in their favor, and Dorkins and trustees Karen Cain and Christopher Northcross voting against them. Bass and Garrett have voted together on most issues in recent months, as they split from Dorkins.
Northcross, the longest serving member, was elected new board secretary.
The board voted in the new officers with no discussion and in interviews and public comments afterward, they all kept their comments on a positive level.
“I’m elated,” said a beaming Garrett, who was treasurer before he took over as vice president a little over a year ago.
“We’ve done a lot of good things these two years. It’s time to drill down,” Garrett said. “We still have some challenges.
“Mr. Dorkins did a quality job for the times we were in. My hat goes off to every past president” because it is a difficult position to hold.
Dorkins, who also serves with Garrett in the Pontiac Police Department, said, “I encourage Mr. Garrett in his role. I’ll give any support he needs.
“There are no ill feelings. We are in this for the same reason — the students. I wish them all well and I look for good things for the next year,” said Dorkins, who will remain on the board. He was sworn in for another four-year term by 50th District Judge Preston Thomas.
Barr was sworn in by her two brothers, the Revs. Keith and Frederick Barr, and Turpin was sworn in by the Rev. Drew Marshall.
“I believe in miracles,” Barr said after she was sworn in. “My main focus is academics and the kids. When students win, we all win,” she said.
Turpin said she feels “honored and blessed” that people had the confidence to put her in a position in which she has the opportunity to make a difference in the school district.
“It is all about the students and the people who support them. It has to be a holistic approach. I think we will do better and we can do better,” if everyone in the district and the community is on board with that goal, she said.
Garrett said his immediate goals are to look at the organizational chart and the number of people at the top as the board determines how to eliminate the district’s deficit and plan a budget for the next school year.
He plans on setting up new committees and will include parents, administrators and other representatives of the community on them.
In an quiet coup, former president Damon Dorkins was ousted from the top position Monday night as Garrett and two newly elected board trustees Caroll Turpin and Mary Barr easily took over three of the four top board positions.
Turpin, a district activist, is now vice president and Barr, a teacher, is now treasurer.
The three were both elected by a 4-3 majority of the board, with Garrett, Turpin, Barr and Trustee Robert Bass voting in their favor, and Dorkins and trustees Karen Cain and Christopher Northcross voting against them. Bass and Garrett have voted together on most issues in recent months, as they split from Dorkins.
Northcross, the longest serving member, was elected new board secretary.
The board voted in the new officers with no discussion and in interviews and public comments afterward, they all kept their comments on a positive level.
“I’m elated,” said a beaming Garrett, who was treasurer before he took over as vice president a little over a year ago.
“We’ve done a lot of good things these two years. It’s time to drill down,” Garrett said. “We still have some challenges.
“Mr. Dorkins did a quality job for the times we were in. My hat goes off to every past president” because it is a difficult position to hold.
Dorkins, who also serves with Garrett in the Pontiac Police Department, said, “I encourage Mr. Garrett in his role. I’ll give any support he needs.
“There are no ill feelings. We are in this for the same reason — the students. I wish them all well and I look for good things for the next year,” said Dorkins, who will remain on the board. He was sworn in for another four-year term by 50th District Judge Preston Thomas.
Barr was sworn in by her two brothers, the Revs. Keith and Frederick Barr, and Turpin was sworn in by the Rev. Drew Marshall.
“I believe in miracles,” Barr said after she was sworn in. “My main focus is academics and the kids. When students win, we all win,” she said.
Turpin said she feels “honored and blessed” that people had the confidence to put her in a position in which she has the opportunity to make a difference in the school district.
“It is all about the students and the people who support them. It has to be a holistic approach. I think we will do better and we can do better,” if everyone in the district and the community is on board with that goal, she said.
Garrett said his immediate goals are to look at the organizational chart and the number of people at the top as the board determines how to eliminate the district’s deficit and plan a budget for the next school year.
He plans on setting up new committees and will include parents, administrators and other representatives of the community on them.
New Leaders Needed to Transform Schools
by Leslie Wilson
by Leslie Wilson
The Race to the Top funds have created energies of hope and planning in education. Although not every Race to the Top formula will be honored with the first go round of dollars, states and districts have bridged partisan and other divergent views to focus on strategies to transform schools. Each state’s legislation had to address specific reform areas. One of the most important is that of leadership.
I’ve written about leadership qualities needed to lead new century schools with the engagement of education technology. Many experts have discussed how the education industry has been late to adopt technologies for systems, operations and instruction unlike that of business. The same is true for leadership shift – the skills and knowledge base needed to authentically transform schools.
In Sunday’s (January 3rd, 2010) New York Times, issue, the ‘Education Life’ magazine had an article about making college relevant and the ’10 Master’s of the New Universe’. The piece outlined ten master’s degree focus areas for the new world in which we find ourselves. One of those is ‘education leadership’. Laura Pappano gives examples of new degree programs aimed at different skills needed for an education system being ‘turned on its head’. I was elated to learn about these!!
The new programs focus more on MBA and policy matters than traditional school administrator curricula. Last September, Harvard Graduate School of Education launched a tuition-free, three year doctoral program in ed leadership. Think about this: it was the firstnew degree in this education school in 74 years! The program puts third year students into a partner institution (similar to medical schools’ practice) as interns who earn $65K a year. One goal is to attract individuals interested in public policy, law and business schools who care about school reform.
Robert B. Schwartz, academic dean of the Harvard ed school said that, “If you are going to be an effective leader, particularly in urban districts, you will need different skills than ed schools have traditionally offered. You need to be leading large-scale change, overseeing operations. You need some political skills.”
Other important skills needed for the new era of school leaders include: public policy, budgeting, fund raising, strategic partnering, and leading powerful culture change. Stanford School of Education’s Policy, Organization and Leadership Studies Program added a nine month program focusing on policy and business content.
Maintaining a focus on the mission of education to serve students and communities is paramount. Fusing that mission with a working understanding of policy, change cultures and business savvy are the recipe ingredients required for true reform work. To accomplish this, leaders need to consistently communicate regarding all aspects of the reform process, the research garnered to support the efforts while addressing the unique needs of each person in the process. That puts a very complex process into simplistic terms. Hence the need for training.
Leadership for technology-rich 21st century schools demands a holistic, dynamic approach. In ‘Leadership and Laggards-A State by State Report Card on Education Innovation’ (Center for American Progress, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Frederick M. Hess, Director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, November 2009), the authors say, “In our view, educational innovation means discarding policies and practices that no longer serve students while creating opportunities for smart, entrepreneurial problem-solvers to help children learn.”
Carol Bartz, CEO of Yahoo!, wrote in the November 2009 ‘Economist’ that to be successful, leaders in today’s barrage of information technologies, need to know how to navigate turbulent waters to make decisions and provide “unequivocal” direction for their constituents. She notes that hidebound management is the antithesis of leadership for today’s world.
Contrast her perspective of the dynamic leadership needed with that of the traditional education model and bureaucracy. Their differences, Bartz says, produce different results. For today’s robust technology education system to produce the kinds of citizens required, leadership must reform to match expected outcomes.
Where leaders of yesterday were predominantly in ‘manager’ roles, this century’s must be dynamic purveyors of the landscape, quick sailors on the rapid seas of information able to adjust, adapt and lead in a changing environment. They must be cogent decision-makers unafraid of making hard decisions in order to do what’s needed for citizens, students and community.
Leslie Wilson is President of One-to-One Institute (OTO), a national not-for-profit serving schools, districts, states and countries in their implementation of 21st century teaching and learning. She is co-authoring the national research initiative, Project Red (www.projectred.org). Ms. Wilson’s consultancy, Wilson Public Sector Consulting, LLC, serves the education industry. She holds a BS Ed and completed Ed Leadership doctoral work from the University of Michigan, Sp Ed Administration endorsement from Eastern Michigan University and M. Ed in Instructional Technology from Wayne State University. lesliew@one-to-oneinstitute.org
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