Comstock Adjusts to Cuts

Comstock- With a 4-2 vote Comstock Park’s Board of Education approved layoffs Monday night of 5 full-time and part-time teachers, and support staff cuts affecting 6 employees. This will increase the size of some of the district’s elementary classes to 30 students with the move.
On Nov. 24, Pine Island Elementary threw a “moving day” party for Marie Kluisza’s third-grade class. Kluisza is one of the teachers the board voted to layoff. Her students are being spread over the remaining 6 classes.
Pine Island Elementary Principal Troy Reehl said the goal of the party was to the transition happier. The children said goodbye to Kluisza and celebrated the move with cake, balloons and hugs. The moving company, Three Men and a Truck volunteered to haul desks.
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The teacher and staff cuts are expected to save the district up to $200,000. The district’s current anticipated deficit for 2009-2019 is $379,000, excluding staffing reductions. Currently the district expects to end the school year with a general fund surplus of $468,000. Director of Finance Jamie Carnes said that if the district’s fund balance slipped into the red, the district could face state ordered cuts.
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Kentwood Schools Prepared for Cuts

Kentwood- Last spring, the Kentwood school district cut 50 positions by early retirements and layoffs, and closed one elementary school. Those cuts, which saved $4.6 million, and along with a healthy fund balance, will protect the district from mid-year cuts from the anticipated $265 per student state school aid budget reduction. According to District Superintendent Scott Palezewski, the district prepared for reductions, just not the deep cuts that will occur.
“We budgeted for about $100 per pupil less from the state for this year. We budgeted for about 200 less students. Unfortunately, the cuts are even deeper," he said. With the anticipated $292 per pupil cut, the district stands to lose about $2.5 million.
“I think our second semester will look very much like our first semester. I don't think we're going to see any significant changes for this year," Palczewski said. "Our board and our finance director have done a very good job of trying to plan ahead and prepare the district."
"This is a very serious funding issue and to think that we're all going to get out of this just by making cuts isn't the answer. We need to find new ways of funding education," Palczewski said.

Full article -MLive.com

Reasons for Bringing Technology Into Schools

This post relates to Project ReImagine. A research project by the U.S. Department of Education states rational for the increasing value of technology education in the classroom.
Some of the strongest reasons are:
1) Preparing the Student for future employment
2) Promoting equality for minority and students from a low social economic status

The Article States-In the case of several schools serving students from low-income homes, technology innovators stressed the importance of giving these students the technology tools that would equip them to compete with children coming from more affluent homes where technology is commonplace.
As soon as I heard that [the technology middle school] was opening up and it was going to be a technology school with the majority of kids being minority kids and low SES kids, I wanted to come here. . . .I came from a school where most of the families could afford a computer and the kids that didn't. . .had the tendency to withdraw and put their heads down and not really want to be into anything technology-based. . . - Middle school mathematics teacher
Courtesy of dina2040

Granholm Rallies Students

Governor Jennifer Granholm spoke to Saginaw Valley State University students about her fight to reinstate the Michigan Promise Scholarship. Granholm is turning to students, in an effort to sway state lawmakers.
“The House has passed a reinstatement, (of the scholarship) but our Senate has refused to fund it. They can easily do this, it’s not a difficult vote, they are not willing to raise additional money for the budget, although their promise was made,” explained Granholm. Senate Republicans refused to pass the reinstatement , because the budget was balanced when they passed it. Granholm Rallies Students

Back to the Beginning

Craig Thiel, the Director of State Affairs at the Citizen’s Research Council, spoke with Charity Nebbe on Michigan Public Radio about what schools will face as school funding shrinks
Michigan Radio 9/08/09
On Nov. 15, Flint Community Schools Executive Director of Elementary Education Shelly Umphrey explained that, for right now, “Our teachers receive their supply allocation at the close of the previous school year and those supplies were delivered before the freeze so, the impact on the individual classroom is minimal.”
Flint Community Schools

Does Obama Promote Charter Schools?

According to Diane Rativich, he does. Rativich is quoted in The Grand Rapids Press column “Head of The Class” by Dave Murry.
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"I find it laughable that so many of his critics call him a socialist and a man of the left, when in education, he is quite obviously a force for privatization of public education," Ravitch wrote.
Charter schools are schools that are that receive public funding but are not under the same restrictions and regulations as traditional schools. They are under a “charter” that has different arrangements for accountability.
Critics of Obama’s Race to The Top education initiative feel it emphasizes charter schools over traditional school formats.
“The emphasis on charter schools in the draft rules drew hundreds of comments over the summer, including a letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan from Gov. Bev Perdue of North Carolina, a Democrat, who said her "primary concern is the overall prescriptive nature of the guidelines and the emphasis placed on charter schools as the major tool of innovation."
The final rules repeat the administration's focus on charters as tools for school change. They also invited states to describe "innovative public schools other than charter schools" which are operating in their local districts.”
The New York Times Nov. 12, 2009

Project ReImagine Winners Announced Thursday

State Superintendent Mike Flanagan announced the 14 demonstration schools districts who would qualify for the Project ReImagine initiative on Nov 13. The districts will begin using new strategies involving public and private partnerships, to change how education is delivered to Michigan school children. michigan.gov
The Project ReImagine initiative is Michigan’s program to compete with other states for $4.35 billion in federal stimulus money as part of President Obama’s Race to the Top education program. The demonstration districts are: Armada, Battle Creek, Lakeview, Comstock, Detroit, Farwell, Grand Rapids, N.I.C.E Community Schools in Ishpeming, Oxford, Utica, University Preparatory Academy in Detroit, Ingham ISD, Mason-Lake ISD, Saginaw ISD, and Traverse Bay ISD.
Some of the reforms include: Lakeview School District will be offering three high school diploma paths, traditional, diploma with college credits, and diploma with associates degree from Kellogg Community College. Oxford Community Schools will start online/blended class formats that will be on a 24 hour, seven day schedule. Utica Community Schools will begin k-12 world language instruction in Mandarin Chinese and Arabic in partnerships with Michigan State and Wayne State University. View complete list

Some Good News for Education in Michigan

A $16.7 million grant was awarded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship Foundation, with the purpose of establishing a state wide teaching fellowship program in Michigan.
The goal of this new fellowship is to provide highly qualified math and science teachers to high need middle and high schools. The fellow candidates can include college seniors, recent graduates, or those changing careers, such as engineers or other professionals.
The Fellows will be announced in 2011, and will receive a $30,000 stipend to complete the program. Recipients must commit to teach in one of Michigan’s high need schools for 3 years.

Flint Community Schools react to School Aid Budget

Nov 9 Robert Campbell, Media and Communications Spokesman for Flint Community Schools, answers questions about what the enacted budget means for the district.

1) What do you feel the revenue reductions mean for Flint
Community Schools?
Whenever there is a reduction on the revenue side, adjustments must be made on the expenditure side. Flint is not alone. School districts across the state are being hit hard by Michigan's school funding crisis.

2) What kind of changes may have to occur in school programs?
No decisions have been made at this point. However, everything in the budget is being scrutinized, including programs, staffing and various departments. The administration will present an amended budget to the Flint Board of Education on Dec. 2.

3) Is there any consolidation of services being planned? If so,
what?
Not at this time. But I would reiterate my previous point about everything in the budget undergoing scrutiny.

4) Do you expect serious problems with the additional $165 cut
mid-year?
Fortunately, the administration had taken some steps already to restructure the district's finances. Among the most significant changes has been in the area of health care insurance. The district has changed health-care providers, which will save the district about $3 million a year. The district's fall student count also came in a bit higher than projected -- about 400 students higher. Together, these developments should help offset most of the reductions in state revenue.

5) What long range plans do Flint Community Schools have to deal
with the funding crisis?
See answers to questions 2 and 3.

http://www.flintschools.org/

Watch That Next Step!

Nov. 4 In a video posted on the State of Michigan website, State Board of Education Superintendent Mike Flanagan reacts to the enacted k-12 school aid budget. He warns that the next step taken for education in Michigan will be crucial. Flanagan advocates a three part program to deal with the funding crisis; reform, through their project ReImagine, reductions, and revenue. He feels short term revenue solutions should be a freeze on personal income tax exemptions, cutting special interest tax loopholes by 13 percent, and to apply taxes to all tobacco products, similar to the tax on cigarettes.

School-aid Bill Signed

Nov. 7 Jennifer Granholm signed a k-12 funding bill on Nov. 2. It will create a $165 dollar per student cut, with an additional $165 per student cut occurring mid-year. Additional school funding cuts are probable for the next five years. This means, that across the state, school districts will lose millions of dollars in revenue. http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/10/granholms_school_funding_cut_h.html

Michigan-A State in Depression

OCT. 26 The State Board of Education held an emergency meeting to discuss the funding crisis. The Board was advised by economists Patrick Anderson, of Anderson Economic Group, and Lou Glazer of Michigan Future. They discussed in detail the contributing economic factors that led to the current funding crisis. Anderson, explained to the board how while the U.S. experienced a brief recession in 2001, Michigan never emerged from that recession. The gap between Michigan and the rest of the United States was already 7 percent when the U.S. fell into the “great recession” in 2007. He also explained that the working definition for a depression is when unemployment is over 20 percent and many Michigan cities fall into this category. http://www.wwmt.com/articles/newschannel-1368597-education-0in.html
Full State Board of Education Meeting 85 mins
http://www.mistreamnet.com/videtail.php?who=sbe102609n01

Revenue Shortfalls- Due to declining sales tax revenues, a notice was sent to Michigan school districts on Oct. 22 stating that schools would face an additional cut in funds of $127 per student. http://house.michigan.gov/hfa/PDFs/School%20Aid%20proration%20memo%2010-09.pdf The Michigan Legislature has a 30 day time table to cut programs or find extra tax revenue in order to stop this proration from going into effect. It is clear that these cuts would begin to effect the quality of Michigan education greatly. Kent County is facing the elimination of 600 teaching jobs. Ottawa County may be forced to eliminate 225 teachers. Kent City is operating without guidance counselors and day custodians. http://www.mea.org/gov/102709_governor_wants_fixes.html. Districts across the state have been forced to end early child hood education programs. Short term revenue ideas being considered are: a freeze on personal income tax exemptions, a 10-15 percent reduction in special interest tax exemptions, authorizing the sales of additional liquor licenses, and applying a sales tax to more services. The purpose of further posts of this blog is to find out from Genesee County school administrators and educators how these budget issues are effecting schools and education.