Headlines

May 13, 2014
Headlines
A News Report for Michigan Education Leaders
2014 Education Excellence Award Winners Announced
M
ASB, with the generous support of
SET SEG School Insurance Specialists, is proud to recognize 20 unique
and innovative public school programs
with the 2014 Education Excellence
Award. These districts, schools, administrators, teachers, students and
programs have helped to raise student
achievement, encourage critical thinking, and demonstrate innovation and
uniqueness. They also have found solutions to complex educational challenges, and haven’t let financial challenges
and limited resources stand in the way
of attaining excellence.
In honor of its 20th anniversary, the
Education Excellence Awards program
was reimagined to showcase as many
programs as possible. The changes included:
•• More Winners—As programs have
become increasingly more innovative, it’s been difficult to select just
nine winners. This year, the top 20
point earners will each receive the
same monetary award ($1,800).
Education Excellence
•• Seven Classroom-Based, 11 Beyond
the Classroom and two ISD-developed programs
In addition to the unrestricted monetary award from SET SEG, winning
•• Simplified Categories—Four
programs receive a trophy and metal
broader categories were introduced, street sign to display in their community
allowing participants to more easproclaiming their district an “Education
ily identify where their program fit
Excellence Winner.” The programs will
best.
be honored at an awards luncheon on
Wednesday, May 14, and a poster ses•• Updated Criteria—The Educasion will be held during the MASB Antion Excellence Awards are better
aligned with today’s K-12/intermedi- nual Leadership Conference on Saturday,
Nov. 8.
ate educational needs and priorities.
Descriptions of each of this year’s winThis year’s award winners represent: ning programs begin on Page 6. Learn
more about the Education Excellence
•• 19 districts in 13 counties
program and past winners by using the
•• Six first-time recipients (Bransearchable database.
don School District, Farwell Area
Schools, Marquette Area Public
Schools, Midland County Educainside this issue
tional Service Agency, PewamoWestphalia Community Schools and House and Senate Pass School
Warren Consolidated Schools)
Aid Budgets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
:
60 Years Following Brown v. Board of
Education. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
New Report: Tax Cuts Have Hurt Schools,
Haven’t led to Economic Prosperity
M
ore than $51 billion in lost tax revenue, nearly $39
billion of which would have gone to public schools.
That’s what Michigan has given up over the past 20 years
by cutting taxes in an effort to ignite economic prosperity,
according to a new report.
The tax cuts were sold as being the catalyst to stimulate
economic growth for the state, but over that period,
Michigan’s national rank in per capita income has
tumbled from 18th to 35th and the state’s unemployment
New Report, continued on Page 17
2014 Education Excellence Winning
Programs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
School Districts Get Advice on
‘Doing More With Less’. . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
School Boards Disapprove of Congress’
Attempt to Expand Charter Schools. . . 15
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www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014
Legislative Update
House and Senate Pass School Aid Budgets
T
he House and Senate both passed
their versions of the School Aid
budget on Thursday. The House
version, House Bill 5314, includes
increases to the foundation allowance by about the same amount
as the Governor; however, the base
allowance increase is less than the
Governor’s recommendation. It also
maintains the best practices line item
and changes four others, including
maintaining a minimum number of
counselors and removing prohibited
subjects of bargaining from contracts.
Additionally, the proposal contains a 5
percent penalty for certain contracts
passed after June 30, 2013.
One positive change the House
Appropriations Committee made was
to eliminate new language regarding
deficit districts or districts on the brink,
specifically setting up new reporting
requirements and paths to emergency
financial managers. It is expected that
the Senate will be introducing a package
of bills on this issue soon. By taking
the language out of the budget, it will
allow for a more thorough discussion on
what really needs to be done to help our
schools in this situation.
During debate in the House an
amendment was added to distribute up
to $35 million to districts with declining
enrollment. To qualify, the district would
have lost at least 1.2 percent of its pupil
membership over the last year and not
be in deficit. An amendment was also
offered to reflect the Classrooms &
Kids budget proposal; unfortunately, it
was turned down.
The Senate version, Senate Bill
775, cuts seven specific line items
and rolls them into the foundation
allowance, which is then allocated by
the 2x formula. Among the line items
eliminated were best practices and
performance funding, as well the $100
million MPSERS offset. This budget will
increase the per-pupil foundation above
the Governor’s recommendation, but
the overall amount of funding a district
receives could be lower under this plan
than the Governor’s because of the
MPSERS change.
An amendment was also offered in the
Senate to reflect the Classroom & Kids
budget, but was defeated. The Senate
did adopt an amendment to increase
funding for ISDs to closer match the
increase local districts could receive.
Despite the Classrooms & Kids
proposal being defeated in both
chambers, the discussion is not over.
Because there are many differences in
the two bills, they will now be referred
to a conference committee to work out
a compromise and final proposal. The
conference committee will be made
up of three Senators (two Republicans
and one Democrat) and three
Representatives (two Republicans and
one Democrat). MASB will continue to
talk to legislators, especially those who
are expected to be on the conference
committee making the final decisions
about the budget, about adopting the
Classrooms & Kids proposal.
One final twist in the budget
negotiations is the upcoming Consensus
Revenue Estimating Conference. This
is the second CREC of the year and will
produce the revenue estimates that all
state budgets will be based on. CREC
will be held on Thursday, May 15, and
www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014
MASB is hearing that revenues are
lower than were expected at the January
conference. Some estimates put the
revenues for the School Aid Fund at $40
million less than estimated in January.
Final budget numbers and
discussions will begin after May 15. The
Legislature and Governor still maintain a
goal of passing and signing the budget
before June 1.
Thank you to all of the districts that
have adopted a resolution in support of
the Classroom & Kids proposal. Hearing
local support from their constituents is
always a positive for legislators. If you
have not already done so, we urge you to
adopt a board resolution to show your
support for the proposal. Once passed,
please be sure to share it with us and
your Senator and Representative.
Don’t miss the weekly News From the
Capitol emails distributed by the MASB
Government Relations Department every
Friday when the Legislature is in session.
Keep up-to-date and find out what’s
happened in Lansing over the last week.
Sign-up on the MASB website and
view the archive of legislative alerts
and updates here.
If you have any questions, contact
Jennifer Smith, assistant director for
government relations, at [email protected].
3
60 Years Following Brown v. Board of Education—What has
(or Hasn’t) Changed?
T
his Saturday, May 17, marks the
60th anniversary of the landmark
ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in
Brown v. Board of Education striking down the “separate but equal”
segregation that existed in public
education.
Many positive strides have been
made in the last six decades, including:
•• A 2014 study conducted by
Rucker Johnson, a public policy
professor at the University of
California at Berkeley, published
by the National Bureau of
Economic Research, found
desegregation’s impact on
racial equality to be deep,
wide and long-lasting. Black
Americans who attended schools
integrated by court order were
more likely to graduate, go on to
college and earn a degree than
black Americans who attended
segregated schools.
•• Just before Brown, only about
one in seven African-Americans,
compared with more than one in
three whites, held a high school
degree. Today, the Census
Bureau reports, the share of all
African-American adults holding
high school degrees (85 percent)
nearly equals the share of whites
(89 percent); blacks have slightly
passed whites on that measure
among young adults ages 25 to 29.
•• Before Brown, only about one in
40 African-Americans earned a
college degree. Now more than
one in five hold one. Educational
advances have also keyed other
gains, including the growth of a
substantial black middle-class
and health gains that have cut the
white-black gap in life expectancy
at birth by more than half since
1950.
But there are other factors coming
into play that may impact how public
schools continue to respond:
•• The National Center for Educational
Statistics recently projected that
minorities will become a majority
of the K-12 public school student
body for the first time in 2014—
and that majority will steadily
widen.
•• The Center for American Progress
and the National Education
Association released data from
the National Center of Education
Statistics, which found that 82
percent of the teachers are white,
while 48 percent of the students
are nonwhite.
•• Several analysts question whether
segregation is worsening, but
no one denies that racial and
economic isolation remains
daunting: One recent study found
that three-fourths of AfricanAmericans and two-thirds of
Hispanics attend schools where a
majority of the students qualify as
low-income.
John W. Borkowski shares a few
thoughts for how public school
districts should celebrate in the
April 2014 American School
Board Journal. How is your school
recognizing the anniversary of this
landmark decision? Share your stories
with us on Facebook or by sending
them to [email protected].
A Look Back
Brown v. Board of Education Timeline
1898—Plessey ruling
U.S. Supreme Court embraces
“separate but equal” policy, offering
legal protection for school segregation.
1940—Public opinion
Almost one-third of all Americans
express support for integrated schools.
In Southern states, however, integration
has the support of 2 percent of the
populace.
1954—Brown v. Board of Education
Supreme Court bans school
segregation, declaring separate schools
“inherently unequal” and pushing the
4
nation into a tumultuous policy debate
over integration.
1955—Brown II
High court calls for school
desegregation “with all deliberate
speed.”
1956—Public opinion
Nearly half of Americans express
support for integrated schools. In the
South, 15 percent now agree that
blacks and whites should sit in the
same classrooms.
1957—Little Rock protests
The 101st Airborne Division and
National Guard are called to the
Arkansas capital to provide protection
for nine black students integrating
Central High School.
1959—Washington, D.C. march
A crowd of 25,000 marches in the
nation’s capital in support of school
desegregation.
1963—Public opinion
Nearly three-quarters of Americans—
including 31 percent of Southerners—
voice support for integration.
www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014
1964—Civil Rights Act
Title IV of this Act authorizes the
federal government to file school
desegregation cases.
1968—Green v. School Board of New
Kent County
U.S. Supreme Court orders
segregated schools to be dismantled
“root and branch.” The court identifies
criteria to gauge compliance with
desegregation orders.
1971—Swan v. CharlotteMecklenburg
High court approves strategies—
busing, magnet schools, etc.—to
promote integrated schools.
1974—Milliken v. Bradley
By rejecting metropolitan-wide
desegregation plans, the high court
seriously undermines hope of urban
school integration.
1988—Integration peaks
Almost 45 percent of black students
attend majority-white schools. In
later years, the nation sees public
schools reverse course and become
increasingly segregated by race.
1991—Board of Ed. of Oklahoma City
v. Dowell
New rules allow school systems
to free themselves from court
desegregation order. In Oklahoma
City, schools undermine desegregation
efforts with a focus on neighborhood
schools.
2007—Parents Involved
U.S. Supreme Court rules against
voluntary school integration plans,
leading to an escalation in the
resegregation of the nation’s schools.
Source: NSBA Urban Advocate,
Spring 2014.
2001—Race-based policies barred:
Charlotte, N.C.
White parents seek an end to
desegregation plan in the city-county
school system, and a federal court
judge bars the use of race in future
student assignments.
Board Self-Assessment
Measure Your Board’s Performance
With MASB’s FREE New Online Survey Tool
A board self-assessment serves many purposes, including:
• Fostering healthy dialogue
• Improving the board’s understanding of its roles and responsibilities
• Gathering the perceptions of all board members
• Identifying next steps for board development
• Demonstrating continuous improvement
MASB encourages boards to develop a strong commitment to regularly
evaluate and improve their practices and procedures, and is available to
help member boards meet this important challenge.
Learn more at
www.masb.org/board-self-assessment.aspx!
www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014
5
2014 Education Excellence Winning Programs
Riparian Area Integrated Learning
Allendale Middle School, Allendale Public Schools
Allendale Middle School students are contributing new research data to the scientific
community. The Riparian Area Integrated Learning project, or RAIL, helps sixth
grade students investigate the ecology of stream ecosystems. By researching
watershed systems, participants are able to assess water quality and the overall
health of ecosystems. The program helps to immerse students in real science
and then contribute their findings to a peer-reviewed scientific community. Since
beginning the program, students in Allendale Public Schools have achieved a sevenpoint increase in the science portion of the MEAP test.
Blissfield Environmental Life Lab
Blissfield Elementary School, Blissfield Community Schools
The Blissfield Environmental Life Lab, commonly called the BELL, is at the cutting
edge of a “hands-on, minds-on” approach to state science content expectations
and curriculum. K- 5 teachers use the BELL for observations, experimentation and
science activities.
The fifth grade students take responsibility by caring for the living and nonliving
plants and animals as “Zoo Keepers.” Not only is life science experienced by
students, but physical and earth science activities are integrated. Students
experiencing a tropical rainforest mist firsthand and various animals found around
the world are examples of expanding the students’ educational identity with social
studies lessons. The goal for Blissfield Community Schools is to prepare students
for the future, engaging them to finding creative answers to complex problems; for
on their way to discovering truth, students find life.
Native Speakers as Helpers in English Learner Classes
Brandon High School, Brandon Schools
Just like many programs that start out with one goal and end up meeting many
others, the Brandon High School English Learner (EL) program wanted to come up
with a way to avoid isolating students in an EL-only classroom. The idea was to enroll
native English speakers in the class to serve in a variety of roles, such as modeling
various learning strategies, helping students individually meet certain targets.
The program and its unique integration of EL students and mentors have helped
to increase EL student involvement in school activities, such as varsity soccer,
basketball, track, honors choir and even student council. The original goal was to
improve the students’ scores on the English Language Proficiency Assessment—
Brandon High School has accomplished that and so much more.
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www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014
Bartering Bonanza
Clare High School, Clare Public Schools
Bartering Bonanza is a unique district-wide service learning project at Clare Public
Schools. The goal of the project is to instill the importance of community service
while teaching basic economics, marketing and entrepreneurial skills. It starts in
the high school with a guest speaker who discusses the sharp rise in poverty and
the growing distress that low-income families are experiencing.
This awareness inspires the high school students to contribute by forming business
partnerships and creating products for a Bartering Bonanza. The middle and primary
school teachers inform parents about Bartering Bonanza and the needed list with
each item assigned a Bartering Buck amount ranging from $1 to $2.
Students enter the gym and exchange donated items for Bartering Bucks. Young
shoppers roam the Bonanza viewing booths and make purchases. All students
involved in this event have donated to the community either by providing items or
creating products.
Dearborn’s 8-Step Plan to Improve Graduation Rates
Dearborn Public Schools
The Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education identified the need to develop a
plan to improve district graduation rates. The resulting 8-Step Plan is intended to
improve both short- and long-term graduation rates and ensure Dearborn students’
continuing success.
The plan includes social work support, truancy officers at school to reduce
absences, a superintendent’s drop-out challenge, credit recovery through extended
day or summer school, graduation intervention specialists at each high school,
math and literacy coordinators to help evaluate teachers and improve instruction,
and ninth grade academies at each high school.
Organizers are using these tools to encourage student achievement and improve
graduation rates. The students have bought into the program and are working to
ensure they leave Dearborn High School with a diploma.
Credit-Based College Tuition
Farwell High School, Farwell Area Schools
Farwell has an extremely high population of at-risk, low socioeconomic students
and many were not transitioning into college after graduation or dropping out due
to poor academic performance and weak support systems.
Farwell High School leaders wanted to give students the tools to succeed at
the college level by starting a credit-based college tuition program. The goal is to
maximize the number of students entering college and graduate 70 percent of
students with 30 or more college credits.
This extremely unique college transition program offers an individualized
education, including mentoring, a variety of career pathways and numerous
supports. Through Farwell’s transition program, students receive daily classroom
support that helps students shift into the college mindset without having the
financial burden or anxieties associated with college. The program begins in
their freshman year and focuses on communication, creativity, critical thinking
and collaboration. Since the program’s inception, the amount of college credits
completed by Farwell students has grown exponentially.
www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014
7
A Place for ALL in the Theater
Frankenmuth School District
Frankenmuth leaders set out to create a program that encouraged student
participation in extracurricular activities.
Organizers found that students who are engaged in these activities develop a
stronger overall self-confidence and therefore perform better in the classroom. In
accessing the opportunities at Frankenmuth, leaders realized there were already
numerous athletic opportunities, band and choir, and several traditional clubs such
as student council. With that in mind, the staff and community were challenged
with stepping up to the plate and creating opportunities for ALL students.
Knowing that Frankenmuth boasts a beautiful 475-seat theater and performing
arts was nonexistent, the “A Place for ALL in the Theater” program was born. The
goal was to encourage and involve any student who wished to be involved in some
aspect of the theater. Since April 2012, Frankenmuth has put on five major theater
productions involving hundreds of students. The combined attendance of the
shows has been nearly 4,500 people.
The Center for Student Success
Grand Blanc High School, Grand Blanc Schools
The Center for Student Success is a unique learning environment where students
facing adversity and who have had difficulty being successful in a traditional setting
receive additional support and opportunities. CSS is a school within Grand Blanc
High School. Students are involved in CSS programming and are able to participate
in all aspects of Grand Blanc High School at large.
Students apply and, along with parents, are interviewed. Acceptance into
the program is a privilege. It is regarded with respect as staff and students
have created a positive attitude and sense of pride around what it means to be
“Alternative.” The mission statement of CSS is to provide a unique alternative
learning environment where students have a quality educational experience.
They will succeed by taking responsibility for their own academic learning,
while developing appropriate social and life skills that lead to healthy personal
development. The program is committed to the at-risk population and to their
creativity in bringing about change and authentic learning for students resulting in
high expectations and accomplishments.
Early Intervention Reading Initiative
Lake Orion Community Schools
The Early Intervention Reading Initiative at Lake Orion Community Schools involves
a comprehensive screening of all kindergarten students with measures of prereading
skills in order to provide a targeted individual student plan for every kindergartner.
The initiative involved hiring and extensively training reading interventionists in
the areas of reading, problem solving, and research-based reading strategies and
interventions. In addition, general education teachers were provided professional
development on how to support students under the Reader’s Workshop Model.
Monthly collaborative data team meetings were facilitated in each building and
targeted interventions based on individual student needs were implemented.
Student progress was monitored every two weeks to assess student growth. The
mission was to create a service delivery model that would teach all kindergarten
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www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • April 29, 2014
students to read based on their individual needs. In the current school year, nearly
80 percent of first grade students are meeting reading standards, up from 59
percent just four years ago.
ROCK Club
Pine Tree School, Lake Orion Community Schools
In 1998, the ROCK Club, an acronym for Responsible Outstanding Caring Kids,
was established at Pine Tree School in Lake Orion. This unique and innovative
after-school enrichment club provides an opportunity for members to actively
participate in a once-a-week, 25-minute discussion addressing social problems
such as bullying, the importance of teamwork and getting along with others, and
improving the school academically, emotionally and socially. In the 15 years of its
existence, it has evolved to address the unique needs of an ever-changing world,
but the foundation of the club has remained the same—to promote and support
leadership, empathy, good citizenship, critical thinking skills, self-esteem and
responsibility. More than 100 boys, in third through fifth grades, have participated
in this club, many of whom return on a regular basis.
The ROCK Club teaches life-long skills and gives members the foundation to be
positive citizens and leaders in the community.
Before-School Intervention for Math
Rolland-Warner Middle School, Lapeer Community Schools
Rolland-Warner Middle School’s Before-School Intervention provides struggling
students with an extra 60 minutes per day of math instruction to help increase
foundational math skills. In addition to grades, teachers use data from MEAP
and NWEA’s MAP math assessments to select eligible candidates for BSI and to
measure academic progress.
As BSI students meet their individual goals, they may exit the program as
determined by their instructors. Research shows that this extra support can make
a major difference in math achievement not just in middle school, but in high
school and on college entrance exams.
The program’s goals and objectives include improving foundational
understanding of algebra, functions, expressions, equations, basic math facts,
real and complex number systems, geometry, statistics and probability. Students
also collaborate with peers using mathematical language. The program is already
helping math students increase standardize test scores.
Making Macomb Transitions—Building a Communitywide Kindergarten
Transition System
Macomb Intermediate School District
To support local districts and students transitioning to kindergarten, Macomb
Intermediate School District designed a program for educators called Making
Macomb Transitions. The objective was to build a communitywide kindergarten
transition system to create a seamless educational pathway capable of preparing
our youngest students for success in school and in life.
The three main goals of the program were to: 1) Provide educators with the tools,
strategies and parent resources needed to create a kindergarten transition plan;
2) Provide educators with a deep understanding of the three types of kindergarten
transition connections and how families, schools and communities can work together
www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • April 29, 2014
9
to ensure the transition into school sets the stage for a lifetime of successful learning;
and 3) Provide all participating schools with literacy instructional activities/materials
for their incoming kindergarten students and their families.
Promoting parental involvement helps to develop a home and school partnership
to give children the means to succeed!
Rock the Socks (“Defeeting” Homelessness)
Marquette Alternative High School, Marquette Area Public Schools
First-Time Winner
Rock the Socks (“Defeeting” Homelessness) is an innovative and unique program
that was immediate and necessary in a community that faces extreme cold
conditions and economic difficulties. Students studying the universal theme of
apathy versus empathy in their core classes designed this community-based project.
Through research it was discovered that coats, hats and mittens are regularly
donated but not socks. Equally important is that socks are within the financial
means of high school students to purchase and donate, making this a realistic and
needed fundraiser.
The goals and objectives for this unique program include an increased
awareness of homelessness and of the financial hardships facing people in the
local community, as well as collaboration between local schools, businesses,
community members, nonprofit organizations and the local university.
Numerous organizations in the community received the donated socks, including
St. Vincent DePaul, Goodwill and The Women’s Shelter.
The HUB
Post-Secondary School Programs, Midland County Educational Service Agency
First-Time Winner
Midland County Educational Service Agency operates three post-secondary,
transition-specific classrooms. Students who participate in these programs are
referred by the local school district and are eligible for special education. Students
range between the ages of 19 and 26.
The HUB coffee shop is a microenterprise operated by the students and staff of
the post-secondary classrooms. The coffee shop has been operating as a schoolbased enterprise within one of the post-secondary classroom setting for the last
three years.
During that time, the customer base included only staff, but this past school year
it was expanded to include a café setting open to the public. The main mission
of the school-based enterprise is to empower special education students to learn
and connect classroom-, community- and career-related skills while also providing
training to students with disabilities as they prepare for work. The program helps
to provide guidance to students as they transition into adult life. Some of the basic
work skills taught include customer service, job safety procedures, cash handling,
inventory, grooming and hygiene, as well as food and beverage preparation.
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www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014
Sales Management
H.H. Dow High School, Midland Public Schools
With the driving question of “How can you become a promotional genius?,”
sales management students at H.H. Dow High School in Midland launched into
a project-based learning unit creating professional promotional plans for local
business clients. Students were teamed based on common business interests
and then assigned to one of 16 local business clients specific to their industry of
interest.
The teacher became the facilitator of learning and the students became
inquirers, thinkers, creators, communicators and collaborators. Students were
challenged to meet rigorous technical standards including topics such as types
of promotion and effectiveness, channels used to communicate with target
audiences, the promotional mix and social media’s role, maximizing return on
promotional efforts, developing and delivering presentations using appropriate
media and preparing complex multimedia publications.
Student connections with businesses were enhanced through the completion of
the Toastmasters Youth Leadership Certification program where students gained
a strong foundation in communication and presentation skills prior to the project.
Business representatives also served as expert presenters and mentors guiding
students through aspects of the project.
K-12 Alternative Energy Curriculum
New Haven Elementary, Endeavour Middle and New Haven High Schools, New Haven Community
Schools
The K-12 Alternative Energy Curriculum in the New Haven Community Schools
district is embedded into all grade levels for all students. The elementary focus is
solar, middle school is wind and high school is biofuels. Additionally, the program
built a relationship with Macomb Community College creating opportunities where
all of our high school students can graduate with their diploma and a Renewable
Energy Certificate for completing 16 credits of college coursework in one of six
different renewable energy pathways.
The program helps to create conscientious consumers of energy, prepare
students for future energy jobs, and embed alternative energy projects and
concepts into existing curriculum increasing relevancy and achievement.
The Alternative Energy Curriculum also features female high school students
attending Women in Engineering activities at the University of Michigan, students
attending Oakland University’s alternative energy days to build solar cells, and
three wind turbines, multiple solar panels and a student-built, solar-powered lawn
sprinkling system in the district.
Community Volunteer Service Program
Novi High School, Novi Community School District
The Community Volunteer Service program, or CVS, at Novi High School
has supported students since 1987 as they seek out nonprofit community
organizations for volunteer work experiences. The program is unique due to the
organization, accountability and rewards garnered by students who participate.
Students have the opportunity to grow personally, gain satisfaction from helping
others and explore a future career through their volunteer work.
www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014
11
Participation numbers are on par with athletics and the arts, and student
representation comes from every walk of our academic community: National Honor
Society applicants, Special Education Buddies and students working toward Credit
Recovery.
CVS is a true snapshot of Novi’s students working to meet the needs of its
community while learning valuable career and life skills, including enhanced
awareness of community needs, humanitarian efforts, promotion of leadership
characteristics and increased self-confidence.
Pre-Engineering Program
Oxford Middle School, Oxford Community Schools
The U.S. Department of Commerce states that jobs in science, technology,
engineering and math fields will grow 17 percent by 2018. Oxford Community
Schools chose to challenge this demand in 2008 by establishing a strategic goal
to implement research-based curriculum and instructional practices that provide
authentic, real-world skills applicable to a global marketplace.
One of those is the Oxford Middle School Pre-Engineering Program, a
comprehensive, required program designed to expose and prepare all sixth
through eighth grade students for higher education in STEM fields.
Through the program, every Oxford Middle School student is immersed in a
project-based, pre-engineering curriculum designed to challenge and inspire
their ingenuity. The students utilize industry-grade software to solve complex
problems during eight nine-week courses. The goals are to encourage future
student participation in STEM fields, particularly among females; fulfill the district’s
strategic initiative to provide an education that meets the demands of an evergrowing and changing international job market; and create collaboration among
grade levels.
Pewamo-Westphalia Students Take Charge
Pewamo-Westphalia High School, Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools
First-Time Winner
Pewamo-Westphalia Students Take Charge is a student-led program. High school
students there knew public schools would be faced with new challenges from
a Michigan budget crisis. Concerned about losing school funding, students
worked together to find new ways to address the problem. They created PewamoWestphalia Students Take Charge to improve their education.
It is the mission of PWSTC to give every student the resources that he or she
will need to succeed, not only in the classroom but in life as well. Students held
fundraisers in the community to help pay for critical programs, projects and
supplies, including books, musical instruments, a mobile computer lab and even
video equipment.
This year, the students also began raising money for the Helping Hands Fund—a
fund that supports low-income students whose families cannot provide essential goods
and services. Pewamo-Westphalia is this year’s only student-led program winner.
12
www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014
Peer-to-Peer
Sterling Heights High School, Warren Consolidated Schools
First-Time Winner
Sterling Heights High School has initiated a Peer-to-Peer program. This program
is designed to transform the culture of Sterling Heights High School by teaching
principles of acceptance and awareness for students with learning differences.
Through this experience, students are given multiple opportunities to interact
with their general education peers, helping them gain self-confidence and develop
appropriate social skills. Monthly large group activities merge students with autism,
cognitive impairments, emotional impairments, learning disabilities, speech and
language impairments, and physical impairments with their general education peers.
These activities allow a close look at what makes a team work, including
elements such as communication, planning, trust, leadership, respect and
responsibility. The ultimate goal of the program is to embed these strategies into
the school culture and community.
13
Awards received
by Macomb ISD, the
winningest ISD in
the last 20 years
14
Years SET SEG School
Insurance Specialists have
sponsored the Education
Excellence Awards
15
291
number of local and
intermediate districts that
have won since 1994
Awards received by
Southgate Community
Schools the winningest
local district
113
Applications received
for the 2014 awards
Education Excellence
www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014
13
School Districts Get Advice on ‘Doing More With Less’
W
ith America’s public schools
unlikely to return to past funding
levels in the near future, the District
Management Council released a
policy guide last week to help districts
thrive, rather than just survive, within
the constraints of their new fiscal realities.
In the main report, “Spending
Money Wisely: Getting the Most From
School District Budgets,” the council
lists 10 high-impact opportunities that
it says helps school systems “do more
with less.” The Boston-based consulting
group, which helps its member districts
with management issues, began posting
a set of papers outlining specific steps
to implement the cost-saving measures
on its website on May 8.
“For most of history, school budgets
went up faster than inflation, and we
managed ourselves well, given that
reality,” said Nathan Levenson, the
council’s managing director and a
former superintendent of the Arlington,
Mass., schools. “That reality has
changed. It is a world of shifting rather
than of adding and, as a result, it
requires new strategies and different
types of data systems.”
to identify strategies to realign school
resources. The council then evaluated
those 71 ideas, assessing their
financial benefit, impact on student
achievement, political feasibility and
certainty of success.
From increasing class sizes to
evaluating the academic return on
investment, the ideas are intentionally
recognizable and actionable, the group
says.
“These are very practical, actually
implementable, ideas that can lead
to higher achievement even if [school
district] budgets shrink,” Mr. Levenson
said.
The Top 10
Here are steps that school districts
can take to manage their funds more
effectively, according to the District
Management Council’s latest
research:
1. Calculating the academic
return on investment of existing
programs
2. Managing student-enrollment
projections to meet class-size
targets
3. Evaluating and adjusting
remediation and intervention
staffing levels
The report is part of a $7 million effort
funded by the Seattle-based Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation to examine
how schools can use money more
effectively. The foundation is working
on such strategies in the Fayette
County schools in Lexington, Ky.; the
Lake County schools in Tavares, Fla.;
the Knox County schools in Knoxville,
Tenn.; and the Rochester, N.Y., district.
4. Adopting politically acceptable
ways to increase class size or
teachers’ workload
Read the full Education Week
article here.
8. Rethinking how items are
purchased
5. Spending federal entitlement
grants to leverage their flexibility
6. Adopting more-efficient and
higher-quality reading programs
7. Improving the cost-effectiveness
of professional development
9. Lowering the cost of extended
learning time
The council reached out to more than
30 “brainstorming partners,” including
superintendents, chief financial officers,
college professors and researchers,
10.Targeting new investments
by eliminating inefficient and
unsuccessful strategies
Executive Search Services
Superintendent Vacancies
District:
Decatur Schools
District:
New Lothrop Area Public Schools
Position Closing Date:
May 28, 2014
Position Closing Date:
June 12, 2014
14
Contact MASB Executive Search
Services for information about
applying for any of the positions
above or assistance in retaining a
superintendent at [email protected] or
517.327.5923.
www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014
MASB Datebook
School Boards Disapprove of Congress’
Attempt to Expand Charter Schools
T
he National School Boards Association
recently issued its opposition to H.R. 10,
the Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act, which passed in the
national House of Representatives last week.
Decisions regarding charter schools
should rest with the state and the local
school board, not federal lawmakers, NSBA
contends. The legislation also fails to recognize that to protect student outcomes, charter schools should be authorized exclusively
by the local school board.
“Charter schools absent school board
oversight have far less accountability for
student achievement than traditional public
schools,” said Thomas J. Gentzel, NSBA
executive director. “The school board governance model protects student outcomes for
the many, not the few, and strives to resolve
inequities in educational delivery and service.”
Further, lawmakers must focus on adequately funding the primary system of public education instead of creating a second-
ary system of education that siphons off
essential funding. With multiple chartering
authorities, local school districts can
be adversely impacted as the per-pupil
expenditures are reallocated or deducted
from operational revenue essential to
maintain already cash-strapped school
district operations.
“The future of America is dependent
on ready access to a high-quality education,” Gentzel said. “If Congress passes
legislation to help states and local communities improve the quality of their
public schools absent federal intrusion,
we applaud it, but this should apply to all
students equally, not just those enrolled
in charter schools. The call to action the
legislation raises is that our nation must
create a level playing field for public charter schools and traditional public schools
alike.”
Contact your Senator and urge them to
vote against the Success and Opportunity
through Quality Charter Schools Act.
Board Leadership Development
May 17, 2014
CBAs @ Fitzgerald
May 28, 2014
CBA 274 @ Eaton RESA
June 2, 2014
CBA 259 @ Marquette-Alger RESA
With Distance Learning Sites
June 6, 2014
CBA 101 @ Lansing Community
College West Campus
June 30, 2014
CBA 103 @ Dundee Community
Schools
View Complete Calendar
Headlines
A News Report for Michigan Education Leaders
A publication of the
Michigan Association of School Boards
Mission Statement
To provide quality educational leadership
services for all Michigan boards of education, and to advocate for student achievement and public education.
2013-2014 MASB Board Officers
President: Ruth Coppens
President-Elect: Donald Hubler
Vice President: Darryle Buchanan
Past President: Steve Zinger
Executive Director
Kathy Hayes
Add Boyne to Your Summer Calendar
2014 MASB Summer School for School Leaders
When: Aug. 8 – 9
Where: Boyne Highlands
What: A weekend featuring CBA classes, “Go to Pros” Summit for
Administrative Professionals, Board President Workshop, Advanced
Workshop for Board Presidents and family fun!
Register today
at www.masb.org!
www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014
Director of
Communications,
PR and Marketing
John Tramontana
Opinions and sponsorships
expressed in Headlines don’t
necessarily reflect the position of
MASB.
Contact MASB
800.968.4627 • www.masb.org
517.327.5900 • [email protected]
15
Education News
Kids Get Back to Nature for Rouge Study
“That’s a bug.” “No, that’s a crayfish.”
“I thought it was a peanut.”
Those are some of the discoveries
made during the Rouge River water
quality survey conducted by eighth
graders from Pierce Middle School
Monday morning at Lola Park in
Redford.
“We sort through and see if there
are any bugs and organisms in here,”
student Paula Smith said as she and
her science partner used tweezers and
spoons to pick through a wet, black pile
of soil, leaves and other matter scooped
out of the nearby Rouge River.
Smith found a small crayfish and
proceeded to name it “Clarence.”
“It fits him perfectly,” Smith said.
The students needed to find enough
organisms to have a good sample,
science teacher Erin Trost said as the
sorting process continued.
Meanwhile, teacher George
Houttekier, dressed in waders, helped
guide a similarly clad student to collect
samples with a net on a long stick,
resembling a butterfly net, and put
them in tubs for sorting.
After the sorting the kids would then
perform tests on the samples. Students
were surveying three components—
physical, biological and chemical, Trost
said.
They performed these tests to
investigate the health of the river.
From their results, they calculate a
standardized numerical value that
indicates the relative health of the river
section they surveyed, according to the
Friends of the Rouge website.
Sixteen students participated in
the education project Monday after
receiving a grant from Friends of
the Rouge. The grant provided the
materials and training needed to
perform the project.
Examining ecological and social
factors that influence water quality is
part of the students’ survey.
Students also learn how to work with
a group and develop group problemsolving skills.
Source: Observer & Eccentric, May 9, 2014.
CTE Program Celebrates 25 Anniversary
Officials of West Shore Community
College and the West Shore Educational
Service District have scheduled a
celebration of the 25th anniversary of
their joining together to provide the
local Career and Technical Education
program.
th
The college and ESD—which was
then the Mason-Lake Intermediate
School District—formed a partnership
in 1988 to provide technical and
vocational programs for local high
school juniors and seniors.
When it was launched, the
partnership offered seven different
programs and attracted 236 students.
The CTE program now offers 10 fields
of study—allied health, automotive
repair, construction, criminal justice,
digital media, graphic communications,
hospitality, marketing, mechatronics
and welding, and has attracted more
than 400 students.
“This has been such a wonderful
Around the State
partnership,” said Randy Howes,
superintendent of the ESD. “These
things don’t happen everywhere.”
Howes said ESDs and colleges
in other Michigan communities
sometimes each start their own CTE
programs and then compete for
students and spend twice the tax
money to offer those programs. That
is not happening here, Howes said,
because WSCC and the ESD have
combined to provide a program that is
beneficial for the area’s children and
the community.
Source: Ludington Daily News, May 8,
2014.
Michigan Schools Taking Steps to Support Student Health
Michigan schools are stepping up
to the task to build healthier school
environments as a part of the Michigan
Health and Wellness 4 x 4 Plan.
In recognition of these efforts, the
Michigan Department of Community
Health and Governor Rick Snyder
will recognize 18 Michigan schools
for fostering healthy eating, physical
activity habits and tobacco-free
lifestyles among students.
“Throughout the 18 schools
recognized today, more than 11,000
students have been impacted by
the positive changes made in their
school environments,” said James K.
Haveman, director of the MDCH. “The
effort put forth by these schools to
promote healthy lifestyles has helped
contribute to a decline in childhood
obesity; proof that Michigan is moving
in the right direction.”
Education News, continued on Page 18
16
www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014
New Report, from Page 1
rate, aligned with the national average
in 1994, last year was more than 25
percent above the national average,
according to the report, “Michigan’s Tax
Policies: Wrong Turns on the Path to
Prosperity.”
“I think we need to get smarter in this
state, not cheaper,” said Douglas C.
Drake, author of the report and former
head of the state Treasury Department’s
Office of Revenue and Tax Analysis and
a top legislative tax committee aide.
The report was commissioned by a
number of education groups, including
MASB, to examine the impact of
Proposal A. It also closely examined
both Michigan and national tax policies.
“Michigan’s tax cuts have been deep
and dramatic,” Drake said. “Going back
to 1977, we find that state and local
revenues in Michigan have increased by
less than any other state on a per capita
basis, and are 42nd lowest when measured
as a percentage of per capita income.”
The biggest winners of the tax cut
policies over the past 20 years have been
businesses. Michigan currently ranks 49th
in the nation in business’ share of the tax
burden. Nationally, businesses pay 45.2
percent on average of a state’s tax base.
In Michigan, businesses pay just 35.8
percent.
“We know these cuts have led
to major reductions in the size of
government—a key goal of their
proponents,” Drake said. “But we can
also see, from this long view of the
situation, that the state’s economy has
not improved, and the average family in
today’s Michigan is worse off than it was
before we focused on tax cuts as our
primary economic development tool.”
Public schools have suffered the most
during the past two decades. The report
concludes the School Aid Fund has lost
$38.3 billion since 1994 — nearly $2
billion each year.
“Michigan’s schools have certainly felt
the bite of these tax cuts,” said Kathy
Hayes, MASB executive director. “And
we can see that the quality of Michigan’s
education system has suffered over this
period.”
“We know the states at the top of
achievement—like Massachusetts,
Maryland and New Jersey —are
spending far more to educate a student
in their state than Michigan does,” Hayes
said. ”Those states are also high in per
capita income, evidence that they are
attracting the ‘better jobs’ that are critical
to a middle-class economy today.”
per capita income over the period
of 1929 to 2010. Its key finding: the
poorest states in the beginning of
this period —Mississippi, Arkansas,
Alabama, South Carolina, Kentucky and
Tennessee — are still among the poorest
states in the nation today, even as they
have followed low-tax policies that lead
to low levels of public services.
“We can see from Michigan’s results
since 1994, or from national data going
back to before the Great Depression,
dramatic cuts in taxes do not increase
prosperity as measured by the income of
average citizens,” Drake said. “Michigan
can learn from this data, or continue to
ignore it, as it moves forward.”
In addition to MASB, the report was
funded by the American Federation
of Teachers Michigan, Michigan
Association of School Administrators,
Michigan Association of Intermediate
School Administrators, Middle Cities
Education Association, Michigan
Education Association and Michigan
School Business Officials. A copy is
available online at www.masb.org/
drake-report.aspx.
A special section of the study reviews
the relative rankings of all states by
Key Findings of the Drake Report
Michigan has slashed taxes over the last 20 years—an
estimated $38.3 billion of which would have gone to K-12
education (Page 5, Table 1).
These cuts have meant very small revenue increases
compared to other states—SMALLEST increase in the
nation in taxes as measured on a per capita basis over the
period of 1977 to 2011 (Page 17, Table 3A). Measured as
a percentage of personal income, over the same period,
Michigan’s increase was the 42nd lowest in the nation (Page
18, Table 3B).
Our business climate rating is quite “good”—Michigan is
now among the top 15 states by nature of the tax structure
and burden on business (Page 23, Table 4); state is ranked
third best overall when considering both costs and benefits
to businesses (Page 24, Table 5).
Businesses are paying a very small share of the state’s tax
burden by national standards—Michigan ranks 49th (35.8
percent); national average is 45.2 percent (Page 24, Table 5).
Below average in tax burden, any way you measure it—
since the late 1980s, Michigan has been a below average
tax state on both a per capita and percent of income basis
(Pages 15-16).
www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014
Low taxes and levels of public services are not the path
to long-term economic prosperity—a special section of the
study reviews the relative rankings of all states by per capita
income over the period of 1929 to 2010 and Michigan
comes in 10th (Pages 34-36, Table 8).
17
Worth Repeating
Lawmakers Risk School Improvement
Editorial From the May 7, 2014 Lansing State Journal.
M
ichigan lawmakers are again
showing reluctance to adapt
higher standards for the state’s
schools. Residents should be concerned.
The state is midway through
implementing Common Core standards,
an initiative developed by the National
Governors Association to help states
achieve better outcomes in their K-12
classrooms.
Common Core is not a curriculum
in itself. It’s a list of learning objectives
around which states build their own
curricula. And because states worked
together developing the program,
they are able to share resources and
best practices, improving efficiency
for all. The State Board of Education
adopted the standards in 2010, but
the Legislature has worked to slow
down the process. Last year there was
debate over funding needed to continue
implementing the changes.
This year, the debate focuses on
testing that would help measure
success. Michigan has been part of
the Smarter Balanced Assessment
Consortium, a group of states working
to develop tests that follow Common
Core standards.
Lawmakers are reluctant to support
the new tests. Department of Education
officials say that casts doubt on whether
the state’s students will be tested next
year and possibly in 2015-2016 as
well. Officials also say backing out now
could jeopardize the state’s federal
waiver under the No Child Left Behind
program, among other problems.
Lawmakers say they are worried the
Smarter Balanced tests are too long and
won’t be ready for full implementation
next spring.
States that have implemented new
Common Core-focused tests have seen
drops in the number of students getting
satisfactory scores—something to be
expected when higher standards are
applied, but something parents dislike.
Residents got a taste of what
changing tests might be like last
month when the results of the National
Assessment of Educational Progress
test showed the state below the national
average in reading and mathematics.
Indeed, Michigan was among a handful
of states that saw negative progress at
some grade levels in some subjects.
Lawmakers objecting to Smarter
Balanced tests say they want to
make a sound choice on a new
assessment. The right choice is making
sure Michigan finds a test with high
standards and a true comparison to
other states, and then devotes the time
and money to preparing the state’s
educators to teach the needed material
successfully.
Worth Repeating doesn’t necessarily reflect the views or positions of MASB. It’s intended to spark dialogue and inform readers
about what’s being said about public education around the state and nation.
Education News, from Page 16
The Michigan School Wellness Award
program is part of the governor’s Health
and Wellness 4 x 4 Plan. MDCH,
in collaboration with the Michigan
Department of Education, the United
Dairy Industry of Michigan, Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and
the Michigan Health and Wellness
Education Workgroup today recognized
Michigan’s award-winning schools at a
special lunch event during the Michigan
18
Learning Connection Summit at Ford
Field in Detroit, Mich.
The Michigan School Wellness
Award program aims to engage
schools statewide in creating healthy
school environments by establishing
Coordinated School Health Teams,
completing the Healthy School Action
Tools and implementing sustainable
policy and environmental changes. The
top award level, Gold, schools have
achieved each of these elements. To
apply for the program, schools provide
information about nutrition, physical
education/activity and tobacco-free
practices, and submit at least one
success story. The winners of this year’s
School Wellness Awards can be viewed
here.
Source: Michigan Department of
Community Health Press Release, May 6,
2014.
www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014