Earlier this week, Gary Naeyaert, GLEP Executive Director, provided testimony on the $14 Billion School Aid Budget at the Appropriations Subcommittees in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. GLEP continues to advocate long-term for increased equity by creating a uniform foundation grant of $8,250 per pupil in addition to other key changes to K-12 funding.
For the FY ’16 Budget, GLEP recommends investing an additional $263 million in the foundation grant, which would increase the MINIMUM foundation grant by $250 per pupil, to $7,501, which would reduce the equity funding gap to $598 per pupil. Alternatively, these funds could be used via the 2x formula to increase the BASIC foundation grant by $100, to $8,199 per pupil and the MINIMUM foundation grant by $200, to $7,451, which would reduce the equity funding gap to $748 per pupil.
You can click here to download the full presentation made by GLEP, or here for a simple one-pager with budget highlights
Karen McPhee Appointed New Education Policy Advisor for Governor Snyder
The long-time Superintendent of the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District, Karen McPhee, has been appointed Education Policy Advisor for Governor Rick Snyder. McPhee will advi
se the Governor on all education issues and represent the administration in working with stakeholder groups. McPhee, who begins work on April 6, is replacing Craig Ruff, who recently retired from the same position. GLEP looks forward to working with Ms. McPhee in continuing to make improvements to the state’s K-12 education system.
SBE Identifies 6 Candidates in Search for Next State Superintendent
The State Board of Education met on Tuesday with their search firm and selected the following 6 semi-finalists from a pool of 54 applicants to be the next Superintendent. Click on each name for a recent media link for each candidate:
- Randy Davis, Marshall Public Schools
- Alan Ingram; Massachusetts Dept of Education
- Randy Liepa, Livonia Public Schools
- Vickie Markovitch, Oakland ISD
- Scott Menzel, Washtenaw ISD
- Brian Whiston, Dearborn Public Schools
These candidates will be interviewed in Lansing next week on March 10 and 11. These interviews, which begin at 9:30 am, will be open to the public and live streamed on the internet. Finalist interviews will be held on March 18.
Union-Run Charter School Forced to Close Due to Poor Performance
The promise of charter public schools is that poor performance can lead to sanctions, including closure. Well, the American Federation of Teachers took up the challenge of starting their own charter school in New York, and despite their promises, the school has been plagued by sub-standard performance. The situation has gotten so bad that theschool has been ordered closed by their authorizer. Something to remember the next time people say we should simply put the teachers’ union in charge of public education.
MiWeek Talks Charter Authorizers with Nolan and Stephen
The MiWeek team takes a look at the scores from a recent advocacy group report card for authorizers and examines whether all schools are being held accountable for results. Debating the issue is Nolan Finlay, Detroit News (supports charters) and Stephen Henderson, Detroit Free Press (opposes charters). Finley makes some interesting comments about the future of education in the city of Detroit, and you won’t want to miss them. Click here for the broadcast.
DPS Emergency Manager Announces Reorganization Plan
Darnell Earley, recently-appointed Emergency Manager at DPS, announced on Tuesday a 10-Point Management Plan designed to guide the district toward financial stability and educational competitiveness, and ensure that the district can achieve long-term sustainability and be poised to exit receivership by the end of his 18-month tenure. Click here to access the DPS plan.
Job Opportunities
- Media Manager, Mackinac Center for Public Policy
- Executive Director, Citizens for Traditional Values
Education Reform News Clips
- New Advisor to push skilled trade issues for Snyder (The Detroit News)
- Why Governor Snyder wants more business people in the Classroom (MLive)
- Alabama’s Private School Choice Program Ruled Constitutional (EdWeek)
- Governor on Right Track with 3rd Grade Reading (Detroit Free Press)
- 60% of Tennessee Families Would use Opportunity Scholarships (Federation for Children)
- DC School Vouchers Once Again Caught Up in Federal Fiscal Fight (EdWeek)
- Teach for America Passes a Big Test (Time)
- No-show by employees again causes Ann Arbor schools’ bus service disruption (MLive)
GLEP in the News
- Equal funding between school districts to be big talking point in debate on education budget (MLive)
- School Reformers Have ‘Significant Concerns’ About State Superintendent Finalist (Capital Confidential)
Next Week
Monday, March 9
Tuesday, March 10
- House School Aid Subcommittee
- Senate Education Committee
- State Board of Education interviews Superintendent Semi-Finalists
Wednesday, March 11
- Senate School Aid/MDE Subcommittee
- State Board of Education interviews Superintendent Semi-Finalists
Thursday, March 12
- House Education Committee
- Introductory meetings with new legislators
Friday, March 13
Do you support what GLEP is doing to improve education in Michigan? Please consider making a donation to help us continue our efforts, and all contributions are very much appreciated!!
Respectfully,
Gary G. NaeyaertExecutive Director
517-281-2690