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Mackinac Center proposes cutting education to fix potholes

Posted on 05/28/15 at 11:42am

Targets for the 2015-16 budget have been set are in House and Senate conference committees to hammer out a final budget.

Legislative leaders and Gov. Snyder have agreed to use $400 million from the General Fund to fix roads since the defeat of Proposal 1 left us with no real plan. But the rest of the targets for spending—like education—are still yet to be decided.

The Mackinac Center has “stepped up” with its own road funding plan—“How Michigan can fix its roads”--that calls on legislators to redirect current or future state money to help pay for roads. The Center proposes that most of the money come from “reducing expenditures on programs that offer little or no benefit to the typical Michigan taxpayer.”

It seems the Mackinac Center includes education spending on K-12, community colleges and universities in those programs “offering little or no benefit.” They recommend freezing the School Aid Fund and using the money for road repairs.

Their rationale?

K-12 enrollment is declining, and since budget targets for 2015-16 set $169 million from the General Fund for schools—school districts will have plenty of money left over. That “extra” money could be put into roads.

And they claim there’s little evidence that state spending on colleges leads to more college graduates or a better state economy, so legislators could reduce the $1.5 billion for universities to $637 million and put it into road repairs. School Aid money can’t be used for roads, so if higher education needs more money, the Mackinac Center says to take it out of the School Aid Fund. That frees up more General Fund money for roads.

The Mackinac Center is ready to start their campaign to convince members to opt out of their MEA membership. Like last year, they’ll be sending out letters and postcards; they’ll be taking out full-page newspaper ads paid for by anti-public education and anti-union groups; and they’ll be using television, radio and social media to promote the idea that MEA doesn’t have the best interest of public education employees, students or public education at heart.

Don’t be fooled! Not when it’s the Mackinac Center suggesting we sacrifice students and a quality education for a pothole! Whose best interests do you think they have at heart when they want to divert millions of dollars from schools to give to roads? 

     

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Failure rate for online courses is high

Posted on 05/26/15 at 12:45pm

Three out of 10 K-12 students failed all of their online courses last year and more than 50 percent failed at least one of their virtual classes, according to Michigan Virtual University (MVU). In the 2013-14 school year, 76,122 students took online classes. 

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Consortiums shortening tests to give students more time to complete them

Posted on 05/26/15 at 12:56pm

With national opposition to the overuse of standardized testing increasing, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) consortium is cutting 90 minutes off its 11-hour-long assessment. It has also decided to start the testing period later in the school year. PARCC’s tests are aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

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Michigan has 78 high schools ranked as one of the 205 Best

Posted on 05/18/15 at 3:02pm

Michigan ranks 29th when it comes to the number of high schools earning gold and silver medals according to U.S. News and World Report. Out of 834 eligible high schools, Michigan has 10 gold medal high schools and 68 silver medal schools. 

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There’s still room for you in the LPA!

Posted on 05/11/15 at 3:02pm

If you’re a local president looking for guidance and support, there’s still time to get the training you and your local need through the 2015-16 Local Presidents Academy (LPA). The deadline has been extended to June 15 and all local presidents—new, experienced, EA, ESP, higher ed, with or without release time—can benefit from the program at little or no cost to participants or to the local.

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Personalized Learning webinars features MEA member

Posted on 05/11/15 at 3:04pm

The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is hosting the last in a series of webinars featuring models of Personalized Learning on May 21 from 4 to 5 p.m. Nicholas Provenzono, a Grosse Pointe Public Schools teacher and MEA member, will be presenting “Creating a Genius in Every Hour.”

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MEA members have access to full range of legal services

Posted on 05/18/15 at 12:10pm

Since 1852, when 20 teachers came together in Ypsilanti to form what would eventually become the MEA, public school employees have joined together to win and protect basic rights that help ensure they are treated with the fairness, respect and dignity they’ve earned. 

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