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Friday, November 30, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Legislature poised to jam through bills to create statewide takeover district
Posted on 11/15/12 at 3:14pm
House Bills 5923 and 6004 expand the authority of the interlocal agreement between Detroit Public Schools and Eastern Michigan University that created the Education Achievement Authority, a virtual school district. The legislation would expand the EAA's current reach from Detroit to the entire state, allowing Lansing bureaucrats to assume many of responsibilities currently entrusted to local school board members, parents and educators.
Posted on 11/15/12 at 3:14pm
Legislation that would eliminate a local community's ability to guide education policy by creating a statewide "takeover district" appears to be headed for quick action in the Legislature after the Thanksgiving holiday.
House Bills 5923 and 6004 expand the authority of the interlocal agreement between Detroit Public Schools and Eastern Michigan University that created the Education Achievement Authority, a virtual school district. The legislation would expand the EAA's current reach from Detroit to the entire state, allowing Lansing bureaucrats to assume many of responsibilities currently entrusted to local school board members, parents and educators.
This statewide takeover district would oversee schools deemed by arbitrary and flawed ratings to be in the bottom 5 percent. Creating a cold, impersonal statewide school district would eliminate time-honored "neighborhood schools," further eroding the public school system.
Proponents of the legislation tout the Detroit EAA's alleged effectiveness, despite the fact that it has only been in place since the beginning of the 2012-13 school year. The Detroit EAA has not existed long enough to be ripe for fair evaluation, much less statewide implementation.
House Bills 5923 and 6004 represent a drastic change in how we fund education, as it would create a voucher system that inhibits school districts from properly managing resources for students of their local communities. This new voucher system would be much more extensive than any other that's been previously proposed.
Moreover, the legislation does not provide any control to establish standards, create missions and goals, monitor performance, or audit finances of these new schools.
Finally, the legislation should also be of concern to local taxpayers, because it would allow a new state authority to confiscate local school buildings that have already been paid for by local tax dollars.
Despite its myriad flaws, the legislation could be taken up in the final three weeks of the 96th Legislature. Lawmakers got a jump on the action Tuesday by holding a House Education Committee hearing on the legislation.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Message from MEA President Steve Cook about Election 2012 results
Posted on 11/07/12 at 2:39pm
Dear MEA members, There's no way to sugar-coat last night's loss on Proposal 2 enough to make it easy to swallow. But I will preface my comments with this -- I have never seen this organization so engaged and united. And I've never been more proud of our Association than I have been these past few months. We organized thousands of members to volunteer throughout this campaign, and that organizing will not be in vain so long as we keep our members engaged in the fight for our schools and our rights. I can only say thank you, but it doesn't seem like enough. The failure to pass Proposal 2 is a bitter disappointment felt not only by you and me, but the other Protect Working Families coalition members as well. Suffice to say, the coalition simply was not able to overcome being outspent by corporate special interests who did everything they could to convince voters that Proposal 2 was about everything but collective bargaining. But the battle to protect collective bargaining is not over--it's never over. Read more
Statement from MEA President Steve Cook on Election 2012 outcomes
Posted on 11/07/12 at 3:33pm EAST LANSING, Mich., Nov. 7, 2012 —
The following statement regarding the outcomes of yesterday’s elections can be attributed to MEA President Steve Cook: “School employees across Michigan were more engaged in this election than any other I’ve witnessed, with huge numbers of MEA members volunteering for proposals and candidates over the past weeks. That grassroots activism will continue in communities across this state to advocate for the great public schools that our students and our state need and deserve. “Proposal 2's defeat is certainly disheartening, but we remain proud of our fight for the right of working families to have a voice. We will continue to advance their cause. “Last night’s results were not a condemnation of collective bargaining – in poll after poll, we’ve seen that Michiganders believe in collective bargaining. Were it not for the confusing, shameful, dishonest tactics paid for by corporate special interests in this election, it would now be protected in our state constitution. But even without that constitutional protection, MEA will continue to do as we have always done: collectively bargain with local school boards to make decisions in the best interests of students, employees and communities -- and continue to fight against any efforts by the legislature to infringe on our right to do so. “Beyond Proposal 2, the re-election of President Obama and Senator Stabenow are victories being cheered today by school employees – we look forward to continue our partnership with these two true friends of public education. And Bridget Mary McCormack’s election gives Michigan a Supreme Court justice who believes in protecting our families’ interests ahead of those of corporate CEOs. “The repeal of the Emergency Manager law and the defeat of the tax supermajority measure show that voters have no appetite for the policies of the extreme right. And that showed in the results of the State House races as well, where voters clearly rejected the House Republican agenda of the past two years: slashing school funding; taxing pensions; gutting the rights of working families; and lining the pockets of CEOs with tax breaks. Too many Republican lawmakers sided with corporate special interests over their own constituents – and their constituents clearly answered. “A much narrower partisan margin will hopefully lead to moderate, pro-education Republicans having their voices heard more than they have been under the past two years’ extreme leadership. We look forward to working with any and all lawmakers – Republican and Democratic – who are willing to make our students this state’s number one priority.”
Contact: Doug Pratt, MEA Director of Public Affairs, 517-337-5566
Posted on 11/07/12 at 2:39pm
Dear MEA members, There's no way to sugar-coat last night's loss on Proposal 2 enough to make it easy to swallow. But I will preface my comments with this -- I have never seen this organization so engaged and united. And I've never been more proud of our Association than I have been these past few months. We organized thousands of members to volunteer throughout this campaign, and that organizing will not be in vain so long as we keep our members engaged in the fight for our schools and our rights. I can only say thank you, but it doesn't seem like enough. The failure to pass Proposal 2 is a bitter disappointment felt not only by you and me, but the other Protect Working Families coalition members as well. Suffice to say, the coalition simply was not able to overcome being outspent by corporate special interests who did everything they could to convince voters that Proposal 2 was about everything but collective bargaining. But the battle to protect collective bargaining is not over--it's never over. Read more
Statement from MEA President Steve Cook on Election 2012 outcomes
Posted on 11/07/12 at 3:33pm EAST LANSING, Mich., Nov. 7, 2012 —
The following statement regarding the outcomes of yesterday’s elections can be attributed to MEA President Steve Cook: “School employees across Michigan were more engaged in this election than any other I’ve witnessed, with huge numbers of MEA members volunteering for proposals and candidates over the past weeks. That grassroots activism will continue in communities across this state to advocate for the great public schools that our students and our state need and deserve. “Proposal 2's defeat is certainly disheartening, but we remain proud of our fight for the right of working families to have a voice. We will continue to advance their cause. “Last night’s results were not a condemnation of collective bargaining – in poll after poll, we’ve seen that Michiganders believe in collective bargaining. Were it not for the confusing, shameful, dishonest tactics paid for by corporate special interests in this election, it would now be protected in our state constitution. But even without that constitutional protection, MEA will continue to do as we have always done: collectively bargain with local school boards to make decisions in the best interests of students, employees and communities -- and continue to fight against any efforts by the legislature to infringe on our right to do so. “Beyond Proposal 2, the re-election of President Obama and Senator Stabenow are victories being cheered today by school employees – we look forward to continue our partnership with these two true friends of public education. And Bridget Mary McCormack’s election gives Michigan a Supreme Court justice who believes in protecting our families’ interests ahead of those of corporate CEOs. “The repeal of the Emergency Manager law and the defeat of the tax supermajority measure show that voters have no appetite for the policies of the extreme right. And that showed in the results of the State House races as well, where voters clearly rejected the House Republican agenda of the past two years: slashing school funding; taxing pensions; gutting the rights of working families; and lining the pockets of CEOs with tax breaks. Too many Republican lawmakers sided with corporate special interests over their own constituents – and their constituents clearly answered. “A much narrower partisan margin will hopefully lead to moderate, pro-education Republicans having their voices heard more than they have been under the past two years’ extreme leadership. We look forward to working with any and all lawmakers – Republican and Democratic – who are willing to make our students this state’s number one priority.”
Contact: Doug Pratt, MEA Director of Public Affairs, 517-337-5566
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