The parents who care and have been able to have yanked their kids.  But how many thousands of parents would like to give their boys and girls a chance to succeed and can't because alternatives like charter schools are filled to the brim and their number is capped in Lansing with no hope of expansion so long as Jennifer Granholm splits her time between sitting in the executive office and sitting in the education lobby's pocket?

Those parents have been jumping up and down for years, Rochelle.  They've made noise.  They've complained.  They've said "enough is enough."  They've asked for the powers-that-be to give their kids a chance to succeed.  That's all they want.  A chance.  

Your article indicates you've got their backs.  That you're concerned about the kids stuck in a broken system.  Awesome.  I'll look forward to your next column extolling the virtues of school choice.  I mean, if it's really about the kids...

Folks are jumping up and down about misplaced spending priorities elsewhere too this morning, namely prison spending and the potential to shave as much as $39 million right off the top by privatizing food service.  But the Granholm administration is ignoring them too.  And making excuses... lots of excuses.  The Detroit News reports this morning on a just completed auditor general's report on the potential to shave part of the bloated corrections budget.  They make a handful of common sense, cost saving suggestions but the Governor's spokesman, Russ Marlan, has an excuse on why we can't do any of them.  

"Reducing costs would assist (the Department of Corrections) in achieving its goal to provide the greatest amount of public protection while making the most efficient use of the state's resources," said the auditors, whose job is to make sure the state is getting the best bang for taxpayers' bucks.

Those $39 million we could save, that'd be by privatizing food production alone.  Marlan's take?  We already get a bargain.  It's like the Meijer slogan but in reverse... "MDOC... Why Save More?"  You get a bargain.  Great.  Nice job.  But if you can get a better bargain, not sacrifice nutritional requirements and save taxpayers $39 million you'd better do it.

The state could provide the same three square meals with someone else doing the cooking," said (Oakland County Sheriff Mike) Bouchard, whose jail food service costs dropped by half when the county hired a private company.

"My cost is about 88 cents per meal," Bouchard said. "With a contract as large as the state's, I would think any good negotiator could get a lower price than mine. But, even if they got only the same price as I get, the savings would be around $39 million on food alone."

Sorry, Mike.  The Granholm administration says 88 cents a meal is TOO good a deal.  Could also save cash by matching up the dairy supply with federal dietary guidelines.  But no, the administration says milk builds strong bones and MORE milk than you need apparently builds stronger bones.  

Could save cash by matching up caloric intake with federal dietary guidelines.  Nope.  Administration says we have to give the inmates hundreds of extra calories per meal because being healthy isn't good enough.  Need them to be fat and happy too.  

Could save nearly a million dollars by properly using leftovers but if the administration has been doing that we don't know it.  They admit to failing to properly keep records on what happens to the extras.  They've just been disappearing.

And there are more.  For every potential million dollar savings the Granholm administration has an excuse and refuses to act.  Now, if they want MY 88 cents (and I know they don't) I'm not sure a state facing a $400 million-plus budget deficit is in any position to be paying twice as much as it must for a sloppy joe or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to feed John Q. Rapist.