Tag: charter schools

With a state budget $1.8 billion in the red and federal stimulus cash disappearing faster than Vanilla Ice (and leaving just as unpleasant a memory) I'm willing to listen to just about any kind of plan to shake up the status quo in Lansing.  

When the Michigan Education Association lambasted Dillon I was that much more prone to agree with the man.  When Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Cox several days ago supportively praised Dillon's concept I became that much more encouraged by the possibility of bipartisan cooperation and real "change."

This morning, personally, I'm chalking up one more notch on the PRO side of the ledger... spite.  Pure, unadulterated, spite.  

Booth Newspapers reported late yesterday that Governor Jennifer Granholm hates Dillon's idea because, apparently, it is a difficult political issue.  And if that doesn't make you want to find the nearest Granholm apologist and shake him firmly you're a better, more balanced person than me.

"The concern that I have is that this plan is not something that would save money in the budget year we are negotiating or the budget year afterward," Granholm said. "The timing of this is challenging."

Um, hello?  McFly?  McFlyyyy?  Anybody home McFly?  A $1.8 billion CHRONIC budget deficit, a nation's worst 15.2 percent unemployment rate and already a half-million one-time-residents exported to other states... those issues are challenging.  "Timing" has got freaking nothing on the economy the Governor, her number two John Cherry and Dillon himself have done their best over the last half-decade to permanently cripple.  

The "timing is challenging?"  Are you kidding me?  Madame Governor... look around this state!  You're worried that the timing is challenging?  The timing is challenging.  Lamest excuses in the history of lame excuses.  Add that one to the lame excuse hall of fame right alongside "the dog ate my homework" and "I have to wash my hair."

Read on...

HB 4047, sponsored by Bettie Scott and co-sponsored by 21 other Democrats, is deceptively simple. The entire substance of the bill is as follows:

A school district that was a first class school district as of September 1, 2008 shall continue to be considered to be a first class school district until July 1, 2010 regardless of its pupil membership.

Why does this matter? Here's what the House Legislative Analysis says:

In Michigan law "first class" districts operate under a different set of state regulations from "general powers" districts. The sections of the Revised School Code dealing with "first class" districts address school board composition, school board officers, school board meeting locations, board member personal interest in contacts, required annual audits, voting procedures, public communication, condemnation proceedings, bond sales, contracts, and public safety. The law also limits the creation of charter schools in such a district. And, there are also references in many other statutes to "first class" school districts.

There's the rub -- the bill would protect the present school board and, most importantly, limit the creation of charter schools in Detroit. There are four groups that can legally "charter" a school: universities, community colleges, intermediate school districts, or K-12 districts. Universities have reached their limit, and no intermediate or K-12 districts will charter schools in Detroit, leaving only community colleges who could do so. But, current Michigan law prohibits community colleges from chartering schools in "first class" districts.

The effect of this bill, therefore, is to prevent educational competition in Detroit, protecting one of the most incompetent and most poorly run educational enterprises in the entire country.

Not surprisingly, the entire educational establishment has lined up in favor of this bill, including the American Federation of Teachers, the Michigan Education Association, several members of the Detroit Board of Education, and the acting Detroit superintendent.

I hestitate to ask this, but has anyone asked how this bill might affect Detroit's students? Granted, there are fewer of them every year, but perhaps running DPS could be a little more about education and a little less about protecting petty fiefdoms and defending incompetence.