David Hecker
President

Lois Lofton Doniver Secretary-Treasurer

Louise Somalski
Legislative Coordinator

September, 2006

Links to current Advocacy Campaigns
may be found in the Legislative Action Center

65 Percent for Classroom Instruction-No Solution!

The latest education policy fad in America is called "the 65 percent solution." This scheme is being promoted nationally by a Washington, D.C.-based organization called First Class Education. Their goal is to enact legislation or pass a ballot measure in every state mandating that school districts spend 65 percent of their budgets on "classroom instruction."

Proponents claim that the measure will reduce school "waste" while improving student achievement. They also claim that it will increase money for schools without requiring an increase in overall spending or taxes.

The major flaw in this proposal is that it borrows its definition of "classroom" costs from the National Center for Education Statistics and applies it in a way never intended by the center or anyone else. Their definition for classroom spending includes:

• Salaries for classroom teachers and instructional aides
• Instructional supplies such as computers, televisions, or other multimedia equipment
• Co-curricular activities including field trips, athletics, music, and art
• Tuition paid to out-of-state districts
• Payments to private institutions for special need students

The National Center for Education Statistics definition does NOT include:

• Instructional staff support services (teacher training, curriculum development, library, or media services)
• Student support services (guidance counselors, nurses, or social workers)
• School and district-level administration
• Operations and maintenance
• Food services
• Transportation
• Security

Two comprehensive studies by Standard & Poor's have concluded that there is no correlation between setting "classroom instruction" spending at 65 percent and higher student achievement. In fact, the researchers found that many districts that spend less than 65 percent in the classroom do quite well on state tests, while others that exceed 65 percent do poorly.

Providing a high-quality education to students requires the efforts of a team of people offering a wide range of services that support and sustain direct instruction in the classroom. The 65 percent mandate would clearly hurt our schools. The measure would undermine local control of schools and force cuts in vital school support services proven to help kids stay healthy and learn. It ignores the varying needs of individual school districts, especially urban and rural districts, which tend to have higher out-of-classroom expenses. A better approach is an overall commitment to sufficient spending in the classroom as well as to support the range of services that help students achieve.

In Michigan, the 65% solution proposal was introduced in House Bill 4975 by Representative Jacob Hoogendyke (R-Portage) and referred to the House Committee on Education. It is also part of the Republican Party's education platform. Dick DeVos has advocated the 65% solution in his campaign for Governor and has made a large financial contribution to First Class Education, the organization promoting this proposal.

Please contact your state representative and let him know of your opposition to House Bill 4975.

Top

School Strike Legislation Introduced

State Representative Phil Pavlov (R-St. Clair) has introduced legislation that would allow parents to report a strike in their school district to the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) if the school board fails to notify them. Under House Bill 6528, MERC must conduct a hearing within seven days of receiving a strike notice to determine if there is a violation and shall issue its decision and order.

Under current law, school employees aren't allowed to strike. If they do strike, the local school board can report the strike to the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC), which is obligated to investigate. It also can fine every school employee equal to a day's pay for every day he or she strikes.

If this legislation is taken up this session, it will have to be done after the November elections. House Bill 6528 is now in the House Education Committee for consideration.

Top

YES! PROPOSAL 5 - Adequate Education Funding

Proposal 5 provides reasonable, stable, and predictable funding increases for K-12, community colleges and the state's fifteen public universities, with cost-of-living increases based on inflation. Proposal 5 was initiated by the K-16 Coalition, which consists of over twenty-five education groups including AFT Michigan. Proposal 5 would do the following:

• Increase current funding by approximately $565 million and require the Legislature to provide annual funding increases equal to inflation for public schools, ISDs, community colleges, and the 15 state universities (including financial aid/grant programs).


• Require State to fund any deficiencies from General Fund.


• Base funding for school districts with declining enrollment on a three-year student enrollment average.


• Reduce and cap schools' share of employee retirement costs, which are set by the State but paid by the schools.


• Reduces funding gap between school districts receiving basic per-pupil foundation allowance and those receiving maximum foundation allowance.


• Proposal 5 is a legislative initiative - not a constitutional amendment. It can be amended by future legislatures - if needed, with a 3/4 vote in the house and senate.


• Proposal 5 will make education the top priority in Michigan. Michigan's future economic success depends on producing a highly educated, technologically advanced work force.


• Proposal 5 will not require increased taxes or critical service cuts. There are billions of dollars in special tax breaks, loopholes and other tax expenditures readily available to the Legislature to help them pay for priorities like education and other vital services provided by the state.


• Proposal 5 positions Michigan to attract high-tech, global businesses by investing in public education.


• There is a funding crisis in education. In school years 2001- 2004, K-12 school districts saw no increase in State Aid and Michigan's community colleges and universities had budgets slashed 15%. Class sizes are increasing. College tuition is on the rise making a college education unaffordable for many. More than 50 local school districts are approaching bankruptcy.


• While Michigan should increase teacher training, hire additional counselors, math and science teachers, reduce class size and reduce college tuition - the legislature is forcing public education to do the opposite.

Vote YES on Proposal 5 on November 7!

Top

Speaker Looking at Charter Expansion

House Speaker Craig DeRoche (R-Novi) announced on September 5 that he is considering taking up legislation to allow additional university-backed charter schools to be established in Detroit.

House Bill 4319 sponsored by LeMar Lemmons III (D-Detroit), would allow Wayne County Community College and Bay Mills Community College to act as an authorizing body for charter schools.

House Bill 4319 removes the language prohibiting the board of a community college from issuing a contract for a public school academy to operate in a first class school district. The idea of moving the legislation came in response to the Detroit Public Schools teachers strike.

Top

Michigan School Readiness Program

The state increased funding for school readiness grants to $78.6 million for the coming fiscal year for the first time since fiscal year 2000-01. But with the change made during the 2005-06 budget allowing full-day programs, schools will actually have fewer available slots in the program, according to a report from the Senate Fiscal Agency.

The change to allow full-day programs was spearheaded by Detroit Public Schools, which had argued it had fewer children in its programs than it had spaces because many parents could not provide transportation from the preschool program to another child care setting in the middle of the day. The program now essentially provides two grants per child to districts that provide a full-day program.

The change attracted 23 new districts to apply for funds for a total of 344 slots. That means less formula funding for those districts with lower percentages of at-risk students. Traditionally, the number of districts adding or dropping the school readiness program numbered less than 10 a year and generally balanced each other out.

The law also allows funds to be used for parent involvement and education programs, an area the report said has been growing in recent years. The cost is expected to be $4.3 million in 2006-07, up from $2.78 million in 2003-04 when the diversion was first allowed.

The report said to fully fund all of the slots for which districts have applied for the coming year would require an additional $14.9 million above the increase already provided for the school year.

Top

Final Pieces of Single-Gender School Legislation Signed

The remaining two pieces of a three-bill package allowing schools to operate single-gender classrooms have been signed by Governor Jennifer Granholm. House Bill 4264 and House Bill 6247 (PA 347 and PA 348) clear up technical aspects of state law--such as specifying that such classrooms are not a civil rights violation. To permit the operation of single gender schools had been sought by Detroit and some other large districts. House Bill 4264 specifically allows the Detroit Public Schools to operate single-gender schools.

House Bill 6247 clarifies that operating a single-gender school does not violate the state's civil rights law. The governor previously signed Senate Bill 1296 (PA 303) providing the fundamental basis for schools to operate classrooms for either boys or girls.

Top

bk:opeiu42aflcio