State positioned to compete for $400 million in U.S. aid
By CHRIS CHRISTOFF
FREE PRESS LANSING BUREAU CHIEF
LANSING — With $400 million in federal money at stake, lawmakers finally approved sweeping reforms Saturday to reward good teachers, turn bad schools over to the state and allow more charter schools. But the reforms won’t give Detroit Public Schools emergency financial manager Robert Bobb control over the academically challenged district’s curriculum. Instead, a state reform manager will be named, with authority to intervene in the academically worst 5% of schools.
The legislation also allows two cyber schools — at-home, online curriculums — aimed at dropouts. And the minimum drop out age increases to 18 from 16.
The five-bill package will allow Michigan to compete for up to $400 million from President Barack Obama’s Race to the Top initiative, in cluding as much as $70 million in Detroit. The reforms have been sought for years by some but opposed by teachers unions.
Even if the state doesn’t win all the money, reforms were needed, said proponents. “Today’s action is all about helping kids get a first-class education in a world that demands nothing less,” said Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who spent Saturday urging legislators to pass the bills.
OUR EDITORIAL
Better than expected
Race to Top legislation doesn’t accomplish everything, but it’s a good start to reforming state schools
Getting there wasn’t pretty, and some of it was pure nonsense. But finally, the Legislature finished the job of preparing Michigan schools for a leap in quality and accountability.
Michigan’s Race to the Top legislation, months overdue and needed so the state can compete for more than $400 million in federal dollars, came to fruition on Saturday— nothing less than a holiday miracle for a bitterly divided Lansing.
It is a good package that will bring reform to Michigan classrooms. But whether it goes far enough to win the grants — other states seem to have done more — will be up to the Obama administration.
The Legislature took a measured approach to charter school expansion that is expected to open dozens of slots under the state cap of 150 charter schools.
Under the new law, existing charter schools could convert into “schools of excellence”— and not be counted against the cap — if their students score well on tests.
The existing alternative public schools would either have to exhibit 90 percent proficiency in math and science or 75 percent proficiency if at least half of the students come from low-income households. High schools with 80 percent proficiency in student learn ing and high rates of graduation and college attendance also would qualify for “schools of excellence” status.
Opening more alternative public schools will help push traditional schools and existing charter schools through competition for stu dents and their state school aid dollars.
Overcoming fierce resistance from the state’s largest teacher and school employee union, the Michigan Education Association, Michigan will use student achievement data to measure teacher performance for the first time. This is essential to meeting the White House’s call to move toward a more perform ance- based education system.
The legislation says student progress must be weighed in teacher evaluations, pay, bonuses and tenure. This is not a state requirement for merit pay for teachers, but it certainly gives districts ammunition to demand the practice in their contracts if student achieve ment is stagnant or dismal.
In addition, the Race to the Top reforms imply that teachers with poor performance should not be protected by the tenure law.
Although this is not the straightforward reform of the tenure system that is needed, it is an important legislative admission that the rigid tenure system lets bad teachers hold schools and their students hostage.
There are some disappointments. The Detroit Public Schools’ elected school board and its legislative allies effectively squashed giving the district’s Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb the official legal authority to reform academics, and not just finances.
The need to give Bobb academic control is obvious. This month, Detroit set a new national low in student test scores on a national assessment. House leaders promise to hold a public hearing on the matter in January.
But the legislation tries to make up for this by giving the state more power to take over the state’s worst academically failing schools.
Two cyber schools were also created — in part to meet federal preferences. While such experiments are worth trying, taxpayers de serve to know much more about these schools and how they will be held accountable.
The Race to the Top legislative package is a good start to making Michigan schools better for all children. But the work — on merit pay, tenure and charters — must continue.
Reforms hailed, but issues linger
Bobb doesn’t get control; teachers fear losing input
By CHRIS CHRISTOFF and GINA DAMRON
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
LANSING — Even if Michi gan doesn’t win a piece of the $4.3 billion the Obama administration will dole out to states for at-risk schools, reforms approved by the Legislature on Saturday are worth it, said lawmakers who led the way.
The reform plan had to be in place for the state to apply next month for as much as $400 million in federal grants under the Obama administra tion’s Race to the Top initiative to improve at-risk public schools.
But it’s not a victory for the Detroit Public Schools emer gency financial manager, Robert Bobb, an appointee of Gov. Jennifer Granholm. The legislation does not grant him the power he wanted to control the district’s academic programs.
Instead, a state reform manager will have authority to shake up or close down specific schools based on their students’ achievement.
“The community and ev eryone involved really was looking for the single line of accountability with academ ics that they now have with fi nances,” said Steve Wasko, spokesman for Bobb.
Wasko said the legislation “threatens to dismantle the school district as we know it.” The question of giving Bobb academic authority over Detroit schools will be aired before the House Education Committee on Jan. 14, said committee Chairman Tim Melton, D-Auburn Hills. Mel ton, who led House Democrats in negotiating the reform package with Senate Republicans, successfully argued for a state-level school reform manager to tackle failing schools or clusters of schools. Senate Republicans and Granholm preferred appoint ing individual crisis managers who could take over districts’ entire operations — as Gran holm wanted for Bobb.
Opening way for charters
One thing Detroit could see under the reform plan is more charter schools. In fact, Michigan could have a few dozen new charter schools within 10 years under the guidelines.
Currently, state law limits to 150 the number of charter schools established by universities. Michigan has 240 char ter schools in all.
The new law sets high standards for charter schools that cater to large numbers of low income, at-risk students. If the charters meet those standards, the authority that created them can open more schools.
“This bill allows for modest growth of charter schools based on quality,” said Gary Naeyaert, spokesman for Michigan’s Charter Schools. “The state is saying, ‘You have to have excellent academic achievement among an at-risk student population. If you figure out how to do that, we want to do more of that.’ ” Even if the state wins federal grants, it won’t solve what Granholm and others call a funding crisis for public schools.
Public school funding was cut $350 million in the 2009-10 budget and faces a $212-million hit next month.
“This is just incentive money that gave us the impetus to get some reforms done that would not have gotten done in another 20 or 30 years,” Melton said.
Results will take time
Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R Holland, said the full impact of the reforms won’t be felt for 10 years, as more charter schools open, bad schools are shored up or closed and good teachers are rewarded with money. The legislation will allow school districts to judge teachers in part by academic achievement of their students. It doesn’t eliminate teacher tenure laws, but it could affect merit pay and promotions.
“We took big steps toward rewarding high-performing teachers,” said Kuipers, who led negotiations for the Sen ate Republican majority. “But at the same time, you’ve got to get rid of bad ones. We didn’t get there with this package.”
Teachers have concerns
Still, teachers unions were upset with a bill that gives the state reform manager broad powers to take control of individual schools, fire people and impose work rules apart from negotiated contracts.
“This strips employees of their voice in helping students in these struggling schools,” said Doug Pratt, spokesman for the Michigan Education Association. “It is completely inappropriate.”
He said the MEA and AFT Michigan, the state affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, went along with other reforms they have resisted in the past, such as alternative certification for teachers and merit pay.
Reform highlights
■ Expands the number of high quality charter schools (at least 10 over five years), including two online schools.
■ Gives state greater authority to take over up to 5% of schools with worst academic perfor mance.
■ Increases the dropout age from 16 to 18.
■ Allows some professionals to teach in public schools without a four-year teaching degree (example: engineers teaching math).
■ Permits schools to give merit pay to teachers based in part on the academic performance of their students.
Next steps in the Race to the Top
■ Governor signs the bills.
■ State identifies underper forming schools.
■ State officials develop federal Race to the Top application by Jan. 19.
■ Feds announce first-round winners in April.
■ Feds announce second round of grants in September.
EXAMPLES OF WHAT’ S AVAILABLE
■ Detroit Public Schools: $70.6 million
■ Flint Community Schools: $6.3 million
■ Southfield Public Schools: $724,197
■ Warren Consolidated Schools: $938,853
■ Ecorse Public Schools: $519,020
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