Michigan's Embarrassing School Reform in the Washington Post

On my way to testify yesterday at the hearing of the House Education Committee, this was in the Washington Post.  Does it make you proud to live in a state with "embarrassing school reform"?  It embarrasses me.








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All Day Kindergarten Letters to Senators and Representatives

Please read this article about All Day Kindergarten.  We need to rally on this soon.
 An elementary conundrum:Should kindergarten be full time? October 27, 2011 Matt Vande Bunte.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/11/michigan_lawmakers_push_for_fu.html


In the mean time, let's get the word out to parents about All Day Kindergarten.  These letters were penned by Legislative Committee member Anne Grobel and she wants to share them with everyone.  The first letter is about how many kindergarteners are not ready for all day school and the second one is regarding funding cuts.



86th district LisaLyons@house.mi.gov  (our current representative)
73rd district PeterMacGregor@house.mi.gov (our new representative following 2012 elections)
28th district senmjansen@senate.michigan.gov


Dear Representative Lyons/Representative MacGregor--
Dear Senator Jansen--

It has come to my attention that the legislature will pursue mandatory all-day kindergarten in the next few months.  As a parent and a taxpayer, I would like to strongly advocate against taking this position.  I believe that forcing school districts to require all day kindergarten will be detrimental to both the districts and the children involved.  Many children at this tender age require a rest during the day and would find a full academic day too stressful.  For these children, the potential academic benefits of three or four additional hours of classroom instruction would be lost to fatigue and burnout.  It is unreasonable to expect school district employees to determine which children are ready for this program at 4 and which at 5 years old.  That decision is best left to parents and guardians. At present there are many existing programs to provide all day care for children who may require that outside the home.  My experience is that many children find a full day rigorous and exhausting in the early months of first grade, so to expect that from all Kindergartners is unreasonable.  All day kindergarten would provide a lot of children  with a stressful and unpleasant beginning to their academic careers.

Best Regards From Your Constituent,

Dear Representative Lyons/Representative MacGregor--

Dear Senator Jansen--

All Day Kindergarten strips funding for high school programs while putting more strain on early elementary education budgets.  While I understand the need to most efficiently use the diminished tax revenues in Michigan, dissecting school budgets and forcing kindergarten programs to be funded only for the time each child is present in the building is an unreasonable cost cutting measure.  The legislative intent of Proposal A was to leave allocation of these per pupil monies under local control.  It is more expensive to educate a high school student than a kindergartner, and these students have very different needs.  I believe the locally elected school boards, local district administrators and local voters are in the best position to properly and most effectively determine how to distribute these funds among the buildings and staff and to best educate all of the children in their particular district.  

Please continue to allow local control on the issue of whether a child attends half-day or all day kindergarten.  Let's give these future taxpayer and members of our community the best chance to get a solid education and become productive members of our communities.

Best Regards from Your Constituent,

Testifying in Lansing and How is Michigan's Economy Really Doing?

New hearings in Lansing in front of the Michigan House Education Committee on Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at 10am.  Parents are welcome.  Let me know if you are interested in going.  lucylafleur@sbcglobal.net

While considering attending this hearing, peruse Rick Haglund's essay on the improvement of Michigan's economy as reported by UofM economists.  Our recovery is strong this year (before the business tax cut) and will slowly improve over the next two years due to car manufacturing.  The economists have a hard time speculating whether the economy will improve more with the tax cut and they warn that the tax cut could cause a decline in infrastructure and education which will not attract outsiders (both workers and industries) to Michigan.
http://www.mlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/11/rick_haglund_michigan_economy.html#incart_hbx

Thank a Teacher

http://www.mlive.com/education/index.ssf/2011/11/us_secretary_of_education_want.html

News Gleaned from the Annual Test of 15 year olds

Let's fix public education where it is broken.  Let's support parents in their performance at home.  We keep hearing about this international test of fifteen-year-old kids.  Read about a study of the parents of the children who do well.  How can we replicate what works?  Lucy



http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/11/around_the_world_better_parent.html

State ed system head leading community forums

State ed system head leading community forums

[Posted by The Associated Press November 17, 2011, 9:13 PM]

The head of Michigan's new system for failing schools plans to hold forums across the state to hear from parents and community members as the district prepares to launch.

Education Achievement System Chancellor John Covington is attending two community forums in Detroit Thursday with Detroit Parent Network Executive Director Sharlonda Buckman.

System spokesman Bob Berg says about 10 other forums are planned statewide, with a schedule being developed during next several days.

The system will assume operation of the state's lowest 5 percent of performing schools and will begin operating its first schools in September.

Covington is the ex-schools chief in Kansas City, Mo. He says the new Michigan district eventually will serve more than 100,000 students.

Letter to House Rep Lyons re Parent Empowerment

LisaLyons@house.mi.gov 

Hello Representative Lyons;

I am writing to you today to tell you to vote no on the Parent Empowerment package of bills.  While I am supportive of expanding the options for parents whose children are in failing schools, I am concerned about good school districts competing with too many schools.  Michigan cannot afford such an expansion of schools!  Also, the legislation does not address the quality of education in these new schools.  We demand quality regulation and fiscal responsibility such as is followed by successful traditional school districts in Michigan.  Let's put more thought into reinventing education in Michigan, including looking to home grown success!

Regards,