Transparency, Part I: What Do We Mean?

I was sitting in a parlor meeting to hear a presentation by Todd Roberts (AAPS Superintendent). The purpose of the meeting was to promote the need for the schools millage (yes, that schools millage), and the audience was fairly friendly to the cause. One of the people present asked, “I keep hearing people talk about the need for more transparency. What do they mean by that?”

Todd Roberts answered (and despite the quote marks I am paraphrasing here), “I have no idea. We have a lot of information, including our budget, on our web site.”

“Holy clear plate of glass, Batman!” Seriously, Todd, you have no idea what people mean by transparency? 

Well, I have a few ideas (and I shared one of them at that meeting), and here’s a little detail.

When my friends talk about transparency, they (we) mean multiple things.

INFORMATION
First, we mean being able to find information that they need/want, when they need it. Hopefully by the end of the year I will be able to put up some ideas for how to improve the web site (which is an impossible mess, for the most part). But having a year-old budget on your web site, in pdf format, when the landscape has changed so dramatically, does not constitute transparency. Where do I find the ideas about what changes might happen? Without the information, what is left is FEAR. Fear that—for example—schools will be closed, and we will be the last to know.

Second, we mean being able to figure out who to contact to find something out. I just had someone email me who said, “Nobody ever answers my calls and I can’t figure out who to ask.” (That itself is quite an indictment, but in case you are interested, I sent her to my catch-all person—Todd Roberts’ administrative assistant. She should know, but if she doesn't know, she can probably find out for you.)

PROCESS

Second, we mean process. I have written about this before (here), but if I want to get involved in city or county government, there is a clear way for me to get involved in city/county commissions. There are plenty of public meetings. I can try to get appointed to a committee.
That is not so in the school district. Above the building level, there are virtually no public commissions or committees to sit on or even attend as a visitor. Making presentations about the budget to people (and answering questions at a meeting) is no substitute for having a committee where people can discuss, and come up with ideas. And no wonder those meetings are sparsely attended. They are poorly advertised, and they are seemingly meaningless. It’s not just about the budget, though. Are there any ongoing district-wide committees—open to community members—that look at high school policies and configuration, elementary school libraries, buildings and infrastructure, web design, extra-curricular activities? If there are, I can’t find them.  If there is one thing that Ann Arbor has, it is a wealth of experience and knowledge. Why, oh why, doesn’t AAPS tap into it?

The lack of transparency, the lack of information, the lack of process, the lack of approachability—all of these create an atmosphere of frustration and distrust. Sure, I know what to do at the building site level, but—try to move beyond that, and it’s like knocking your head against a brick wall.

[Up Next: Transparency, Part 2: An Example]

State School Funding

Blogging For Michigan has a summary of, and commentary on, the EPIC/MRA poll that says school funding in Michigan is too low. So if that is what you were thinking, well--it's nice to know you are not alone.

This morning, I heard Gov. Jennifer Granholm saying on the radio that school funding mechanisms need to be changed because so much of the money for our School Aid Fund comes from the sales tax, which does not do well "in a recessionary environment." Oh, so that's what we're in? No, seriously--hasn't that always been obvious? Those of you who voted for Proposal A way back in 1994, what were you thinking? (The rest of you escape my words of wrath.)

The Federal Race to the Top has a lot of people (educators and legislators) talking about possible legislation changes to qualify for a large chunk of change. But some of the required legislation changes are not so good, in my opinion. Take, for example, linking teacher pay and performance to the way kids and schools perform on test scores. Considering that test scores have repeatedly been shown to correlate most closely with family income, that strikes me as a dumb idea. The vast majority of school funding (by vast, I mean over 90%) comes from state and local sources, so it's interesting--but not necessarily in a good way--that the federal government is coming in with a way to force change, but not providing long-term funding.

Oh yeah--thank a teacher? Send in nominations, please.

Bits, Pieces, Thank Yous

A few updates:

H1N1 clinic this Saturday, December 5th, at the new Manchester High School, 20500 Dutch Drive, Manchester, MI, 10-3.  (I took one child to the EMU clinic. The whole process took about 35 minutes, start to finish.)

Saline Schools Community Conversations coming up on December 14th. Details here. 

Dexter and Ann Arbor school boards are discussing finances this week. That is not the same as a community conversation.

You have until Thursday December 3d at 4 p.m. to put your name in the ring for running for Ann Arbor school board. Now is not the time for me, but maybe it is for you?

Willow Run has an interim financial manager. There is still no sign or news of their supposed superintendent, but the acting Superintendent is getting praised. (And I like the new look of ypsiciti.com).

The state house is beginning to discuss some of the items necessary for qualifying for the Race to the Top (the federal one). I think it's kind of ironic that two "must do" items are a) alternative ways of certifying teachers and b) more charter schools. I'm all for a) but that's because I was looking for that for several years before I gave in and went the traditional certification route. As for b), I'm not totally against or in favor of charters, but there are lots of problems with them, even if they are a moot point. But are either of these things going to make our schools better? I doubt it.

Oh, and in that same vein (things that I don't think will make our schools better--although this is potentially another option for people looking for high school options), I got this email the other day. So--have an opinion? Take the survey. 

As part of Ann Arbor's Strategic Plan, the Ann Arbor Public Schools and Washtenaw County school districts are examining the possibility of opening a 9th-12th grade county-wide high school utilizing the International Baccalaureate Program (www.ibo.org). This school will offer a challenging academic curriculum built on international standards as well as a variety of complementary co-curricular programs have been exploring doing an International Baccalaureate program. NO FINAL DECISION HAS BEEN MADE, but the county-wide IB Committee would like to determine if there is interest. Please complete the following survey.  The link is directly below:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEtUZ3RxOHdmRFlEVDd4Qi1odjhibnc6MA

Last, but not least--PLEASE nominate some teachers for thanking. So far I haven't gotten a single nominee. That makes me sad. Is it possible there is not a single teacher in the county you think should be thanked? Bushwah! The rules are simple, and everyone wins. [I know, maybe I shouldn't have called it a contest...]

Something Heavy To Chew On

If you are looking for something heavy to chew on over the holiday weekend--and I don't mean turkey--how about tax policy?

The Detroit Free Press had an editorial on November 15th in favor of expanding taxes, either via a graduated income tax and/or through expanding the sales tax to services. Whether you agree with them or not (I do), they put together some awesome charts/graphs that you should look at (link).

I believe they got a lot of the information from a couple of people who will be speaking at the Michigan League for Human Services annual meeting on December 4th. You can get information about that here. It is Thursday, December 3, 9:30 to noon in Lansing. [And their web site has lots of other interesting publications and reports as well.]

How To Find A School Of Choice

This is a long overdue post I promised someone quite a while ago.
If you are a parent, looking for a school for your child, what are your choices? This is meant as a basic primer. To get you started, here is a somewhat complete (not entirely) list of choices.

Investigating will take some work. If you can't find what you want on the web site of the relevant school district or academy, then you might make a phone call--to the secretary or administrative assistant of the district superintendent or academy principal. Generally they know everything,  and if they don't they can find it out. [And if they don't help you, try the superintendent or academy principal directly.]

1. Neighborhood public school. Every home in the county is districted to a school district, and a school (or possible a choice of two schools) that may--or may not--actually be in the neighborhood.  Often your local school is a good option, but if not, there are some other possibilities.

2. In-district school choice. Many of the local school districts allow you to request an in-district transfer to another neighborhood school. I wrote about the Ann Arbor schools process here, and  I complained at the time that it was hard to find out about and was also named something that makes no sense to the people looking for it. For in-district school choice, choices are sometimes limited by grade (for instance, only open to first and third graders) or by number of spots. If you don't like your neighborhood school, but you've heard better things about a different school in the district, this might work for you.

3. In-district magnet programs. These programs are particular to a school district. Timing for applications varies, but generally will be after January first. Check the district web site or call. In some cases they might be open to kids from other districts. Magnet programs include gifted and talented programs, language immersion programs (not yet in this county), or an alternative school like Ann Arbor Open or Community High School. Districts can set their own rules for magnets--tests, lotteries, interviews, etc.

4. Out-of-district school choice. Other public school districts can become schools of choice, and they can open up their whole school district, or only certain grades or schools. For instance, they could open it up to K-1-2 only, and they could also restrict the number of openings if they want. Right now, as examples, Whitmore Lake and Ypsilanti schools have their entire districts open as schools of choice, and Saline is a limited school of choice district. Separate from the school of choice option, you can put in special requests, but they may or may not allow them. I wrote about this here and here. [If this is the option you are interested in, you should definitely read those posts.] Openings may be open to you even if you live in a different county, but the timing of the open application periods varies widely. On my facebook page the other day, I noticed ads from the Bloomfield Hills schools! Are you willing to drive? You will be responsible for transportation.

5. Charter Schools. Charter schools, also known as public school academies, are public schools of choice and they are not geographically restricted. If too many people want to get in to a particular school, they may have a lottery or some other method of choosing students. Someone asked me why there are more charter elementary and middle schools than high schools. High schools require more specialized teachers (thus they are more expensive), and they are also harder to run on a small scale. Everyone thinks that a first grade class of 15 is great; a tenth grade class with a total of 15 kids? Too small to differentiate instruction in math or give kids choices of a language... But in the high school arena, one option is the Washtenaw Technical Middle College which operates out of Washtenaw Community College. You can find the links to local charter schools, all of whom work with the Washtenaw Intermediate School District, here. 
 
6. Consortiums. Lincoln, Willow Run, and Ypsilanti schools have a consortium that has kids learning at Eastern Michigan University. Find out about it here.

That's it for the totally free options. (Free to you as the consumer. You are paying taxes for those schools, after all.) Oh, wait--I forgot--some school districts that are not schools of choice may let you pay tuition to them, as if they were a private school. No, I am not making that up.

If you're interested in homeschooling, you will have plenty of company. Here is information on the Homeschoolers of Washtenaw, Clonlara and other groups (many of them are religious, but not all of them).

There are always parochial schools: one Muslim school, one Jewish school, several Catholic schools, lots of Protestant or more general "Christian" schools.

Local private, non-religious schools include those with Montessori and Steiner philosophies, as well as schools targeting "gifted and talented" kids, kids with learning disabilities, traditional prep schools, and alternative learning environments.

Is Our Only Tool A Hammer?

I just added a new blog to the blog roll on the side: Assorted Stuff.
The most recent post asks: In the school setting, if your only tool is a hammer, do all of the tools look like nails?

Meditations on Fairness and Equity

Probably every parent has had the experience of a child saying, "That's not fair!" while alluding to why you let Jane watch an extra hour of t.v., or why the coach let Joey's friend Mark play 4 innings in baseball and Joey only played 3 innings. But maybe Jane volunteered to rake the neighbor's lawn. Maybe Mark hasn't missed any practices. Or maybe there was no rationale for it.

Probably every teacher has had the experience of having to decide when one student should get "special treatment" when it is denied to another student (for example, giving permission to turn in a paper late to one student and not another). In grading--who really deserves the A? A student who has never been able to write more than two sentences, and suddenly writes three paragraphs in ninth grade, even though most students can write three pages? The student who tries something she has never done before, and fails at it, because she refused to take the safe route? The student who takes the safe route and does exactly what is requested but doesn't challenge himself? What is fair? What is equitable?

We can transfer these same questions to funding. What is fair and equitable to students may not be fair and equitable to taxpayers. What is fair may not be equitable, and what is equitable might not be fair.

Is it fair that kids in Traverse City have a much lower per-pupil allocation than kids in Ann Arbor?
Is it equitable that kids in Traverse City have a much lower per-pupil allocation than kids in Ann Arbor?

Is it fair that the majority of taxes raised for schools in the Ann Arbor School District get sent out of the district?
Is it equitable that the majority of taxes raised for schools in the Ann Arbor School District get sent out of the district?

Is it fair that each district can't choose to raise or lower its own taxes for schools?
Is it equitable that each district can't choose to raise or lower its own taxes for schools?

Is it fair that some PTOs are able to raise a lot of money for their schools, and others are not?
Is it equitable that some PTOs are able to raise a lot of money for their schools, and others are not?

You get the idea. Fairness and equity are often not the same. And by the way, I'm not about to argue that we should always come down on the side of equity over fairness, or fairness over equity. I am going to argue that we should make that discussion public.

On another note: 

If you listen to, or read, the American Radioworks piece that I just wrote about, you will find an astounding statistic. In the Perry School Study, the estimated Return On Investment in avoided costs (for instance, paying for someone while they are in jail) is an astounding 16%.

So while our state legislators are mired in mud, looking at the next six months only, I would say that--not only are they unable to come to any agreements, but honestly--they are missing the boat entirely. The payoff in education is a long-term one. But it can be big.

Cool Early Childhood Research In Our Backyard

There was a terrific American Radioworks (Michigan Radio) story today on early childhood education. Of special interest, it features High Scope Research Center and Perry Nursery School (where a lot of the first research on preschool was done), and it also features Van Loggins, an AAPS physical education teacher at Ann Arbor Open.

The story is called Early Lessons. 
Scroll down on the Early Lessons page to: download the podcast, listen online, or read the transcript.

This is a story about special education, and it's a story about race. It's also about the power of a few people to right wrongs and make a difference in people's lives.
One of the key lessons learned--the preschool made a difference, but they don't really know why. (Theories abound.) Well, for a long time, nobody knew why aspirin reduced fever--but people knew that it did.

Another key lesson learned--there is a difference between low and high quality preschools, and currently, middle class white kids are most likely to go to the high quality preschools.

Entrance to Huron Valley Catholic

Entrance to Huron Valley Catholic School this morning

PRETTY!

Race to the Top, Federal Style

I swear, when I titled the last post, I had no idea that some of the federal education stimulus money was called Race to the Top. But it is. There you have it. I, of course, meant something different than the federal government means.

And here is some commentary on the federal program.
The Michigan Messenger addresses the question of whether Michigan could even qualify for the monies.
That question will not be helped by the fact that the Michigan Senate is going on vacation. It's hard to vote on legislation when you are not in session. Do they ever work?

Top 20%: Race You to the Top

A commenter asked if I would share my thoughts about what we should be advocating for up in Lansing. I will, but it will probably come out in bits and pieces over the next couple of weeks. I can't seem to muster the time to put it in one coherent package, and anyway it might get too long then.

So--first up:  Top 20%

In general, as an educator, I think that everybody should be getting a B or better. I don't mean this in a grade inflation sort of way. If you are getting a C, D, or F, you are probably not mastering the material. In fact, when my son came home with a C in math last year, I was extremely unhappy. Call me an overachiever if you like (he did--also a nerd), but the only classes I got Cs in were classes where I either didn't study, or really didn't understand the material. In fact, Skyline High School has adopted a form of mastery learning which actually sets the cutoff for mastery at 80%--in other words, a B-.

So, when we talk about what to advocate for in Lansing, let's start with the premise that this is not a race to the bottom. I don't understand why we would want to race to the bottom--on student results, on likelihood of going to college, on teacher salaries, on health outcomes like childhood obesity or smoking rates, and not even on taxes. Yes, I am saying that I want to be more like Massachusetts than Mississippi when it comes to education.

I want a race to the top, on student outcomes, on educators' pay, on numbers of kids going to college, and--if necessary--taxes too. In the race to the top, I think that the Top 20% has a catchy ring. If you are still paying attention, that means the state would be getting a B or better relative to other states. It means mastery learning. 

My first premise is that we should be driven by what will put our outcomes in the top 20% of states. Yes, that means being in the Top Ten. Why settle for mediocrity or, worse, failure? We can talk about how we measure outcomes (of course you can "manipulate" that, but it is also a matter of identifying what you value). We can talk about funding methodology.

But let's start with the idea that, if we could get a consensus goal of being in the top 20%, it would drive a lot of decision-making. 

One more thing: of course education is expensive. Kids are not robots, and neither are teachers. Which is why, next up:  School Funding--how, what, and why (or: tax structure, funding stability, what could equity/fairness mean)

Cut Proposals Begin

Lincoln Schools
Saline Schools
Manchester Schools

1994: Proposal A

A look back at Proposal A. Michigan Radio's Charity Nebbe interviews Craig Ruff, a policy analyst with Public Sector Consultants.

Theater this weekend

Tickets for Annie Get Your Gun at Skyline
Tickets for Oklahoma at Pioneer
Tickets for The Man Who Came To Dinner at Huron
Sorry, Community High School's production of Working was last weekend.

November 14th Kids' Health Events

For priority groups H1N1 Flu Vaccination Clinic: Saturday, November 14th, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pioneer High School. The priority groups now include all individuals from 6 months through 24 years of age and individuals 25 to 64 years old who have medical conditions that put them at higher risk for influenza-related complications.

For youth aged 4-10 years old
Ypsilanti High School Dental Screening Day: 10 a.m.-12 noon, November 14th, Ypsilanti High School cafeteria. For children aged 4-20 years old. Does your child/teen have dental needs? Bring them to Ypsilanti High School for a FREE dental screening and a voucher for free follow-up care at the U-M dental school. Each child/teen will receive a FREE dental screening and referral for a dental visit. Eligible children will receive a voucher for necessary dental care. Ypsilanti High School is accessible by bus routes 5 & 6. Questions: Call Marita Inglehart (734) 763-8073

For children and adults aged 5 and older
UM Dental School Dental Health Day at the UM Dental School
Registration 8:30 a.m.-noon; screenings and evaluations 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
University of Michigan School of Dentistry, 1011 N. University, Ann Arbor.
Call (734) 763-6933 or e-mail dentalhealthday@umich.edu, http://www.dent.umich.edu/events/2009/dental-health-day
University of Michigan School of Dentistry students and faculty will provide free oral health care services—oral exams, oral cancer screenings, X-rays, and oral hygiene education—to individuals ages 5 and older. Please enter the School of Dentistry at the North University Avenue entrance. Parking will be available at the Fletcher Street parking structure.

Naomi Tutu: Race and Reconciliation

RACE AND RECONCILIATION: A COMMUNITY-WIDE CONVERSATION ON RACE
WITH NONTOMBI NAOMI TUTU
November 13–November 15, 2009

From Ypsilanti to Ann Arbor, from the University of Michigan to Washtenaw Community College, in secular and religious communities, people soon will gather in Washtenaw County to take up the national discussion on race. Facilitated by international human rights activist Nontombi Naomi Tutu, this three-day dialogue will take several forms. All events are free, and everyone is encouraged to attend.
Friday, November 13, at 7:30 pm, Ms. Tutu will share her well-considered thoughts and take questions from the audience at Rackham Auditorium, in the University of Michigan Rackham School of Graduate Studies, 915 E Washington St., in Ann Arbor. Her remarks will be preceded by a book-signing in the lobby.
Saturday, November 14, at 7:30 pm, landmark documentary Long Night’s Journey Into Day will be screened, followed by a panel discussion. The panel, including Ms. Tutu and local Fox 2 News personality Huel Perkins (moderator), will consider the ways in which this intimate film about post-apartheid South Africa and its attempts to heal itself with truth might enlighten Washtenaw County’s efforts. The location is the Towsley Auditorium in the Morris Lawrence Building at Washtenaw Community College, 4800 E Huron Dr.
Sunday, November 15, Ms. Tutu will share commentary at the 10 am service at First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor, 608 E William (corner of S State St), and The Our Own Thing Chorale, conducted by Dr. Willis Patterson, will perform.

Nontombi Naomi Tutu, global citizen and daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, will help guide the three-day discussion. Her sustained and visible commitment to education, dialogue, reconciliation, and social justice on issues of gender, race, and international relations has made Ms Tutu a leader in her own right. With her immediate knowledge of the realities of a divisive society and the promise of communities that work to protect and sustain the dignity of all people, she encourages us to "be willing to speak and hear the truth because then we will have our just society." Tutu, King-Chavez-Parks Visiting Professor at the University of Michigan, is Associate Director of the Office of International Programs at Tennessee State University, founder and chair (1985–1990) of the Tutu Foundation, which provides scholarships and support to South African refugees in African countries. Born in South Africa during apartheid, Tutu has lived, worked, and studied in South Africa, the U.S., and the U.K.; is a graduate of Berea College (BA, Economics and French) and the University of Kentucky (MA, International Economic Development); and is also recipient of honorary degrees from the Universal Orthodox College of Ogun State in Nigeria and Bentley College in Massachusetts. She is author of Words of Desmond Tutu and I Don't Think of You as Black: Honest Conversations on Race.

Additional Information:
RaceandReconciliation@yahoo.com
http://www.fccannarbor.org/tutu.php
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=150279303574&ref=mf
Race and Reconciliation: A Community-wide Conversation on Race with Nontombi Naomi Tutu is co-sponsored by Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation; First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor; Second Baptist Church of Ann Arbor; Center for Afroamerican and African Studies, University of Michigan African Studies Center, Office of the President, Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs; Washtenaw Community College.

A Few More Thoughts

OK, so first of all--the (schools) world didn't stop on Election Day.
In Willow Run, the new acting superintendent is the principal of Kaiser Elementary. Her name is Laura Lisiscki. She was appointed because the current superintendent had a car accident--bad enough to be on bed rest for more than a couple of days--yet it has been hush hush.  I understand about HIPAA (health privacy rules), but still it seems that Dr.Hope-Jackson and the school board were less than forthcoming. I mean, we can argue about whether she's meeting performance objectives, but isn't showing up for work a very minimal baseline? And doesn't a superintendent owe it to the staff and the public to let them know why you are not there? It makes me think there is more to this than meets the eye. [Do you wonder if history repeats itself? Reading this article about one of Dr. Hope-Jackson's earlier positions, I think maybe it does.] The way the public found out was through information provided by a board member, Harold Wimberly, who resigned a couple of weeks ago. That was also hush hush. The Willow Run School Board appointed a new board member last night, and his name is Don Garrett. I guess the good news is that the acting superintendent and the new board member both have a lot of experience with the Willow Run school district.
In other news, Thursday is a big day--a massive vaccination clinic for H1N1 flu. It's at the EMU Convocation Center, starting at 10--but you should probably get there earlier if you want to get the vaccine. Public Health will be handing out wristbands with vaccination times, and they have 4,000 doses. High Priority groups only... Since Huron Valley Catholic has closed school due to flu,  I have to wonder whether the flu or the vaccine will get to people first.

OK, now back to school funding. I concur with Jen Eyer's analysis in AnnArbor.com today that the community needs to be a part of the decision-making on budget cuts. At least for the long-term. I heard loud and clear that people want "transparency," although I'm not sure there's agrement on what that means (I will try to take a crack at that sometime soon). And obviously promoting a millage in these economic times is harder. I wonder if the pro-millage groups really made a strong case. I kind of think not.
I also wonder about the extent to which not having a newspaper made a big difference. The blog Inside Out pointed me to this analysis of a recent conference held in Ann Arbor, and a lot of what is said here rings true to me. In this Poynter Online piece, Bill Mitchell writes that:

Much of the discussion involved the role a newspaper plays in facilitating in-person discussion -- in homes as well as broader communities -- in ways that online news might not. Other gaps mentioned by the group included newspaper-as-common-document for the community, the story-telling form of a newspaper article and a popular re-use of newspaper delivery bags.
Julie Weatherbee... [said]... "What I miss is not necessarily the Ann Arbor News or the news in it but the physical sitting with someone and sharing, having your breakfast and talking," she said. "The paper became a physical connection between people ... and I don't think (other forms of) journalism are making those connections." She also said she misses hearing the phrase, "Did you read in the paper last night that...?" She added: "Now there's no (single) water cooler. There are 80 water coolers, and (visiting them) is very time consuming." She pointed out that many people simply don't have time to do what it takes to fill the gaps left by the paper. As a result, she said they "have simply dropped out" out of the community's news network.

 Regarding the schools (still excerpting):  

Liz Margolis, director of communications for the local schools, noted that the same reporter who covered the schools for the Ann Arbor News is on the beat for AnnArbor.com. But she said she finds his online stories "not as in-depth," and she said many of the comments attached to the articles are "truly destructive and ugly."

I find myself agreeing with all of those points.  I have an awful lot of friends who are not getting local news now, or are only getting it from WEMU and WUOM. I feel sick when I read some of the comments on AnnArbor.com, so it makes me read it less. And I really don't like the way the annarbor.com subfolder of News that is "Education" is not just news, but is largely...LARGELY...opinion.
SO--did not having a daily print newspaper make a difference? I guess we can't KNOW, but I think it did.
In any case, to turn my attention to the problem at hand: every single district in this county, and all of the charter schools, will need to make budget cuts in short order, unless some miracle happens in the halls of the state legislature. These cuts fall into two basic categories--short-term, and long-term. In the short-term, for this fiscal year (which for schools is just about half over), the options are rather limited. For those of you with grandiose ideas, you can take off the table ideas about consolidation, health insurance, reopening teacher contracts, and even--likely--school closings. Those might be things to discuss long-term, but they take too long to implement to generate the cost savings this year. Even ideas like cutting seventh hour may be hard to implement and still have kids get the credits they need for this year. In the short-term, I think it's going to be rocky and horrid.

Long-term, I hope the school districts will invite engagement from parents, students, and taxpayers. And I'm also slightly more optimistic that things will change for the better (school funding-wise) in Lansing. So on that mildly optimistic note, I'll close.

Sad Day

Well, it's a sad day for Washtenaw County schools. Even though the millage was not "the" solution to the financial stresses in the county schools, it was a part.

The other part is getting the state legislature to restore funding to the school aid fund.

I will have more thoughts, later. What are your thoughts?

Join Me In Voting Yes On The Schools Millage

I am voting yes on Tuesday on the county-wide schools millage. I hope you will join me.
Here is background reading:
Ann Arbor Chronicle

Here's my opinion:
Does It Take A Millage?
$13.65 Per Vote

Remember, when you vote: You are voting for our county's kids.Also remember: The real action needs to happen up in Lansing. Tell your legislators that you value education.

Racial Discrimination and Tracking

There was an interesting story on NPR the other day on how tracking plays out in one middle class community.

Here's the link, and I suggest you listen to the story rather than simply read it.

My friend in Pittsburgh described to me his daughter's high school. It's an "urban" school, and it has metal detectors and the kinds of rules you primarily find in large urban schools. However, the neighborhood they live in is a middle class neighborhood, and in an effort to keep the middle class in the city, and in the school system, this is what tracking looks like in her school.

Four levels.
The top level has an average of 18 kids in each class.
The second level has closer to 22-25 kids in each class.
The third tier has close to 30 kids in each class.
The lowest tier? Over 30 kids in each class.

Guess which classes have the most white kids?
Guess which classes have the most middle and upper middle class kids?

And who, he asked me, needs the small class size?

Summary: Tracking is great for the kids at the top.
For everyone else, it's not so hotsy-totsy, and it's not so ai-yai-yai.

H1N1 New Vaccination Clinic Date

UPDATE 11/19/09: Next Clinic Date is Sunday November 22 at the EMU Convocation Center. The priority groups list has been expanded. Find details at publichealth.ewashtenaw.org. 

A mass vaccination clinic for high priority groups is scheduled for Eastern Michigan University (EMU), Convocation Center on Thursday, Nov 5th from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm. The Center is located at 299 North Hewitt Road, Ypsilanti MI 48197. All school-based clinics tentatively scheduled to begin next week are now cancelled.

High priority groups ONLY.
According to CDC guidelines, high priority groups eligible for H1N1 vaccine while supplies remain limited

include:
• Pregnant women
• Household and caregiver contacts of children younger than 6 months of age
• Children from 6 months though 4 years of age
• Children and adolescents aged 5 through 18 years who have medical conditions associated with a higher risk of influenza complications
• Health care and emergency medical services personnel with direct patient care

More details here.

Willow Run Update & Can Consolidation Happen?

According to Dan DuChene of the Ypsilanti Citizen, tonight's emergency meeting of the Willow Run School Board was cancelled--primarily because the notice requirements for an "emergency meeting" are stricter than for a "special meeting." The other news is that the precipitating problem is that the Willow Run Superintendent, Doris Hope-Jackson, has been absent a lot. A new meeting will be posted.

The question that I have heard raised several times is, "Can the Willow Run school district consolidate with another district, or be split up among several districts?"

The answer, I think, is that there are several roadblocks to that, at least the way state law currently works.

First, the districts considering consolidation (or annexation) need to have their school boards decide it is worth pursuing.

Second, the voters in each district need to agree. Jack Lessenberry had a good essay about why the Montague and Whitehall districts (near Muskegon) voted no many years ago. And the moral is that both small and large things can deter people from voting yes. On the other hand, this seems pretty reasonable to me if a district is either merging or dissolving. The people should have a say. (Want to see what the county school district map looks like? You can find it here.)

Third, the way state law is currently written, the merged district gets the average of the per pupil allocations. And the districts don't have the same per pupil allocations.

So--last year, Ypsilanti's per-pupil allocation was about $150 more than the allocation for Willow Run, but they have more than double the population--so a merger would cause Ypsilanti to lose quite a lot of money. In this climate, that is likely a major deterrent. For Ann Arbor, it would be a much much larger loss.

On the other hand, Lincoln's per-pupil allocation was about $500 less than the allocation for Willow Run. In a merger, Lincoln would gain. So would Plymouth-Canton and Van Buren schools, although not by nearly as much.

So--that's the quick lesson of the day. The explanation (if it seemed at all clear) is due to the clear explanation of Todd Roberts, Ann Arbor superintendent, in response to a question at one of the informational meetings about the millage. I hope you'll vote yes on Tuesday.

And--errors of fact will of course be corrected. Tell me.

Willow Run: Major Shakeup

David Jesse has some breaking news about the Willow Run school district over at AnnArbor.com.

We will have to check for more news tomorrow night, after their emergency meeting to appoint an acting superintendent--and possibly an acting chief financial officer as well. I'm hoping this is all for the good.

The Thinking Teacher

One column I have really been enjoying at AnnArbor.com is the column that Jeff Kass is writing. I find myself almost always having a reaction--I can't write about all of them, although maybe occasionally I will. In any case, you can find the updated list here.

The best teachers continue to process and reflect on their work, with the goal of improving it. That's one thing that burned-out teachers don't do. In fact, one way to get un-burned-out is to place increased and renewed emphasis on reflection. (Don't think that this is only true of teachers. The best engineers, writers, managers, electricians and gardeners all reflect on their work, with a goal of making their end results better.)

If you like Jeff Kass's writing, and you want to know more about the "inner lives" of reflective teachers, then you will also like the writing over at Teacher, Revised (linked on the right, as well).

Trick or Treat for UNICEF

No, the millage is not the only thing going on around here, although it might seem that way sometimes.

I grew up in a New York suburb, just a train ride away from the United Nations, and every year, starting in kindergarten, we would "Trick or Treat for UNICEF."

Along with candy bags, we would carry our little orange boxes and people would give us candy AND money--mostly pennies and nickels. The next school day, we would bring that money in to be counted.

UNICEF is the United Nations Children's Fund, and it upholds the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

When my kids started trick-or-treating, I discovered that nobody around here knew from UNICEF.
Until last year. For the first time, I saw the boxes. The message is getting out.

If a kid comes to your door this year, and says, sings, or shouts, "Trick or Treat for UNICEF,"--

you know what to do.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

$13.65 per vote

I was more than a little bit shocked to read, in an AnnArbor.com article on the proposed schools millage, that

Al Berriz's company--McKinley--donated

$75,000

to the anti-millage campaign.

Yes, you read that right. 

$75,000!

I know--silly me. My thought process went like this...local millage campaign...off-year election...big donations will be in the $1,000-$3,000 range.

$75,000???

In 2007, the last "off-year" November election, 10,992 people voted in Washtenaw County. (That is not quite a 9% turnout.)
Assuming the same turnout, McKinley/Al Berriz have just donated $6.82 per vote.
But actually--each side only needs to convince a majority to vote the way they want, so McKinley/Al Berriz have donated $13.65/vote.

Don't get me wrong. I am not trying to imply that Al Berriz, or McKinley, or anybody else,  is "buying" votes. It's all legal.

I'm just saying: $75,000 is an awful lot of money to spend to try to defeat a millage, and I don't "buy" that this donation is about the kids, or the schools. No. Al Berriz is just spending from his company's pocketbook, to preserve his company's (and his) pocketbook. After all, who is Al Berriz? What is McKinley? Al Berriz is the CEO for McKinley, Inc., and McKinley is a real estate company which owns and operates at least 15 apartment complexes in Washtenaw County, and a whole lot more nationally. According to a 2008 article in Ann Arbor Biz News, in 2008 they owned or operated at least 5000 apartment units in the county, plus commercial real estate.

In an interesting side note, less than a month ago, Albert Berriz joined the AnnArbor.com editorial board. But on October 18, Tony Dearing of AnnArbor.com wrote,

Albert Berriz has been serving as one of two community members on our editorial board, and recently became treasurer of the PAC opposing this millage request. Because of his involvement in this issue, Albert has recused himself from any of our discussions. He has no role in our coverage or in any editorial position we may take on this issue.

Umm, it's a little too late for AnnArbor.com to distance themselves from him when he is obviously so completely, over-the-top involved in this campaign.

As if to prove my point, obviously--when the financial statements came out. . . with the AnnArbor.com editorial position coming up. . . recusal was, and is not enough. Hence today's announcement: Albert Berriz stepping down from AnnArbor.com editorial board.

And then--surprise, surprise--and proving my point even more--the AnnArbor.com editorial board wrote an editorial that we should vote no on the millage. I'm sure there's no relationship. Yeah, and I've got some swampland to sell you too. . . (no offense meant to swampland--it's important for the environment).

Well, I'll tell you something. I don't like feeling that someone is trying to buy my vote to line their own pocket. I want to make up my own mind. You--make up yours.

P.S. You might or might not think the Ann Arbor schools are struggling, but there are NINE other school districts involved, and they educate 63% of the affected kids. NONE of them had per-pupil funding (before the most recent cuts) that came close to what the state said should be the minimum of $8400 per student.

P.P.S. Kudos to Scot Graden and his administrative staff for keeping anyone interested in the Saline schools informed about the budget and other happenings. I've been learning a lot--you can link to the Superintendent's blog, and/or the Budget Blog. I'm learning from those blogs, and I know that they would like to reach more people. Go to: salineschools.com and visit all the blogs--including one on art! Oh, and: Saline Area Schools will be holding a public forum to discuss the millage on Monday, October 26th at 6:30pm at Union School.

High Stakes Poker Time

School bus inspections will end 11/1/09.


More per pupil spending cuts: $165 + $127= $292


PLUS for the "hold harmless" districts another $300-$500 per pupil.

Update: The Saline Schools Budget Blog has a good explanation although it is ALREADY out of date!

H1N1 Updates

We've got "flu days." I understand that over 50 200 schools in the state are closed due to high levels of flu circulating--most of them on the southwest side of the state.

Here are the updated guidance and vaccination clinics list from Washtenaw County Public Health.
School clinics right now are scheduled for the first week in November in Ann Arbor, Dexter, Milan, and Ypsilanti.
At this point, vaccination supplies are limited, and are only available to the high priority groups as follows:

Children and adults fitting within the following priority groups are currently eligible for H1N1 vaccination:
� pregnant women,
� household and caregiver contacts of children under 6 months of age,
� children 6 months though 4 years,
� children 5 to 18 years who have medical conditions associated with a higher risk of influenza complications (i.e. asthma), and
� health care and emergency medical services personnel who provide direct patient care.

If you like graphs, you might be interested in this Washtenaw County influenza surveillance data.

Other school-related health information can be found on the County public health web site here.

WOW! Hold Harmless Districts Slashed

Hardball Politics, from the Detroit Free Press: Governor Granholm vetoes school aid related to hold harmless districts. Yes, that includes Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor stands to lose 3.7 million more dollars.

Teens Get Depression; Men Get Depression

The other night I was watching a very interesting documentary on PBS called Men Get Depression. The UM Depression Center was featured. Some takeaway points:
--Depression often first manifests for 15-25 year olds.
--Depression is a biological illness, just like diabetes or cancer.
--Depression in men and boys often shows up as anger and irritability.
--Many people self-medicate depression with alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.
--There are health disparities (differences between racial/ethnic groups) in depression.

You can read more at this web site, http://www.mengetdepression.com/
I was thinking about writing about this anyway, because I know too many people whose lives have been touched by depression.
Anyway, there is a group in Saline, called Saline Alive, that was founded by parents whose son died of depression/suicide. It turns out that they are having a meeting this week: Thursday, October 22nd. It's open to everyone, not just Saline families.

Date: Thursday, October 22, 2009

Time: 7:00 pm
Middle School Auditorium
7190 N. Maple Rd., Saline MI 48176

TOPIC: ADOLESCENTS & ADULT DEPRESSION
This session will provide information on:
Recognizing the signs & symptoms of depression in the adolescent vs. an adult
Understanding what role that the genetic factor can play in depression
The difference between self-harm and suicide risks

7:00 – 7:15 pm Saline Alive Update – Brad Bezeau, SHS Assistant Principal
7:15 – 8:00 pm Guest Speaker – Mary Grambeau Gass, LMSW
Mary is a member of the U of M Depression Center and has worked as a clinical social worker in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Outpatient Department for 20+ years. Mary also has a private practice, where she treats children, adolescents and families in Ann Arbor. Mary has a special interest in treating adolescents and their families.
8:00 – 8:15 pm Questions and Answers
If you would like to more information please contact Brad Bezeau at bezeaub@saline.k12.mi.us

Does It Take A Millage?

I have been hearing, and reading,  a lot of discussion about the proposed county-wide 2 mill education millage. If you are a county resident, you get to vote on it this coming November 3d. And if you've been reading this blog semi-regularly, you know that I have said Please, Raise My Taxes. Still, when I first heard about this county-wide millage proposal, my first reaction was NOT, "Oh, goody! Someone is listening to me." My first reaction was to get even madder about Proposal A than I already am. Under Proposal A, the Ann Arbor schools get pointed at critically because Ann Arbor is a "hold harmless" district and gets "so much money" (when Proposal A was developed, 44 [corrected 10/19/09] hold harmless districts were told if they bought in, they wouldn't lose money on the deal).  Yet thanks to Proposal A, we have lost control of how much money we can raise for our district, because that authority is ceded to a bunch of clueless state legislators. AND, to add insult to injury, we are still a "donor" district, meaning that more of our money goes out of the district than stays in the district.
As far as I am concerned, Proposal A was a deal with the devil. We lose control of our own destiny, and we don't get the security that was promised. So here's the essence of my thoughts. When I said, "Raise my taxes," I had in mind a state-level solution, one that would likely include a progressive income tax, instead of a flat income tax, which is what we have now. It doesn't look like that is happening anytime soon, but understand this: the real action around school funding is happening at the state level. The local millage question is peanuts in comparison.

Further, the choice of a county millage is simply the product of a loophole at the state level. We can't have district operating millages (only ones that cover things like construction). And one thing that I really don't like about this kind of millage is that it seems unfair to some parts of the state. Sure, Kalamazoo and Monroe counties might have supported county education millages, but I don't think we'll be getting all 83 counties on board. Which means even more disparities. And the *only* thing that Proposal A got right was the goal of reducing disparities among school districts.

After reading comments about the millage question on arborupdate.com and annarbor.com, I get the feeling that a lot of people are upset that (here are some arguments that I have heard, along with my response):

• Teachers get paid too much. I don't believe they do--teachers are generally over-educated and hard-working. Sure, I want the burned out teachers to leave. But the millage vote will not affect their decisions. Why shouldn't a teacher make what an engineer makes? They have about the same amount of education.
• Teacher health insurance is too good. I might argue instead that other people's insurance is too crummy. But even if I were to agree, it's not something I can control. It's a very clumsy tool to think that voting "no" on a millage will mean that teachers have to pay more for health insurance.
  
• I'm suffering, you should suffer too. Well, of course, if you need to--if you are suffering--vote your pocketbook. But remember, it's not about the administrators suffering. It's about whether the kids need to suffer. So if you are not personally suffering, don't rely on this for your agrument. And since as the schools go, so go property values, it's likely that school cuts mean we will suffer even more. Schools are major economic engines, and employ thousands of people who live in our county.
  
• I don't like that the district built Skyline--or closed Kettering, or moved the sixth grade into the elementary schools.  It's done. Let's move on.
• I don't like that the new Ypsilanti superintendent is getting paid so much. I agree, especially since the district is asking the teachers for concessions. But it's done. Next time, you run for Ypsi school board and make a different decision.
• I don't want money to go to Willow Run--it's not well-managed. I agree that it's not well-managed, but their huge deficit does not make it any easier for them. It makes it harder, and I'm hoping times will change and that the management will change.  
• If I vote for a millage, I want it to be "value added." This seems like maintenance. It is. That is because of the state budget cuts. Call your state legislators and tell them to fund schools adequately.
  
• The schools should cut administration first. I agree. And I think the school boards shy away from that. So why is it that so few people actually ran for school board in the last go-round? You should run for school board! I mean it. I would like to see contested contests in every district in the county. And when you do win the election, remember--even if you cut administrative costs in half, the vast majority of school costs are related to instruction.
• The millage doesn't guarantee accountability. That's true, but that is not just true about the millage. We need to demand accountability, with or without the millage.
  

The truth is, the choices we get are shaped by the choices we have. Since I didn't run for school board, I don't get to vote on the superintendent's salary. I don't get to negotiate with the teachers or principals union. I don't get to decide what should be cut from the budget--and I think it's a lot harder than it looks. Perhaps, given a choice of cuts, you and I wouldn't agree. You might want to cut athletics, and I know that sports made the difference in my high school experience. I might want to cut all AP classes, and you might think Advanced Placement classes are essential.

The choices we get are shaped by the choices we have. We can't have a single district millage because that is forbidden by Proposal A. Anyway, would that be for the best? The Washtenaw County area is a more-or-less integrated economic unit. In my neighborhood in Ann Arbor, I know there are teachers from Dexter, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor and Willow Run school districts. Those are just the ones I know. So what happens to teachers in Dexter or Willow Run will affect my neighborhood.

It's all about the kids. And voting is not enough. Public schools need caring people to run for school board, join committees, advocate at the state level, and volunteer in the schools. So however you vote, take that next step too, and ENGAGE.

But, yes. I am voting yes. I will be putting up a yard sign in my yard. And I have the literature for making a donation to the vote yes campaign sitting in my "in" box. I invite you to join me.

P.S. I've been very fortunate that so far I haven't had to remove a single comment or stop anonymous commenting.  That's because people have generally been respectful. Regarding taxes, passions run high. You don't have to agree with me, but please don't be snarky, mean, or rude. Thanks!

Baseball: Winds of Change

Nobody will confuse Little League with the baseball playoffs going on now, but I thought a little "herstory" might be in order: 

From This Week, 9/21/09

Huron ninth grade student, Courtney Ziemba, was filmed playing baseball last week as part of an HBO documentary about Carolyn King, the first girl to play Little League baseball in the Ypsilanti-American Little League team soon after the Title IX law was passed.  Courtney plays second base and pitches for this same team.  The movie is scheduled for release in the spring of 2010.

(I have written about This Week before. It is good news (a brag sheet, if you will) of news in the AAPS district. Here is the link to it.)

From the Ypsilanti Little League web site:

The Ypsilanti American Little League was founded in 1953 and is the oldest Little League in Michigan. In addition, our Little League was the first in the world to include a female player. When Little League was founded in 1939, girls were not allowed to participate, but that changed in 1973 when Carolyn King of Ypsilanti played in our league.

A June 4, 1973 article in Time Magazine tells the story. “When Outfielder Carolyn King, 12, tried out for the Orioles, an Ypsilanti, Mich., Little League baseball team, she beat out 15 boys and qualified for a starting position. Not long afterward, Little League headquarters in Williamsport, Pa., cited its rule barring girls from league teams and threatened to withdraw the Orioles' charter. Ypsilanti's city councilmen issued a counterthreat: if Carolyn did not play, they would cut off city support for the league and bar it from public ballfields. After some soul-searching, the Orioles decided to let Carolyn play. Promptly, national headquarters made good on its threat and withdrew the Orioles' charter. Last week, just as promptly, the city council voted 10-0 to file suit in federal court charging violation of the U.S. Constitution. No verdict is likely for weeks.”

Ultimately the US Division of Civil Rights ordered Little League to drop its boys-only policy, and in 1974, Little League revised its rules to allow girls to compete. Girls worldwide now enjoy Little League thanks to Carolyn and our league! Carolyn joined us again to throw out the ceremonial first pitch during our 50th & 56th Anniversary Opening Day Ceremonies.

 

Watch May 11, 1973 national news coverage from CBS & NBC, as well as footage of Carolyn throwing the 2009 ceremonial first by selecting video links below.

 

      1973 CBS National News:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkciYjOGbNo

      1973 NBC National News:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1C6zORZ1Qg

      2009 Ceremonial First Pitch:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqY-MZIEVVQ

 

Millage Basics

Tuesday, November 3d election discussion:

Ann Arbor Public Schools: There will be a community presentation on the millage hosted by AAPS Superintendent Dr. Todd Roberts and Deputy Superintendent Robert Allen. Monday, October 19th, 7:00-8:00 p.m. at Pioneer High School's Little Theater.

Washtenaw Intermediate School District Millage Information Link

Saline Schools budget blog

Niche Marketing

This summer, at the Townie Fair right before Art Fair, one of the local private schools--Ann Arbor Academy-- had a table, with a big picture of a brain. It was part of advertising how their school deals with ADHD kids. I was surprised, but I guess I shouldn't have been. The way that private schools--and charter schools--compete is often by marketing to a specific subset of parents. That is very obvious with private parochial schools like Gabriel Richard High School, but it is sometimes a little less obvious with the charter schools (aka public school academies). Nonetheless, it is there.

Consider: Honey Creek--"The mission of Honey Creek Community School is to provide an education of the whole child emphasizing the integration of thought and experience by centering learning on themes and projects in a multi-age setting."
Consider: Central Academy--"Central Academy also has a strong ELL department that helps newcomers.  The school offers Arabic as a foreign language, a full day kindergarten, advanced classes, and a required dress code."

On the other hand, when a public school district tries some of its own niche marketing: alternative education programs like Community High School, magnet programs, or gifted and talented programs there is often some push-back. 

To me, that is a conundrum, because lots of families are looking for the "niche." People like me.

Spending Cuts By District

The Free Press has an online database that gives you an idea of last year's per pupil funding and what each district stands to lose with the $165 per pupil funding cuts. It includes the charter schools, too.

Our Best and Brightest: What Has Your Counselor Done For You Lately?

Now that I have a child who is actually in the "looking and applying to college stage," I finally understand why the application process strikes fear and awe into peoples' hearts and minds.

I understand why my co-worker's son, who was initially interested in a small liberal arts college in Michigan where he could play his sport of choice, but whose mom was born in another country and confused by the application process, whose father is deceased--found it easier to pursue a possible career in the Air Force. The Air Force recruiter walks you through the process, step by step. They make it easy.

Last spring I was very puzzled by an Ann Arbor News supplement--you know, the graduation supplement? That is (I guess I should say "was") the one that profiles the top 5 students from every school in the county. Some of these kids can really knock your socks off, and they are all--every single one of them--overachievers. Most of the ones from Ann Arbor told the News they were going to small private schools, the University of Michigan or Michigan State University. But take a look at the ones from some of the outlying areas: Willow Run, Whitmore Lake, Manchester, Chelsea... All of a sudden, Eastern Michigan University, Ferris State, and even Washtenaw Community College pop up as probably school choices. Washtenaw Community College for a valedictorian or salutatorian? That makes no sense at all.

I have nothing against any of those schools, but now that I am experiencing the college application process "up close and personal," I have a different take. All of these students--we are talking the top five in the class--are strong candidates for UM, MSU, and, yes, small private colleges. Those students who don't have money could probably get financial aid. But I'll bet that a lot of them never applied.
Why? The application process is intimidating. The financial aid process? Even more intimidating. Yes, even to those of us who have been to college and graduate school ourselves. The applications are primarily online. What if you don't have a computer at home?

A few years ago, I had an intern who grew up in a working-class school district in Macomb County. She was one of the top 10 students in her graduating class. In 11th grade, she went to her counselor and said, "What do I need to do to get into the University of Michigan?
Replied her counselor, "I have no idea."

Really? Then why are you working as a school counselor? 

Is it any wonder that she reports to me that of her graduating class, one student went to an Ivy League school; 2 or 3 each went to the University of Michigan and Michigan State; a handful went to Oakland University, Wayne State, or Eastern Michigan; a bigger handful went to Macomb Community College, and the majority did not pursue any higher education at all. Nada. Zip.

School counselors have difficult loads. But colleges also expect them to write letters of recommendations for their students. This year, at Pioneer High School, I understand that all of the seniors have been assigned to one counselor; one counselor, who has never met a lot of them before. Do you think that counselor will be able to do a good job writing letters of recommendation?

Even worse--because it does not relate to their workload--are the counselors who cannot advise students on how to apply to the excellent state schools that we have in Michigan.

Worse still are the counselors--and I just heard a story about one of these the other day--who tell students who indicate an interest in applying to schools which are in their range, or even "reach" schools--"Oh, don't bother, you will never get in."
Why don't you let the college or university decide?

Counselors, listen up: If you don't know how to help students apply to the colleges of their choice, then you either need to learn, or you need to get a different job.

Do you ever wonder how we, as a society, perpetuate class differences? This is how. 

As Langston Hughes wrote so beautifully:

What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?

Autism: News and Notes

"No mom, he's not autistic or anything. He just has an anger management problem."

That was the beginning of a conversation I had with my son a couple of years ago. Thanks to the openness of a couple of families who had had children in his class, he seemed to have a moderately good grasp (for an elementary school student) of what autism is, and what Down Syndrome is. Anger management? That was different entirely (and it was probably more disruptive to the class too).

I don't have a very sophisticated understanding of autism, although I do have increased interest now that a close relative has been evaluated and found to be "on the autism spectrum." Nationally, special education services are mandated, but they are undoubtedly better in some districts--and some states--than others. Friends of mine who have moved from California and Massachusetts tell me that special education services which are standard there are hard to come by here. And parents of children with special needs who have some control over their destiny (e.g., middle and upper class people) will choose their school districts based on the special education services available.

When we talk about autism, a few things are clear. Autism treatments have been subject to a lot of controversy. The autistic spectrum covers a wide range of behaviors and actions. And the prevalence of autism seems to be going up--whether that is because of better diagnoses, or an actual increase, I don't know.

In any case, I thought it would be good to write about some local resources. I have no personal experience with them.
First, for several months I have had on the right-hand sidebar a link to a Child Psychology Research Blog. In fact, I linked to it in this post for an article on the prevalence of autism, as well as the links for autism and autism treatments. What I value about this blog is the way that the author(s) explain(s) scientific findings in easy-to-understand language. Well, it turns out that Dr. Nestor Lopez-Duran has recently moved to Ann Arbor--and that despite the very large number of entries around autism and autism causes and treatment, his own research is on mood disorders in children and adolescents. Side note: If you find a notice that he is speaking locally, he'll probably be worth going to hear.

Second, Eastern Michigan University is opening an Autism Collaborative Center. It is opening in the former Fletcher School Building (in case you wonder whether, or how, closed school buildings can be repurposed--here is one positive example). You can find more information at www.accemu.org.

Third, the University of Michigan has a well-established Autism and Communication Disorders Center. You can find more information about them at www.umaccweb.com. 

Want to Guest Blog?

There are a lot of things I know about, but a lot more that I don't! For instance, I don't have much experience with the world of special education. However--from numerous conversations with acquaintances, I know that the special education process can be hard to navigate and understand.

If a parent or two (and/or teacher/administrator) who has been through the special education processes--from diagnosis/evaluation/testing to IEP development and implementation--would like to guest blog very occasionally, contact me at rlk234 at gmail.com.

Open Meetings Act Part 2

Here is some more information about the Open Meetings Act.

1. From the state legislature: text of the OMA and Freedom of Information Act, as well as background information on some of the legal cases (up to 1997, only--but I've pasted some of the relevant ones below). It turns out that there is a lot of case law involving school districts and school boards!

2. Relatively concise summary from the Citizen Media Law Project.

Michigan Court of Appeals: “The OMA should be construed broadly in favor of openness; exceptions should be construed narrowly, with the public body bearing the burden of proving the applicability of an exemption.”

Michigan Court of Appeals Court Decisions on the Open Meetings Act

Michigan courts have rendered decisions which, when published, become precedent and are the law of the state until changed by a higher court or by the Legislature. The following list contains the principal published decisions of Michigan’s appellate courts and is current through July 1997. Court decisions may be obtained in law libraries or from the courts of record at a nominal fee.
Because the Legislature has amended the Open Meetings Act after its enactment, the cases interpreting and applying the Act may not reflect the current law.
13. Rochester Board of Education v Michigan State Board of Education, 104 Mich App 569 (1981)
Where the State Board of Education provided parties with the full panoply of procedural safeguards guaranteed by the Administrative Procedures Act in contested cases, it should not allow parties or nonparties to address it concerning the merits of a contested case at a public meeting, because the Administrative Procedures Act requires that contested cases be decided solely on record evidence.

15. Ridenour v Dearborn Board of Education, 111 Mich App 798 (1981)
The evaluation of the performance of school administrators is not an action that is exempt from the requirements of the Open Meetings Act.


16. Palladium Publishing Company v River Valley School District, 115 Mich App 490 (1982), lv den
The Open Meetings Act requires the naming of a suspended or expelled student at the meeting and in the board’s minute when a student is expelled or suspended by action of a board of education.
[NOTE: The Open Meetings Act was amended in 2003 or 2004 so that students could be identified by number, and their identification remain hidden.]

21. Cape v Howell Board of Education, 145 Mich App 459 (1985)
In extending the time period of an option contract, the Board of Education made a “decision” requiring compliance with the Open Meetings Act. Also, the time period for commencing an action under the Open Meetings Act begins to run when the minutes of the meeting in question are approved and made available to the public.

26. Jackson v Eastern Michigan University Foundation, 215 Mich App 240 (1996)

A foundation empowered to exercise delegated authority by resolution of a university board of regents is a public body subject to the Open Meetings Act.

30. Moore v Fennville Public Schools Board of Education, 223 Mich App 196 (1997)
A public body may arrive at a conclusion as to negotiating strategy at a closed meeting. That conclusion is not a “decision” that the Open Meetings Act requires to be made at an open meeting.

Opinions of the Attorney General Relating to the Open Meetings Act
The Attorney General has issued numerous Opinions of the Attorney General (OAG) which explain various applications of the Open Meetings Act. This list of the principal opinions issued is current through July 1997.

e. Hearings under the Teachers Tenure Act fall within the provisions of the closed meeting exceptions provided for in section 8(a) of the Open Meetings Act. p. 32
f. Section 8(b) of the Act allows the school district to consider dismissal, suspension, or disciplining of a student in closed session when requested by the student or the student’s parent or guardian. p. 32
k. The provisions of section 8(f) of the Act apply to employment interviews for the position of school superintendent with the local K-12 school boards. p. 41


4. A board of education may not: (a) deny a person the right to address a meeting of the board on the sole ground that that person is a representative of an organization of board employees; (b) limit the subject and issues that certain persons may cover in the course of addressing the meeting; (c) require persons to exhaust administrative remedies before addressing issues at a public meeting; nor (d) prohibit a person from addressing it on grounds the matter to be addressed is or might be the subject of a closed meeting. Attorney General Opinion No. 5218, p. 224, September 13, 1977.
5. A legislative committee is included within the purview of the Open Meetings Act and may not engage in the practice of “round-robining” by which votes on a measure are obtained by a member of the committee going to other members and obtaining their signatures on a tally sheet. Attorney General Opinion No. 5222, p. 216, September 1, 1977.
7. The Open Meetings Act prohibits a voting procedure at a public meeting which prevents citizens from knowing how members of the public body have voted. Attorney General Opinion No. 5262, p. 338, January 31, 1978.
18. The designated electors of constituent school districts may elect members of an intermediate school board by secret ballot. Attorney General Opinion No. 5412, p. 737, December 20, 1978.
19. The exemption from the Open Meetings Act which permits members of a public body constituting a quorum to attend a conference permits members of the public body to listen to the concerns of members of the public or of persons with special knowledge in the presence of other interested persons. It does not permit public bodies to conduct closed sessions to listen to presentations by department heads and administrators of the public body. Attorney General Opinion No. 5433, p. 29, January 31, 1979.
21. When members of a public body constituting a quorum are unaware that they are being brought together by another, this is a “chance gathering” that is exempt from the provisions of the Open Meetings Act and there is no violation of the Act as long as matters of public policy are not discussed by the members with each other at that meeting. Attorney General Opinion No. 5437, p. 36, February 2, 1979.
24. The following responses to specific inquiries are from Attorney General Opinion No. 5500, dated July 23, 1979:
a. Access to notes of a public meeting may not be denied solely because the notes may be revised. p. 264
b. School boards may meet in closed sessions to consider matters exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. p. 270
32. The meetings of a board of education expelling a student from school for repeated violations of rules and regulations must list a student’s name. Unedited minutes must be furnished to the public on request in accordance with law. Attorney General Opinion No. 5632, p. 563, January 24, 1980. June 4, 1980.
34. The minimum 18-hour notice required for a special meeting of a public body is not fulfilled if the public is denied access to the notice of the meeting for any part of the 18 hours. The requirement may be met by posting a notice at least 18 hours in advance of the special meeting at the main entrance of the building that houses the principal office of the public body. Attorney General Opinion No. 5724, p. 840, June 20, 1980.
43. A board of education of a school district may not conduct the public business of evaluation of the performance of the superintendent at private meetings of two or more committees of the board, each composed of less than a quorum of the members of the board and including the president of the board to provide continuity in the evaluation deliberations, from which the members of the public are excluded. Attorney General Opinion No. 6091, p. 711, August 18, 1982.
44. A bargaining committee authorized by a board of education to conduct negotiations with school officers and employees,may conduct such negotiations in closed sessions. Attorney General Opinion No. 6172, p. 161, July 20, 1983.
52. A teacher may close a disciplinary hearing if cameras will be present even if the teacher had not originally requested a closed hearing. A public body may impose reasonable restrictions on the filming of a public meeting. Attorney General Opinion No. 6499, p. 280, February 24, 1988.Opinion No. 6752, p. 18, March 10, 1993.
59. The Open Meetings Act does not preclude an intermediate school district from allowing representatives of member districts to attend a meeting via interactive television. Attorney General Opinion No. 6835, p. 10, February 13, 1995.
60. The Open Meetings Act does not require an advisory board formed by a board of education to recommend athletic policy to open its meetings to the public. Attorney General Opinion No. 6935, p. ____, April 2, 1997.

School Lunch

In case you missed it, there was an interesting interview with a school "lunch lady" (Jean Ronnei, Director of Nutrition and Commercial Services for Saint Paul Public Schools) on The Splendid Table this week, titled "Lunch Ladies and School Lunch Programs."

It turns out, they have about $1/meal to spend on food--which is about the same as the budget of a person on food stamps. It is pretty limiting. If you are interested in what it is like to live on a food stamps budget, and you are not poor enough to live on one, you can read about the Food Stamp Challenge here. (I should note that ICPJ's official Food Stamp Challenge--which I link to--is over, but you yourself could try it at any time. In any case, the comments are interesting.)

And especially in school districts where a lot of kids rely on free and reduced price lunches, the quality of breakfast and lunch become a big issue.

What Makes A Meeting Open?

There is a terrific column by Dave Askins at the Ann Arbor Chronicle about the Open Meetings Act.  The article is framed around the City of Ann Arbor email scandal, but the questions that are raised apply to lots of other governmental bodies, including school boards around this county. I have not (yet:) done any research around how our local school boards meet, or don't meet, the requirements of the Open Meetings Act. I'm interested in whether they meet both the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. I have noted that, at least in the Ann Arbor schools, it is hard to find out if there are any district-wide committees that are open to interested parents.

If you have thoughts about your experiences with the "openness" of school boards, either post a comment here or email me at rlk234 (at) gmail.com.

October 1 Updates

There's still doom and gloom on the state budget front. The one slight ray of sunshine is that the cuts in the education budget are a big part of what are holding things up. So keep calling your legislators (and actually, I think the ones who represent the majority of Washtenaw County have been pretty good in safeguarding kids, but they can stand to hear from you--I'm not sure about the southern edge of the county). Next week, when the legislature returns (they apparently needed a break after working so hard), if you want, you can watch some really compelling tv of the House and Senate in session. (Reading a blog can come across with a measure of tone deafness. That was meant to be deep sarcasm.)
UPDATE 10/2: The Ann Arbor Chronicle points out that Ypsilanti City Council member Brian Robb has posted Kirk Profit's updates to the city about the state budget process on his blog, East-cross.com. You might find them interesting. I do.

H1N1 is spreading. I think you already knew that. Apparently the county health department is planning mass vaccination clinics, at schools, in early November (which is when they'll have access to the vaccine). What's unknown, at this point, is whether most of the kids will get the flu before the vaccine. And what's also unknown is whether parents will think the vaccine is important for their kids. Oh, and I just got a letter from the Ann Arbor school district, where the takeaway message was "stay home when you are sick" and that to avoid H1N1 you should "teach your kids to wash their hands." OK, so why didn't they write, "Use your common sense!" Maybe because, when you read about the state legislature's antics, you realize that common sense can be pretty uncommon.

If you liked the Bernie Mac show, you will like this piece about flu transmission. I think it is very funny! If perhaps a bit overdone...but then again, I'm not very squeamish.



Student count numbers are out. And what is amazing is the way that small variations really add up. In a district the size of Ann Arbor (over 16,000 students), going up 68 students is less than a .5% change--possibly just natural fluctuation. But it's also worth a lot of money. Of course, it would help the schools if they knew how much money they were getting per student. It's already 1/4 of the way through the school fiscal year  which means any cuts will be  magnified because they will have to be made for the second half of the year. The one district which didn't have a little swing--it had a BIG swing--was Willow Run. Read my thoughts about that here.

So, sooner or later I'm going to have to write about the proposed county education millage. I thought I would wait until the state budget was approved, but maybe that won't be feasible.What I will say tonight, though, is--if you need to register to vote, tomorrow would be a good day to do it.