Participate in the Ypsilanti-Willow Run Process

I got this in my email today from a local group, Success by 6:

The Willow Run and Ypsilanti school consolidation must involve community members to be successful.  On Thursday, January 24th, from 5:30 to 8:30 pm you are invited to participate in the launching of the Community Advisory Groups.

Remember: When Opportunity Knocks, Open the Door! 

[In other words: participate in this project. Please.]

The email included two flyer attachments, which I am pasting in here. 

Building Unity
Launching Advisory Groups to implement the 

Unified District Design

Thursday, January 24, 2013, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

• Overview Presentation
• Dinner
• Breakout Advisory Group Sessions
• Feedback on proposed district names

Willow Run Auditorium, 235 Spencer Lane, Ypsilanti
RSVP TO: Brenda Hegwood, bhegwood@wash.k12.mi.us or call
(734) 994-8100, ext. 1283

Here is some information about the possible advisory groups that you could join. There is a reason that they also say "short- and long-term commitment options available." If you can't go to the meeting, email Brenda Hegwood and tell her you can't go to the meeting and identify the advisory group you would like to join.

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PLANNING  STRUCTURE: 

• Board  of  Education 

• Transition  Steering  Committee  (TSC-°©‐9  members  comprised  of  board,  superintendents  and  WISD  staff) 

• Transition  Task  Force  (25  members  comprised  of  TSC,  chairs  of  advisory  groups  and  district  leadership 

• Community  Advisory  Groups  (up  to  50  members  in  each  group)  responsible  for  planning  and  coordinating  implementation  of  the  educational  pillars: 

            1. Early  Childhood  (birth  to  kindergarten  entry) 

            2. Positive  Culture  and  Climate 

            3. High  Quality  Teachers  and  Teaching 

            4. Effective  Leadership  at  all  Levels 

            5. Opportunities  for  College  Credit/Career  Credentials  before  graduation 

            6. Shared  Identity  and  Naming 

            7. Co‐curricular  activities 

ADVISORY  GROUP  PILLAR  #1  ‐  Early  Childhood 

• Charge  –  Examine  and  develop  a  pre‐natal  to  kindergarten  entry  program  to  prepare  students  for  kindergarten 

• Key  tasks  –  Research  to  support  a  successful  family  development  center  that  includes  an  array  of  information  from  health  to  community  resources;  assessing  community  needs  to  support  program  implementation  for  kindergarten  readiness;  examining  program  models  using  blended  funding  models  to  offer  full  day  early  childhood  education  and  care  programs  tailored  to  different  family  needs 

• Timeline  –  January--December  2013  

[Success by 6 actually has a contractual job opening posted for a one-year grant-funded position to support the development of a family development center. You can read more about the position here. Let's just remember that any family development center has to be able to survive without grant funding in the long-term, or--alternatively--with long-term grant funding identified.]

ADVISORY  GROUP  PILLAR  #2    Positive  Culture  and  Climate 

• Charge  –  Implement  a  model  of  character  education  to  restore  and  enhance  a  respectful  learning  environment 

• Key  tasks  –  implement  effective  school  culture  and  safety  models  and  approaches;  professional  learning  for  families  and  staff  related  to  culture  and  achievement;  encourage  student  empowerment  and  leadership  through  programs  and  civic  engagement;  develop  an  alternative  education  program 

• Timeline  –  January--April  2013  

[WHAT? Why is developing an alternative education program part of Positive Culture and Climate and not part of High Quality Teachers and Teaching?]

ADVISORY  GROUP  PILLAR  #3  –  High  Quality  Teachers  and  Teaching 

• Charge  –  Recommend  a  viable,  community--focused  instructional  strategy  for  kindergarten  through  high  school  with  the  focus  on  engagement  and  achievement 

• Key  tasks  –  outline  teacher  characteristics  and  skills;  recommend  teacher  selection  process;  endorse  instructional  models  for  elementary  and  secondary  programs;  identify  balanced  schools  calendar  models  (versus  current,  traditional  calendar  with  summers  off);  pinpoint  an  instructional  leadership  system  to  support  teacher--leaders;  recommend  an  effective  student  support  strategy  for  special  education  students;  identify  a  productive  professional  development  model. 

• Timeline  –  January  –  April  2013  2 

[Regarding recommending a teacher selection process, that had better happen very quickly! Regarding a balanced schools calendar vs. a traditional calendar, you may want to put your input in on that! The evidence connecting a balanced calendar with better teaching is rather weak, but there are some advantages to it.]

ADVISORY  GROUP  PILLAR  #4  –  Effective  Leadership  at  all  Levels 

• Charge  –  Defining  effective  leadership  and  recommending  models  to  support 

• Key  tasks  –  Craft  an  outline  to  capture  qualities,  characteristics  and  skills  of  proven  leaders  and  using  this  as  a  guide  for  developing  leaders 

• Timeline  –  January  --  May  2013 

[First the group needs to define who they are including as "leaders."]

ADVISORY  GROUP  PILLAR#5  –  College  Credit  and  Career  Credentials 

• Charge  –  A  multi‐faceted  program  that  provides  opportunities  for  all  students  to  earn  college  credit  or  career  credentials  prior  to  graduation 

• Key  tasks  –  Explore  a  myriad  of  options  for  students  that  can  include  dual  enrollment,  accelerated  graduation,  AP  and  IB  courses  and  direct  credit;  examine  career  options/technical  training  programs;  secure  key  partnerships  to  provide  a  support  system  to  ensure  completion  of  college  courses  or  career  training 

• Timeline  –  January  –  April  2013  

[I'm not sure if we are reinventing the wheel here, or if it is because we are creating a new district and it's more of a matter of transferring key partnerships.]

ADVISORY  GROUP  PILLAR  #6  –  District  Shared  Identity  and  Naming 

• Charge  –  Develop  a  strong  shared  identity  for  the  unified  district  including  a  district  name,  mascot  and  school  colors  (secondary  schools) 

• Key  tasks  –  Develop  a  means  to  engage  internal  and  external  stakeholders  in  the  process  of  selecting  a  name,  mascot  and  school  colors.  This  task  will  include  gleaning  feedback  through  suggestion  boxes  in  all  district  schools  and  the  public  library  as  well  as  through  facilitated  public  forums.  A  committee  comprised  of  a  cross‐section  of  stakeholders  will  sift  through  the  names  that  resonate  most  with  the  community  and  make  a  recommendation  to  the  Board  of  Education 

• Timeline  –  January  –  February  2013 

[This has gotten the most attention so far in the media, but it's probably the least important advisory group here. I don't think people will choose or not choose the district because it's Ypsilanti Unified or Eastern Washtenaw. . . which, by the way, people do know there is already an Eastern Washtenaw Multicultural Academy that is a local charter school, right?] 

ADVISORY  GROUP  PILLAR  #7  –  Co‐Curricular  Activities 

• Charge  –  Using  the  key  educational  pillars  as  a  guide,  develop  a  co-curricular  program  that  will  enhance  and  support  the  goals  of  the  unified  school  district

 • Key  tasks  –  Outline  an  athletic  program  that  embraces  the  sports  traditions  of  both  districts  while  setting  standards  that  promote  the  academic  pillars  of  the  unified  district;  design  clubs  and  extra  curricular  activities  that  align  and  embrace  the  objectives  of  the  unified  district. 

• Timeline  –  January  –  June  2013  

[I do think sports and clubs are key; if a balanced calendar is chosen, how will that affect them?]

So, PLEASE. . . whether you are a citizen or a professional with an interest in the districts (for instance, a teacher or custodian). . . PARTICIPATE! There is lots of room. There is space for up to 50 people on each advisory group!

Investigating High Schools

I have an eighth grader. That means that we have been investigating high school options.

We are districted to Skyline High School, so that is our default option, and we will go to the curriculum night next week.

Meanwhile, my husband took my son to a Community High School orientation. It was "enthusiastic," "very crowded," and "excellent" according to them. Also, they said it didn't seem particularly "rehearsed" (which in their mind was a good thing). And depending on how many people apply, my son has somewhere between a 20% and 40% chance of getting in as a freshman. . . also, it's only available to Ann Arbor students. Three major attractions of the school: its small size; the amount of choice that students have in taking classes; and the Jazz Band and Dance Body programs (you can dual enroll for those, as well as other classes). Find out more here.

We decided to visit the Washtenaw International High School, which is a consortium program that lives at the former Ypsilanti East Middle School. [It's a consortium which excludes some of the west-side-of-the-county districts, but people in those districts can go by choosing to enroll as a school of choice student in a district like Ypsilanti. On a side note, Dexter is developing their own IB program.]  I expected not to like the school, but I was actually quite impressed. The International Baccalaureate program is very intensive and in contrast to Community High School there are not a lot of choices. Everybody takes four years of a language. Everybody takes two science classes their freshman year, and science every year. Everybody writes a 4,000 word paper. In tandem with the rigorous nature of the program, this is a school for kids who want to think, not do rote learning. There are lots of labs in the science program; much of the literature comes from other countries and cultures; lots of the work is project-based. Those of you who have been wishing for a "gifted and talented" program, I think this will fit the bill--look no further!  Plus, the IB credits are accepted in the same way as AP credits are at various colleges and can give your kids a leg up. On the down side, there are only IM sports; there is 2-3 hours of homework a night; and parents are responsible for transportation. On the up side, it appears that a student's chances of getting in this year are 100%. (They are not expecting to be overrun with applications--yet. The school will graduate its first class in two years. It's a small school. You can go, even if you are an out of county student. Find out more at wihi.org.

Today I saw an acquaintance who told me that she has recently switched her son from Lincoln High School, where she felt he was falling through the cracks, to the newly-opened Arbor Prep charter high school. I asked her how he liked it. She said that sometimes he feels it is not a "real" high school (by which he means that it is quite small) but his grades are much better and he is more engaged. They give every student a laptop and put their books/curriculum on the laptop. The school says they follow a "college prep" curriculum, and a requirement of graduation is that you be accepted into a four-year college. [Admittedly, I think that is not necessarily difficult--but what is nice about it, is that it is a requirement then that you *apply* to college.] Arbor Prep is near the corner of Hitchingham and Merritt Roads in Ypsilanti Township. Arbor Prep is run by PrepNet, which is linked with the National Heritage Academies, and is a for-profit charter company. Anyway, you know I'm not a big fan of for-profit charter companies, but my acquaintance is very happy with her decision to move her son. It's a small school and he is not "fading into the woodwork," in her eyes.

And it makes me wonder--is it really about the size of the school? The one thing these three schools have in common is their size, which will be in the 400-600 student range when they are fully-occupied.

MHSAA Waivers: The Times Are A-Changing (Slowly!)

There is a heart-warming story in today's Annarbor.com about a Pioneer high school girl, Elena Boudreau, who got a waiver from MHSAA to play high school sports even though she has passed the traditional age cutoff. Only two kids in the state have gotten waivers so far, and the other kid is Eric Dompierre from Ishpeming, whose father--Dean Dompierre--petitioned and campaigned to get the Michigan High School Athletic Association to change their rules. I wrote about this back in August--read the Free Press's story here.

[By the way, partly but not only because of Dompierre's story, Sports Illustrated named Ishpeming High School an Underdog of the Year, and you can read the SI story here. And here is the lovely SI photo essay.]

MHSAA has a history of not being able to see the forest for the trees. It took Dean Dompierre two-and-a-half years to get MHSAA to do something that half of the other states in the country had already figured out how to do! Read about another of MHSAA's decisions here that took years and years and years. (This one involves women's sports and Title IX.)

Interestingly enough, in the comments to the annarbor.com story there is a writer named Evergreen who states,

We went through the same thing with our 19 year old autistic daughter Asia and MHSAA in 2000. We had held her back one year entering middle school when we saw the teacher she was to have, would not pay any attention to Asia. MHSAA refused to let her participate in cross country and track in her senior year and she was usually qualifying in the top 6 runners most weeks. We even threatened to slip her in just before the start of the race because running was her number one interest, her number one claim to be a main stream student, and acceptance by her peers.
What finally made it happen was that Coach Steve Porter, who still coaches at Milan H.S. got all the other schools to sign off that she would run but not be counted. Perfect! Asia didn't care about placing, just running and being on a level playing field with class mates.
How important was the running to Asia? She has run EVERY DAY for 15 years averaging about 5 miles a day. She has run 134 races including 5K, 10K, 10 mile, 1/2 marathons and 3 full marathons. The 134 does not include high school where she lettered 4 years in track and CC or Special Olympics which she competed in for 5-6 years at the county and state levels.
We are certainly glad to see that the MHSAA can be educated also! [emphasis added]

Help Wanted

HELP WANTED

WHY?

I have less time (for blogging) than I'd like

I have more ideas for stories than ever before

Washtenaw County schools need our attention

I'd like to publish more frequently, not less frequently

SO. . . 

If you are interested in becoming a co-blogger or a guest blogger. . . please contact me!

Email me at rlk234 [@] gmail.com.

[Note: Your ideas and analysis don't have to be exactly like mine. On the other hand, they can't be antithetical to mine either. In other words, if you are supporting the privatization and profiteering off of public education, don't apply.]

Choosing Schools (The 2013 Edition)

Ann Arbor Public School Choices

In Ann Arbor, in response to some of the new county-wide options, the Magnet and School of Choice timelines have been moved up, relative to last year, and there are a few additional changes.

Elementary and Middle School

Ann Arbor Open: If you want to apply to this K-8 school, then you are encouraged to come to the Open House and you must do either an Orientation and/or a Tour. (Depending on how you choose to do this, there are different instructions on the web site. Find the application information here.)  Here are the dates for the Open Houses and Orientations:
Sunday, January 13, 2-4, Open House
Wednesday, January 16, 6:30-8 p.m., Parent Orientation
Sunday, February 3, 1-2:30 p.m., Parent Orientation

According to Liz Margolis, AAPS Director of Communications, whether there will be any in-district transfers offered for other AAPS elementary or middle school will be determined in the next few weeks. (In past years, there have been limited spaces at about half of the elementary schools and one or two of the middle schools.) 

High School

Community High School: If you want to apply to this school, located in downtown Ann Arbor and open to students throughout the Ann Arbor school district, a parent/guardian and a student must attend one of these orientations:

• Tuesday, January 8, 2013,  7:00-8:30 PM        
• Sunday, January 13,  2013, 2:00-3:30 PM                
• Thursday, January 31, 2013,  7:00-8:30 PM 
• Monday, February 4, 2013, 7:00-8:30 PM
• Thursday, February 7, 2013, 7:00-8:30 PM               

Applications are due Friday, February 8th, by 4 p.m. at the CHS main office. Applications are available here.

Skyline High School: Curriculum night is January 23d, with tours beginning at 5 p.m. and curriculum presentations at 6:30 p.m. There are 100 slots available to incoming ninth-grade students from other parts of the Ann Arbor school district. Applications are due by February 8th at 4 p.m. Getting into Skyline does not mean that you will get into the magnet program of your choice (that happens in 10th grade). Find out more and get applications here. [The link to "Open Enrollment," found at the very bottom of the Skyline home page, appears to be broken. When it is fixed I will add it.] I think you can access the application form from the front page here. Don't click the "enrollment" link unless you want to know about general enrollment into the Ann Arbor Public Schools. Have questions? Contact Tanishia Peterson at peterson@aaps.k12.mi.us


Pioneer High School and Huron High School have 25 spaces each available for students who live in  other parts of the Ann Arbor school district. Unfortunately they are only available to incoming ninth grade students. Parents are responsible for transportation. Applications are due by February 7th. Read about the application process, and download the applications, here. According to Liz Margolis, AAPS Director of Communications, there are no special information sessions scheduled. She said that the high schools have set up information sessions at the middle schools, and that's it. [Note the difference between this and the other schools? There is no systematized opportunity for parents to get information. They really don't get it.]

Other (non-Ann Arbor) School Options 

In addition to the possibilities listed below, most of the other school districts have school of choice programs. Look at the individual district web sites for more information.

You'll notice that for the first time I am including a couple of charter schools in this list. Obviously there are lots of charters, but these two are ones that are: a) non-profit; b) in one case, operated by our local community college and in the other supporting the same kind of "open" philosophy that Ann Arbor Open has, but you can go there even if you don't live in Ann Arbor; and 3) my friends who have children in those schools have been pretty positive about them.

Elementary and Middle School

Honey Creek (a non-profit, K-8 charter school with an "open" philosophy): The school is open to K-8 students residing in the Washtenaw Intermediate School District catchment area. This resembles, but does not exactly match, the county boundaries. (For instance, if you are in the Grass Lake or South Lyon school district, but you live in Washtenaw County, you are not eligible.)
Applicant families are required to attend an enrollment meeting, which I believe are scheduled from 5:30-7:30, January 22nd and January 28th at Honey Creek, which is in the WISD building. Applications are then accepted between February 1 and February 15th (postmarked by. . . most of the other applications need to be in the office by the date stated above). Find out more information here.

High School

Washtenaw International High School: a consortium program that involves most of the local school districts, this school follows the International Baccalaureate curriculum. It opened in 2011 with 9th graders only, so this coming year there will be 9th-11th graders.

Information nights for this program are January 10, 15, and 30, 7-9 p.m. at 510 Emerick Street, Ypsilanti, MI. Get more information about the program at wihi.org or call (734) 994-8145. Applications are due February 8, 2013.

Early College Alliance (consortium program at Eastern Michigan University) is a consortium program that allows students to graduate from high school with up to 60 college credits. Most local school districts participate (check the partners page to see if your school district is participating). The remaining information sessions are on: January 8th at Pioneer High School and January 9th at the EMU Student Center. (I know! Short notice! There were several sessions in December. I don't think they are mandatory though.) Both sessions are from 6:30-8 p.m. Enrollment is open to 9th and 10th graders. Find out more here.

Washtenaw Technical Middle College (nonprofit charter, operated by and on location at Washtenaw Community College): WTMC is now open for 9th-12th graders. (Previously it was a 10th-12th grade program.) I got this from the web site: Admissions "invitationals will be held on January 17 (early admissions) and February 6 (regular admissions) in the Towsley Auditorium of the Morris Lawrence Building, on the campus of Washtenaw Community College. Information about the WTMC Ninth Grade Academy will be provided at a separate invitational event, held at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 12, 2013. This invitational will also take place in the Morris Lawrence Building on WCC's campus." I'm not sure exactly what early admissions vs. regular admissions means. My impression from the kids I've known who have successfully gone to WTMC is that the students who do best are fairly independent in their orientation to school, work, and activities. Find out more here.

[Updated 1/8/13] New Tech High School: It occurs to me that I should add Ypsilanti's New Tech High School to this list. This program has been praised by several families that I know. However, there is a lot that is up in the air with this program next year given the Ypsilanti/Willow Run consolidation. The unified board has agreed to keep the program, but it may not be in the same location.

There are some other options, including private schools and other charters. For them, though, you will have to do your own research.

And while you are looking, remember what Sy Syms says: 

"An educated consumer is our best customer."

The Promise of 2013

On the last Sunday in 2012, the New York Times magazine section ran a series of pieces, entitled The Lives They Lived. [It's an interesting and varied series of short pieces, well worth your time.]

When I opened it up, I found the following excerpt from Adrienne Rich's poem, Dreams Before Waking (1983). [Read the full poem here. It's beautiful.]

[Many years ago I worked on a Jewish feminist journal with Adrienne Rich. Read more about Bridges here.]

The excerpt?

What would it mean to live
in a city whose people were changing
each other's despair into hope? --
You yourself must change it. --
what would it feel like to know
your country was changing? --
You yourself must change it. --
Though your life felt arduous
new and unmapped and strange
what would it means to stand on the first
page of the end of despair?

Considering the education legislation that we are likely to face in Michigan in 2013, this seems an apt place to start.


We ourselves must change it.


Don't be a bystander.

Teachers: Paragon or Pariah?

Friday, I got an email from my sister at one in the afternoon.
"Lynn's kids were at that school. They are safe."

One of my sister's oldest friends has kids at Sandy Hook Elementary. They survived. The fact that I actually knew someone with kids at the school changed my relationship to the tragedy. Made it more personal, and less distant.

This weekend--like many of you, I am quite sure--I have spent quite a bit of time reading about Sandy Hook Elementary. And I have been thinking about the adults, all people who worked in the schools, with children.

I've been thinking about some of the ways we have talked about teachers and other school staff. In fact, I even heard one of the Sandy Hook parents say something along these lines in an NPR interview today. In lifting up one of the teachers who was murdered, she said something like this, "She wasn't one of those teachers who was done at 3 p.m. She always went the extra mile."

Speaking to teachers around here, many of them are feeling under attack and undervalued. Yet here we see the teachers and administrators at Sandy Hook lauded as heroes and wonderful teachers. [Don't get me wrong--they were heroes. But their heroic action has to do with the way they protected their students, and not how they taught their students.] Were they also all above-average teachers? [I have no idea. Is Newtown Lake Wobegon?]

In hindsight, everyone says yes. The truth is, even though a lot of so-called educational reformers are busy slamming teachers, it has been my experience that most people I know like and value their kids' teachers.

Now I wonder, is this more proof of the feminist analysis that says that in public discourse, women [and most teachers are women] are either put on a pedestal (described as a Madonna) or vilified (described as a whore).

If you haven't done so already this year, take a moment to thank your school's teachers, administrators, custodians, "lunch ladies." This doesn't require money--a handwritten note or even an email will do.

And if you like to make resolutions, might I suggest this one? Next year, pledge not to put school staff on pedestals as paragons of virtue, or vilify them as pariahs. Next year, pledge to treat them as the people with jobs that most of them are, people who are trying to do a good job and may sometimes fall short. Next year, pledge to thank them more, and support them when you can.

Back to Local News: Ypsilanti/Willow Run

It sometimes happens that I don't get to write about what I want. Limited time on my part, and the dramatic state legislative agenda have sapped my time and energy.

And yet--things keep happening locally. 

Tomorrow (Monday 12/17) at 6:30 p.m. there is another joint Willow Run/Ypsilanti school board meeting. This is the board for the consolidated district, although technically at this point there are two identical boards, one for Ypsilanti and one for Willow Run. (I know--confusing, right? This is scheduled to change July 1, when the consolidated district officially begins, and the board will represent the consolidated district.)

Contact information for the new board can be found here: https://www.ypsd.org/district/board/members/

In any case--a couple of weeks ago, after the second meeting of the combined Board of Education, Karen Siegel (the former* head of the teachers' union) sent out an email to the teachers, a portion of which is excerpted below. The meeting began with a financial presentation about Ypsilanti's finances. The audit was clean (that's good), the Ypsilanti deficit's 2012 increase was due in part to reduced state aid and in part to declining enrollment.

Siegel then notes that the "surprise" discussion came during the Michigan Association of School Boards presentation. They were there to explain what services they would provide for a Superintendent search. That is because the board needs to choose a superintendent for the consolidated district.

Writes Siegel,

During the Q & A portion of the MASB presentation, Trustee Myers asks if the board can favor an internal candidate. 

 She continues,

Mark Wilde, former, long time WR board member has been recording the meetings.  He posts them on Youtube.  However, it is NOT easy to find them on youtube.   I have posted the links to the videos below.  You can also get the links on the FACEBOOK page, "Willow Run Community Schools."  The link for the FACEBOOK page is
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Willow-Run-Community-Schools/448391778539450?fref=ts.

I didn't know that anyone was taping the meetings, and I immediately went and "liked" the page that is linked above. I hope you will do that too. You can find all of the videos through the Willow Run facebook page, and I'm only linking the ones related to the superintendent search below.

Video 4 of 8
*MASB presentation continues.*
*Around 6:11 the board questions and comments for MASB rep. begins*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLFxdbrq2Dk
Video 5 of 8
*at 1:19, MASB cautions the board about making the superintendent
search too rushed and trading off speed for quality of search.*
*AT 2:25 the questions and comments about hiring INTERNAL CANDIDATES
begins.  Trustee Myers asks the question, stay tuned for Trustee
Raglin and Trustee Garrett's comments at 5:16 (Garrett) and 6:48
(Raglin).  Stay tuned all the way through to 7:42 for the full
commentary on this issue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F46uwYPeoEE
Video 6 of 8
*MASB suggests doing a staff & community survey to see if there is
support for an internal candidate.*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0POVvDD8Rbs

So, here are a couple of things to think about. First of all, the superintendent issue is the first *big* thing the board has to tackle. And Willow Run, in particular, has been burned by choosing the wrong superintendent before. In fact, they are still being haunted by their (most recently former) Superintendent.

Doris Hope-Jackson was terminated by the Willow Run School District and she sued. The case went to arbitration where, according to Danielle Arndt's December 10, 2012 article in annarbor.com, 

[Hope-Jackson's] claims [against the district and former board president Sheri Washington] included allegations of breach of employee contract, verbal assault, retaliation, misconduct, the misappropriation of funds, a spurned lesbian advance, harassment, defamation of character and more.
The arbitrator did not agree with the majority of the school board’s reasons for firing Hope-Jackson, court documents show, but ruled in favor of the district in the end. He found the board’s decision to terminate Hope-Jackson was not retaliatory in nature and was not arbitrary and capricious.

 But wait, there's more! In arbitration, 

Documents filed in Circuit Court on Nov. 27 show that Washington paid Hope-Jackson $12,500 in sanctions, which arbitrator Fred M. Mester ordered after holding Washington in contempt of court during the arbitration proceedings on April 20.
That day, Washington was found to be lying under oath about her status as the administrator of the website WillowRunWatchdogs.org. This website frequently posted articles bashing Hope-Jackson under the anonymous pen names of “Administrator” and “Staff Writer.”
For lying under oath, Washington was forced to pay Hope-Jackson’s reasonable attorney fees and arbitration fees.

There are more details about the arbitration outcomes here.
As if that is not enough, there's even more! 

Additionally, Willow Run’s attorney filed a “motion to compel” in Circuit Court on Nov. 19. The motion asks the court to require that Hope-Jackson immediately return certain files, records and communications pertaining to students and parents in the Willow Run district, which Hope-Jackson retained after being fired.
Hope-Jackson testified to having these documents on Feb. 24, according to court filings.

So you can see why the issue of hiring a current superintendent is a sensitive topic. After all, so far it seems like Laura Lisiscki (Willow Run superintendent) and Dedrick Martin (Ypsilanti superintendent) are sane, and not thieves (remember former Willow Run superintendent Douglas Benit?). What more could you ask for?

Sure, I'm being facetious. You could ask for a lot more to make this consolidation a success--skills that the current superintendents may or may not have. And the issue is also sensitive because the Superintendent of the WISD, Scott Menzel, has said that all teachers will need to reapply for their jobs, and that there will most likely be cuts.

Remember, at the end of June the two districts will close, and thus their contracts with teachers, principals, etc. will all also end. I don't believe either of the teachers' unions took a position on the merger, and this is probably why: on the one hand, if they didn't merge, the districts would likely collapse of their own weight; on the other hand, if they did merge, teachers were not (and are not) guaranteed their jobs.

So there are a lot of employees watching the Superintendent discussion--and all of the other discussions of the new school board--very closely. And I'm sure there are a lot of teachers, and other employees, on the job market. In fact, that's just what happened with Karen Siegel, the (now former) teachers' union president, and an English and Theater teacher at Ypsilanti High School. She has just taken a new job in the Plymouth-Canton school district.

It also seems likely that many of the most motivated and talented employees (not just teachers, but social workers, administrative staff, etc.) will be the first to leave--which spells trouble, unless the school board can quickly move to set up the "application/interview/re-hire" process in a way that is reassuring.

In any case, I'd encourage you to go to the consolidated school board meeting, Monday 12/17, 6:30 p.m. at Ypsilanti High School. They will be hearing from another group that does superintendent searches. And if you can't make it, I hope it will be taped and available via the Willow Run facebook page.

The Education Bills Are Still in Committee: Keep the Pressure On!

Yes, there are the Right to Work protests tomorrow, Tuesday 12/11/12.  But meanwhile, from Steve Norton of Michigan Parents for Schools:

"There is a House Education meeting TOMORROW [Tuesday 12/11/12] at 8:15 a.m., in the House Appropriations room in the Capitol building, where HB 6004 is on the agenda, and another meeting at the normal time and place (9:15am in the HOB) for Wednesday [12/12/12], with the same two bills on the agenda." (I'm not sure if you can watch on Michigan House TV or not, but here is the link.)

If you are going to the RTW protests, think about going FIRST to the House Appropriations Room, and then to the protests outside. Assuming you can get into the Capitol.

Meanwhile, for the rest of you--please email the entire House Education Committee. Thank those who are opposing these bills currently, and ask the rest to join them. I have some links with talking points, and below that, the email addresses.

Links with talking points: 

Novi Superintendent's message: Is there a campaign to discredit public education?

Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood's (D-Taylor) message: Education Authority legislation spells trouble for school districts

Ann Arbor School Board Resolution

Michigan Parents for Schools: Destroy public ed as we know it?

Here is the information from the policy brief of the Michigan Association of School Administrators--this is a nice succinct summary of the issues

And last, but not least, there is a new group, Michigan for Quality Schools, opposing these education bills, and they can be found at the web site miqualityschools.net. Their slogan? Stop Experimenting With Our Children: Proven Education Reforms Only! Now that's a slogan I can get behind.

Here are the email addresses of the House Education Committee:

LisaLyons@house.mi.gov,  ThomasHooker@house.mi.gov,  HughCrawford@house.mi.gov,  TomMcMillin@house.mi.gov,  RayFranz@house.mi.gov,  KurtHeise@house.mi.gov,  AricNesbitt@house.mi.gov,  MargaretOBrien@house.mi.gov,  AmandaPrice@house.mi.gov,  DebShaughnessy@house.mi.gov,  KenYonker@house.mi.gov,  JonBumstead@house.mi.gov,  lisabrown@house.mi.gov,  georgetdarany@house.mi.gov,  lisahowze@house.mi.gov,  rudyhobbs@house.mi.gov,  davidrutledge@house.mi.gov,  thomasstallworth@house.mi.gov,  douglasgeiss@house.mi.gov

Despair. Hope. Chanukah.

It has been a rough week in the political arena. The push for privatization of public education. . . the ramming through of the freedom to freeload (a.k.a. right to work) legislation. . . and some other bills that have gotten less attention around reproductive rights (see the ACLU of Michigan letter), foster care/adoption, and the removal of benefits for people caring for disabled relatives (see the Michigan League for Human Services blog), well. . . it's a bit much.

Last night was the first night of Chanukah. And you might know that we Jews light a menorah that has eight candles or oil lamps (well, nine, actually--one is a "helper" candle), each one representing one of the nights.  As with most Jewish rituals, there are rabbinic arguments that have defined the rituals. In the case of the Chanukah lights, two famous rabbis disagreed. Shammai said that you should start on night #1 by lighting all of the lights, and each night subtract a light. Hillel  said that you should start on night #1 with one light, and each night add a light.

If you have ever heard of Hillel and Shammai, then you probably already know that they had many arguments. These are recorded in the compendium of Jewish law and stories called the Talmud. Nearly all of the time, Hillel won. (Shammai only won twice.) Hillel won in the case of the Chanukah lights--we start with one light and add one each day. And his reasoning makes sense to me, too--that we should always strive to increase light in the world.

If you were to read some of the other Hillel/Shammai discussions, what would probably strike you is that Hillel was very much a creative problem-solver; and ultimately, his decisions carried the day.

This week, I'm trying not to despair. I'm trying to be hopeful. I'm trying to believe that in the long run, the people who believe in the value of public education and in the value of democracy will win. Just like Hillel.

If you need inspiration, I've got Peter Paul and Mary's "Light One Candle" at the end for inspiration. (The version I found on youtube is rather sappy. I'm just warning you :). As they say, "Light one candle for the strength that we need, to never become our own foe. . . Light one candle for all we believe in, that anger not tear us apart. . . don't let the lights go out!"

If you support workers' rights, you're being asked to wear red on Monday.

If you are able to attend the rallies in Lansing on Tuesday about the workers' rights, reproductive rights, and the legislative process, I've received several facebook event invitations. You can drive directly to Lansing or you can get on the bus with other like-minded people. 

Leave from the Ann Arbor Education Association offices at 7:30 in the morning (get there at 7:15).
https://www.facebook.com/events/298623080257089/

Start at 8 a.m. at Lansing Center and march to the Capitol to be there at 9:30 a.m..
https://www.facebook.com/events/121775524650254/

Join Planned Parenthood Advocates at the Capitol at 9:30 a.m.
https://www.facebook.com/events/412328062173786


Oh, and one more thing. If you would like to strategize with Ann Arbor school board member Andy Thomas, he's got an open "coffee hour," also on Tuesday, December 11th, from 7-8 p.m. at Sweetwaters Cafe, 123 W. Washington St. in Ann Arbor.

How A (Zombie) Bill Becomes A Law in Michigan, Featuring Schoolhouse Rock

Here is what we say happens through the legislative process:

from Schoolhouse Rock, "I'm Just A Bill."

But in Michigan, the Republican leadership in the legislature apparently does not want to follow any regular bill-making process. Instead, in order to avoid committee hearings, discussions, or the required five-day waiting period, for the so-called "right to work" legislation, the Republican leadership did a "full text substitute," replacing some appropriations bill language with entirely different language. I saw someone on facebook calling this a "Zombie Law!" [I like calling the legislation "freedom to freeload" legislation myself, since it basically says you don't have to pay dues to a union that represents you, even though the union is doing the work of negotiating on your behalf.]

I feel that Rep. Dillon's speech gets to the heart of the matter. This is a travesty of the democratic process.

Need a class assignment?
Students: Compare and contrast the process explained in the Schoolhouse Rock video with the process described in Rep. Dillon's speech. 


 Rep. Brandon Dillon, D-Grand Rapids, speaks on the floor of the Michigan House on 12/6/2012.

*Further, because it is tied to an appropriations bill, citizens are barred from pursuing a referendum.

Opposition Rising and More

Let's start out with some good news. These terrible education bills have not passed (yet), so let us keep the pressure on! One friend wrote me, "The world is falling apart!" OK, that might be a little hyperbolic, but there is definitely cause for concern.
How to keep the pressure on? Write; call; sign the signon.org petition to "Stop the Takeover of Public Education in Michigan." (No--that's not the "Stop Overtesting Our Kids" petition, although you can sign that one too! I've been temporarily diverted from stopping overtesting to keeping public education public.)

There is a new facebook page, "Save Michigan's Public Schools." What is really nice about this page is that there are lots and lots of superintendent and school board letters and statements of opposition. You can get some really good ideas of what to say if you want to personalize things. Or just get inspired, remember that you are not alone, don't despair, and give a "like" to some of the statements!

It's nice to see opposition from superintendents and school board members from all parts of the state, including some Republican strongholds. I noticed letters from Tuscola County (the Thumb); Calhoun County; Genesee County; Macomb County; Oakland County (Bloomfield Hills' Superintendent Rob Glass's letter to parents and taxpayers is terrific): Washtenaw County (Chelsea, Milan, Dexter, Ypsilanti, Whitmore Lake, Lincoln Consolidated and Ann Arbor for sure--there may have been others); the State Board of Education; and more.

A Michigan coalition is also opposing the fact that the EAA (which has only been around for three months!) is the only Michigan "school district" that is a finalist in the "Race to the Top" (which, as I've said before, is truly a race to the bottom, but unfortunately it is one that comes with funding).

Save Michigan's Public Schools has also posted the 302 page Michigan Public Education Finance Act Draft Legislation (and I'm linking to it) in case you are looking for some light reading [joke!]. This would replace our current school aid legislation, but it would make things much worse, not better.

Here is why:

"In a nutshell, the proposed Michigan Public Education Finance Act (which would replace the existing School Aid Act of 1979) erases school attendance boundaries, allowing students to take their assigned chunk of funding and use it anywhere

they like (if the receiving school agrees), including taking courses in multiple locations. The legislation also throws a big, juicy bone to the Wild West of on-line education, reinforces test-based 'performance,' and gives students $2500 per semester for early graduation." (Nancy Flanagan in EdWeek, in a blog post titled, "What's the Matter with Michigan?"

Dr. Vickie Markavitch, Superintendent of the Oakland Schools (I think of the Oakland Intermediate School District) has an excellent video on the subject of the pending legislation, and I encourage you to: a) watch it and b) share it.




UPDATE:  Also, there is this--

Michigan for Quality Schools
Supporting proven education reform

What: A news conference unveiling new coalition of education, parent and business leaders opposed to continued experiments on Michigan children and supporting proven education reform.

When: 1 p.m. Monday, Dec. 3
Where: Room 424, Michigan Capitol

Who: Steve Norton of Michigan Parents for Schools, Michigan Association of School Boards Executive Director Kathy Hayes, State Board of Education President John Austin, Michigan Association of School Administrators Executive Director William Mayes and others.

Why: To reject efforts to experiment with Michigan children by ending locally controlled school systems and introduce a for-profit education system in Michigan.
To support proven quality reforms by examining policies of states with a track record of success in Gov. Snyder’s education dashboard metrics.To call for public hearings across Michigan to expose these issues to the parents of Michigan, not shove them through the lame duck session of the Legislature with minimal debate.
A wide coalition of varied interests have been galvanized by campaigns to pass major education experiments in the lame duck legislature, including bills to allow for-profit education companies to cherry pick students and to give the still-unproven Education Achievement Authority the ability to create an unlimited number of schools without regard to quality. The organization also opposes the Oxford Foundations’ plan to gamble with Michigan students, which would end locally controlled school districts.
For more information contact David Waymire at Martin Waymire Advocacy Communications, 517-485-6600

Calling All (Education Committee) Legislators

A Favorite Quote

"It is not up to you to complete the task, but neither are you free to desist from it."
(Rabbi Tarfon, Sayings of the Fathers)

Did You Already Write Your Legislators and the Governor?

[If not: Step 1 is to go to the Michigan Parents for Schools web site and use their nifty action alert system to contact them. Here is the link. It takes just a minute.]

If yes, then you may have already gotten a response from the Governor. A response that, as a friend of mine wrote to me, "didn't really answer any of the concerns I expressed about maintaining local input into schools and the possibility of profit motives undermining charter and other school 'reform.'" The letter just blathered on about wanting schools to be good (yes, we all want that) without making any note of the fact that the "Education Achievement Authority" (EAA) has absolutely no track record and may turn out to be a terrible program. (Sure--it could be great. That's what pilot programs are for--to prove that a program is worthy. However, according to MIPFS, "The EAA Chancellor, Dr. John Covington, argues that his system was tried successfully in his former district, Kansas City public schools. After his abrupt departure last year, the Kansas City schools lost their state accreditation, which gives us pause about the quality of the EAA's program.) [link]"

Bottom line: Taxpayers have the right to have input into schools. The Governor's children go to a very fine school in our fair county--Greenhills--but it is a) a private school with small class sizes; b) a not-for-profit school with a board of directors, and yes, parents have lots of input; and c) tuition is nearly $20,000, more than twice what the Ann Arbor schools get per pupil, and nearly three times what some other districts get. All I want is what he's got.

But I digress.

Here's the thing. No votes were taken today (even though both the Senate and House Education Committees met), but potentially votes may be taken tomorrow. We need to keep the pressure on.

Therefore, Let's Make Some Phone Calls

Steve Norton of Michigan Parents for Schools put out this email alert today, and it's useful because it has phone numbers. I don't think any of these legislators are in our county, but they are all on the House Education Committee and they will be voting on bills that affect us!

Action Alert To Public School Supporters!!! Please Forward!!!!

House Bill 6004 and Senate Bill 1358 must be stopped, and we need your help to stop them!!!! The bills would create a Governor-controlled Education Achievement Authority (EAA) that would usurp our local control and kill public education as we know it. We should be focusing on proven quality education reform, not setting up a system of "haves" and "have nots" that will make all of our state's children one large experiment. The following representatives sit on the House Education Committee, and your phone call could sway them to oppose the EAA--please call and tell them to stop the experiment and VOTE NO ON HB 6004:
Rep. Thomas Hooker (Maj. VC) (517) 373-2277
Rep. Jon Bumstead (517) 373-7317
Rep. Hugh Crawford (517) 373-0827
Rep. Ray Franz (517) 373-0825
Rep. Kurt Heise (517) 373-3816
Rep. Aric Nesbitt (517) 373-0839
Rep. Margaret O'Brien (517) 373-1774
Rep. Amanda Price (517) 373-0838
Rep. Deb Shaughnessy (517) 373-0853
Rep. Ken Yonker (517) 373-0840

Don't Let the Legislature Take "Public" Out of "Public Schools"

Michigan Parents for Schools (whom I thanked in this post, just this past week!) has just put out an important action alert.

They write,

Legislative leaders have committed to push through a long list of bills during this "lame duck" session, including two that could be devastating to public education as we know it. I realize that sounds over-the-top, but take a look at the bills on the fast track:

• House Bill 6004 [link] makes a new state-wide school district, the Education Achievement Authority, which can take over the "bottom 5%" of schools, and perhaps others - while the local district has no say. The EAA is free to hand these schools over to for-profit charter management companies, and in fact it can charter new schools anywhere in the state (whether the schools there are failing or not). The EAA would be run by a board appointed by the Governor, and even the elected State Board of Education would have no say in its work.

This bill also requires school districts to sell or lease unused school buildings to the EAA or any other charter school, and requires the district to maintain empty buildings, at their own expense, until someone wants to use it. (Senate Bill 1358 is a twin of the House bill.)

• House Bill 5923 [link] would create a host of new forms of charter school, including selective admission schools, boarding schools, single-gender schools, and potential store-front schools operated by cultural organizations, businesses and other groups. Part of the mission given to the EAA in HB 6004 is to implement these provisions.

Michigan Parents for Schools also notes that:

On the horizon

The third leg of this effort to take away community control emerged last week in the form of a draft replacement for the School Aid Act. [link] The proposal, slated to become part of Gov. Snyder's next budget, represents a radical shift in how public schools work.

What can I say? It is really important that we contact our legislators right now. Why rush these things through during lame duck sessions? I try to be an optimist but the cynic in me says that they are doing this during lame duck session because they think if enough people find out about these bills, they will not survive.  I've written about these bills before here.

The Michigan Parents for Schools Action Alerts make things really easy.

Please click on this link and send the Governor and your legislators a note. 

(And you should feel free to call the Governor and legislators as well!)

Thanks

Michigan Legislature Taking Action on Some Bad Education Legislation This Month

Christine Stead, AAPS school board member and avid watcher of the state educational policy scene, has a couple of stellar posts on some Michigan legislative action that is happening during the lame duck session. . . in a rush. . . and nearly under cover of darkness.

I thank Christine for highlighting these bills.

First up--let's discuss the Educational Achievement Authority, which has the authority to take over school districts. (And you thought we took care of that by overturning the Emergency Manager law. Sadly, no.)

Let's start with a Diane Ravitch post, because she explains the roll of the Educational Achievement Authority rather clearly.

Diane Ravitch writes:

Last week, voters in Michigan repealed the state’s draconian emergency manager law, which allowed a hand-picked appointee of the governor to abolish public education in financially stressed districts. In two of those districts, the emergency manager turned the children over to for-profit charter chains.
To compensate for the repeal, the Legislature in Michigan plans to expand the powers of the Achievement Authority Chancellor. The Achievement Authority is a non-contiguous district into which the state will cluster all low-performing schools. It is currently headed by John Covington, who was trained by the unaccredited Broad Superintendents Academy. Covington previously served as superintendent of Kansas City, where he proposed to close half the district’s public schools but resigned on short notice to take the higher-profile job in Michigan. Soon after his departure, Kansas City lost its state accreditation.
Under the new law, if it passes, Covington will have a free hand with the state’s lowest performing schools.

 Read the rest of Diane Ravitch's post here.

Now, on to Christine Stead (Christine's blog), who was actually at the most recent hearing and has a lot to say. She writes:

While there is still substantive GOP control of all houses of government, here’s my recent experience at the House Education Committee meeting yesterday [November 13, 2012].  By the way, please read HB 6004 here: http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2011-2012/billintroduced/House/pdf/2012-HIB-6004.pdf

This bill seeks to hurry up an codify the Educational Achievement Authority, which has been functioning since October 1st.  This bill will give the EAA sweeping authority to take over local schools, render all local government moot, among other things (my concerns are listed below in bullet points)...

Through the course of witnessing testimony, new concerns arose for me.  These include:

• The EAA can be much broader than the bottom 5% of schools.  In fact, since they exclude participation in state standardized tests AND only the chancellor determines when they have made progress, it is quite possible that they can expand to eventually encompass many schools in Michigan.

• The Chancellor could not articulate how they were governed – now or in the future (although this is part of the bill he was there to testify on behalf of).

• The Chancellor could not articulate how they were funded (I think they get the foundation allowance of the school they took over, plus some additional funding from the state of $35M and philanthropy from ‘other organizations’ that want to see this work).

• The Chancellor, nor anyone else in the audience – including Bill Restum – did not know what would happen to a school that failed to make progress after 3 years.

• The EAA can take over all assets of a school without the approval of the local school board.

  But wait, there's more. Read the rest of Christine's post here.  
  As if that were not enough, a few days ago Christine wrote about HB 5923. 

  Republicans are pushing through two more major changes to public education in lame duck sessions: the kinds of changes that a reasonable person might want to do a bit of thinking about and research on before slamming through more massive changes with very little concern and understanding of the consequences.  They both risk decimating public education...
  HB 5923 will allow any ‘thing’ (employer, municipality, etc.) to become a school.  There are no quality controls that they will be held accountable to.  Schools today will become focused on accounting: tracking where each child goes to school, accepting all credits, tracking GPAs from a myriad of programs, etc.
  Many issues need to be worked out – or even thought of – for this bill.  Clearly our legislators aren’t thinking about the impact on our students and our families.  If they were, they would be including academic goals, ensuring robust programs that also provide a framework for social and emotional learning and growth that is a foundation for so many other characteristics that seem to determine success more than grades: curiosity, tenacity, empathy, etc...
  Please review the language of the bill: http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2011-2012/billintroduced/House/pdf/2012-HIB-5923.pdf

    Read Christine's full post here.
  
  
  I am hoping Michigan Parents For Schools will have an action alert out soon.
  
  

Skyline "Cares"

 

Every now and then something comes along that I find both very funny, and very sad at the same time. My daughter's friend gave this to me. She is a Skyline High School alum, and noticed on her return to Skyline that they have put these new signs up in the halls. 

Yes, thanks to these signs, we now know that Skyline is a warm, welcoming, and--dare I say it--caring place.

For Pete's Sake. . . Jeez Louise. . . Holy Cow. . . 

Who thinks these things up? Who decides to spend money on this?

Why This Student's Making A Movie About Testing

My college friend posted this link on Facebook, with a note that "This is why I left teaching." (She works as an attorney now, but was a third grade teacher for many years.)

The piece in the Washington Post, entitled "One teen’s standardized testing horror story (and where it will lead)" starts out this way:

Ankur Singh is a freshman at the University of Missouri-Columbia who is making a documentary film about how standardized testing has impacted young people. Here’s Ankur’s personal testing story and an explanation of what the movie is all about. Ankur published this here with the headline, “Who am I and why should you care about this silly documentary?” It sounds like anything but silly.

 By Ankur Singh
Hello, my name is Ankur Singh and I’m 18 years old and just began my freshman year at the University of Missouri-Columbia majoring in journalism. I’m making a documentary film to capture the stories of students and how standardized testing has impacted them. If you’re reading this hopefully you’ll come to understand who I am and what I’m trying to accomplish as well as how you can help me.
This film isn’t a school project or an assignment I was given by some production company, but a personal project that I am pursuing independently.

After telling "his" story about tesitng, he continues:

I’m looking for stories to tell. If you’re a parent or a teacher or a student who knows someone who has suffered from testing as I have please contact me. I want to film a few students go about their day and capture how testing has affected them. How does it affect their love of learning? How does it affect their self-esteem? What if what they’re truly passionate about isn’t measured by a standardized test? This is the story I want to tell, and every student has one worth telling.

Email: listenthefilm@gmail.com
Read the full story here.

So, the election is over. Testing is still here. Arne Duncan is one part of the problem. He is not, by any means, the only part of the problem but there is a campaign to contact him and the White House that is being started. The focus of Stop the Race to the Top is to call the president weekly at 202-456-1111 on your state's designated day with this message: Strive toward giving ALL students access to the same type of schooling your girls enjoy! Abandon Race to the Top & stop privatizing public schools!
Read more here. 

And now that the election is over, our focus turns back to too much testing in Ann Arbor. Whether you are a parent, teacher, taxpayer or student, you should feel free to sign our petition protesting over-testing in the Ann Arbor public schools. Find the petition here. And please--share it with your friends!

Ypsilanti-Willow Run Consolidation Begins With 18 Candidates for 7 School Board Spots

And the Ypsilanti-Willow Run Consolidation starts off with a bang.

Monday and Tuesday, yes--this Monday and Tuesday, November 12th and 13th, there will be interviews of 18 candidates for 7 slots. Yes, that's 18 candidates for 7 slots. The Washtenaw Intermediate School District Board of Education gets to do the choosing, but they are asking for the public's input. Read more about who is on the WISD Board of Education here.

The interviews start at 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 12 in Willow Run High School's forum room.
The interviews continue at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 13 in Room 138 of Ypsilanti High School.

The Ypsilanti Courier has links to all of the applicants' applications. (I will put the links below, attached to each person's name.)

Applicants include current Ypsilanti school board members:

David Bates
Ellen Champagne
Andy Fanta
Linda Snedacar-Horne

Applicants include current Willow Run school board members:

Don Garrett, Jr.
Greg Myers
Kristine Thomas
Mark Wilde

Applicants also include two Ypsilanti school board candidates who ran uncontested this week but can't be seated because the consolidation passed:

D’Real Graham
Dan Raglin

Applicants also include several members of the public who have not previously been school board members (at least, if they have been, it wasn't recently):

Maria Sheler-Edwards
Scott Elliot
Celeste Hawkins
Greg Johnson
Robert Oliver
Venus Strong-Smith
Anthony VanDerworp
Althea Wilson

We have an interesting group of candidates. It is a nice thing that so many people want to serve--and of course it raises for me the question--if it was an election, would all of these people be running?

Some of them present much better in an academic/literacy/resume sense. Does that mean those people would make the best board members? How much weight should we place on the letters of reference that each applicant included? I encourage you to read the individual letters, resumes, and statements and put your comments/questions about them in the comments section. Many thanks to heritage.com and the Ypsilanti Courier for posting the links to these documents.

One question I would like to see asked of each of these candidates: if you have children who are school age or older, have they gone to the Ypsilanti or Willow Run school districts? If so, what have you liked about it? If not, why not?

If you live or teach (or otherwise work) in the Ypsilanti/Willow Run area, I really encourage you to go to hear these candidates be interviewed. I believe there will be a way to submit your input/feedback. This is a really important decision as it sets the stage for so many others!

It Should Be An Interesting Year!

The Willow Run/Ypsilanti consolidation passed, and so did the accompanying millage. (In Willow Run, the consolidation millage passed did not pass by very much.) Over the next year, we'll see how that will play out in many different ways.

The emergency manager law was repealed--it is unclear what that will mean for school districts that have emergency managers, but there are several districts that currently have emergency managers--although none in Washtenaw County.

Deb Mexicotte won in the Ann Arbor school board election, which means that we have the same school board that we have had for the past year.

Diane Friese and Karen Delhey won in the Saline school board election, which is interesting because they each ran on a slate with someone else, so essentially one person from each "slate" won. Friese is a retired teacher who now illustrates children's books. Delhey works as the senior director of marketing for The Guild of Artists and Artisans, a non-profit artist membership organization that produces five art fairs, including the Ann Arbor Art Fair. She is also vice president of the Foundation for Saline Area Schools. (Can she stay on as vice president of the Foundation for Saline Area Schools? I don't know.) Given their arts backgrounds, it would be nice if that meant that the arts got a special focus in the Saline schools. (In reality, I think giving the arts a special focus is a nice thing in any school district.)

Lincoln schools were able to renew their operating millage and their recreation and education millage.

Oh, and Landau and Morton won for Washtenaw Community College--which is a good thing because I'm not really sure how someone who was barred from the campus (Figg) could serve on the board of WCC.

On the national and state level, we'll have to see how changes affect the educational landscape.

Update: Diane Ravitch points out two of the most important national votes affecting education.

She says that the most important education related vote took place in Indiana, where the Indiana Superintendent of Education, Tony Bennett, was ousted. According to Diane Ravitch's blog, he was:

. . . the face of rightwing reform in America.
His mission was to bring the ALEC agenda to life in the Hoosier State.
He was head of Jeb Bush’s Chiefs for Change, the group of state superintendents that were most eager to privatize public education, expand charters and vouchers, turn children over to for-profit corporations, and reduce the status of teachers.
He was honored by the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute as the “reformiest” state superintendent in the nation.

 In another important set of votes in Idaho, the "Luna Laws" were defeated. According to Ravitch,

Voters in Idaho gave Mitt Romney a landslide  but simultaneously voted overwhelmingly to repeal the “Luna Laws,” the brainchild of state superintendent Tom Luna...
The Luna Laws imposed a mandate for online courses for high school graduates (a favorite of candidates funded by technology companies), made test scores the measure of teacher quality, provided bonuses for teachers whose students got higher scores, removed all teacher rights, eliminated anything resembling tenure or seniority, turned teachers into at-will employees, and squashed the teachers’ unions.
The campaign to support the Luna laws was heavily funded by technology entrepreneurs and out-of-state supporters of high-stakes testing and restrictions on the teaching profession, including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The voters in this reddest of red states overturned all three of the Luna laws (which he called “Students Come First”; anything in which children or students or kids come “first” is a clear tip-off to the divisive intent of the program).

Ravitch also reports on a charter schools law that (just barely) passed in Washington state.

Election Eve: Voting Reminders

Of course it's important that you vote, and remember--an educated voter is the best voter. To get your personalized ballot and read candidate statements, visit the League of Women Voters web site: www.vote411.org.

Another useful source of information is the Citizens Research Council of Michigan. Look for information on their web site at: http://election.crcmich.org/

 

Here are links to the pieces I've written about the election: 

School board races and more: 

2012 Washtenaw County Education-Related Items on the Ballot (with lots of links to other information)
This includes information about school board races across the county, including school board races in Ann Arbor, Saline, Dexter, Chelsea, Manchester, Ypsilanti, Whitmore Lake, Lincoln Consolidated, Willow Run, and Milan.

On the Ballot:

1. Non-partisan candidates matter for education (and I give some examples of why)

2. The proposals really matter for education (and I give some examples of why)

3. Washtenaw Community College board election (and I share some important background information) about why I am voting for Morton and Landau.


Ypsilanti/Willow Run Consolidation:

1. On the ballot: Ypsilanti/Willow Run Consolidation 

2. Thoughts about the consolidation from a guest poster (YpsiAnon)


Here are the things I am thinking about as I figure out who and what I am voting for:

1. In some of the cases above I've told you who I'm voting for:
For Supreme Court, I'm voting for Kelly, Johnson, and McCormack. I don't usually know too much about the Supreme Court candidates, but I had the opportunity to hear Bridget Mary McCormack, and she was truly impressive in discussing how the administration of law can change lives. Lots of educational issues do go through the courts (as I discuss, linked above) and I believe these three candidates will make an important difference.

2. On the proposals, I'm voting:
Proposal 1--No (ends the current emergency manager law)--as I explain, I see this as a civil rights issue--here is why.

Michigan Parents for Schools suggests you vote No on Proposal 1 because:

1) We urge you to vote NO on Proposal 1, the referendum on the most recent emergency manager law (PA 4 of 2011). A NO vote is a vote to repeal the law, leaving the previous emergency financial manger law in force (PA 72 of 1990).
Why? The nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan said it best: "The great departure in PA 4 [from previous law] is the granting of powers to emergency managers that are significantly greater than those that may be exercised by locally elected officials and the extension of those powers into every aspect of the local government." [emphasis added]
In short, PA 4 was an unprecedented intrusion into local democratic control of our schools and communities. Emergency Managers of school districts were given power not only over financial matters but also over curriculum decisions. Locally elected school boards were stripped of all power and effectively disbanded. Perhaps the most startling use of this power by EMs was the decision to close local school districts and replace them with charter school networks in two Michigan communities.

While the state government may have legitimate cause to intervene in local finances when things go awry, the extraordinary powers granted by PA 4 take this much too far. We urge a NO vote on Proposal 1.

Proposal 2--Yes (puts collective bargaining in the constitution). I think teachers and other workers need this protection.
Proposal 3--Yes (energy)--I don't see this as an education issue but I'm worried about climate change.
Proposal 4--leaning toward Yes (home health aides being allowed to organize--I don't see this as an education issue)
Proposal 5--No (supermajority for taxes)--this proposal is probably the most important one on the ballot regarding education, and it's funded by Matty Moroun--please, please, please vote no (read why using the link above).

Michigan Parents for Schools suggests you vote No on Proposal 5 because:

2) We also strongly urge you to vote NO on Proposal 5. This proposal, backed by a narrow array of anti-tax groups and special interests, would require a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of the Legislature for any increase in taxes. This notion might be appealing to some citizens, but the consequences for our schools and our state would be devastating.
The share of state personal income which state taxes now collect is close to the lowest levels seen since the Headlee Amendment was approved in 1978. The Michigan Legislature has been underfunding education for years and has locked our school funding into a tax structure that is not keeping up with inflation, let alone educational needs. This proposal would give a handful of legislators veto power over all efforts to increase revenue for education and other public services. For example, as few as 12 State Senators could block new sources of school funding.

Proposal 6--No (bridge proposal--another proposal funded by Matty Moroun

3. Ypsilanti/Willow Run consolidation--Ypsilanti and Willow Run are very much between a rock and a hard place here. I don't believe that this is the best deal they could have gotten, and there are significant risks associated with it. On the other hand, this is the deal they got, and it might be better than the alternatives. You can read more about the choices at:
http://www.together4ss.org/http://voteyes4kids.weebly.com/index.html

4. I know, you want to know how I'm voting for the Ann Arbor school board. I am voting for Deb Mexicotte. I appreciate that she works very hard, has educated herself on a lot of school issues, and appears to be honest and tell people what she's thinking and not necessarily what they want to hear. Having said that, I've had several occasions where she and I have not agreed, and if there were other candidates whom I thought agreed with me more I would probably support them. There aren't. At least not in this go-round.

On the Ballot: Washtenaw Community College

I got this email from a friend about the Washtenaw Community College election:

"I am voting for Morton and Landau. I had initially planned on voting for Figg and Landau based on the recommendations of the Huron Valley Central Labor Council. Then I saw that Figg did not respond to the League of Women Voters vote411.org site and he is banned from the WCC campus as part of a resignation in lieu of termination agreement."

I suggest you read the article in the Washtenaw Voice, linked above. After reading it, I am also voting for Morton and Landau.

*Note: WCC runs the local charter school, Washtenaw Technical Middle College. Plus, we pay taxes to support WCC.