When the Custodians Were Cut, Where Were We?

Those of you who know me outside of my blog may have heard that my daughter Lior, a sophomore at Tufts University in Boston, is the president of the Tufts Labor Coalition. The Tufts Labor Coalition (TLC) has spent most of this year working on the unionization of adjunct faculty, and the preservation of custodial positions as the University switches contractors and decides to have fewer custodians (approximately 1 in 6 custodians' jobs would be cut) to cover an expanding number of university buildings.

TLC has been working with the custodians' union, the SEIU. In the past week TLC and the SEIU held a rally and a protest where several students were (intentionally) arrested in an act of civil disobedience. This week, students are hunger striking. I'm not a big fan of hunger strikes, but there have been articles in the Boston Globe, New York Times, In These Times, television, radio programs like Democracy Now, Huffington Post, and more.

[You can follow them on twitter @tuftslabor or on Facebook at the Tufts Labor Coalition page.]

Lior is on the administrative liaison team. Here she is (bottom right)
going in to meet with the administration. Note the banner the students
have hung at the top of the stairs. Photo from @tuftslabor.

I like this picture, because it names how many families
and lives will be affected. Photo from @tuftslabor. 

All of which brings me back to what I was thinking.

Last year at this time, the Ann Arbor school district was outsourcing and eliminating custodians' jobs.

[Read: Here and here.]

Where were we?

When my older son was in second grade, he and his friend decided to have a contest to see who could drink the most water. Not surprisingly, they drank a little too much, with predictable results. The custodian cleaned up their vomit--and though we made them apologize to the custodian then, I don't really think that's the thanks, or the apology, the custodians needed.

Where were we, parents?
Where were we, teachers?
Where were we, students?
Where were we, principals & secretaries?

Where were we, citizens?

And this plagues me now, as I have heard recently that several custodians are dealing with foreclosures and evictions.

Why is it that a relatively small group of students at Tufts can make a big deal about 35 lives, and we couldn't even lift a finger?



OK...I did lift a finger. Ten, actually, but only on my keyboard.

June 2014 story

April 2010 story





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Yes, I Am Supporting Proposal 1--Join Me!

Three reasons that I am supporting Proposal 1:

1. Roads--I'd rather pay to fix the roads, than I would to fix my car. I figure bent axles, busted tires--it will end up costing about the same.

2. Restoration of the 
Earned Income Tax Credit--this provides some relief from taxes to low income families struggling to get by.

3. School Aid Fund--the restrictions on the School Aid Fund mean it is less likely to get raided. People who know seem to think that if this passes, there will likely be some relief to schools via the school retirement funds (which currently suck a huge amount of money out of the per-pupil school funding).

Oh, and here is a fourth reason:

Although this is a very imperfect proposal, I am pretty convinced that whatever the legislature cooks up next may address the roads, but will be much, much worse for poor families and schools.

Read more on Ballotpedia (neutral information)

Follow more links and articles at the Michigan Association of School Administrators information page (they are supporting the proposal)

What else is on the ballot? In Ann Arbor, there is a schools bond renewal.

And yes, I am also supporting Ann Arbor's proposed bond renewal.

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Yes, I Am Supporting the May 5th Bond Proposal--Join Me!

The Ann Arbor Public Schools have a bond proposal on the ballot on May 5th. It's a renewal. I am supporting it.

Here's why:

1. The bond monies will be used to do things like buy new school buses, upgrade and add safety features to schools and school playgrounds, and replace school furniture. It can't be used for things like teacher salaries.

2. If we don't support the bond, necessary projects (like school buses) will have to be taken from the per-pupil operating funds, which would mean less money for students.

3. We cannot (thanks to Proposal A) ask for a levy for more monies for operating costs (unless we do a countywide millage)--so the best we can do is to keep those non-operating costs coming out of other revenue streams.

Read the AAPS information about the bond proposal here.

I hope you will 

join me in supporting this 

bond renewal 

on May 5th!

[And yes, I will also be supporting Proposal 1 on the ballot. I'll write about that later this week.]

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Discovering (and Remembering) My First Grade Teacher, Mrs. Delfosse

My first grade teacher, Doris Delfosse, died recently. My mom sent me her obituary. (Thanks Mom!)

There were some things in it that I knew about her.

I knew that she was a devoted and well-loved first grade teacher.
I didn't know that she taught for over 35 years.
I didn't know that she was the president of the Rye Teachers Association.

I have a vague memory of doing grave rubbings with her.
I didn't know she did that as part of a big Thanksgiving-focused unit. Every year.

We lived in one of the first towns settled on the east coast (1660).
It has the Square House, which at one point was the local inn, and "George Washington and Lafayette slept there!"
I didn't know that Doris Delfosse was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, or that she volunteered to share American history and early American homemaking skills at the Square House.

And I really didn't know that Mrs. Delfosse, herself, created an important part of American history, and opened the door for women who came after her.

Here's why reading obituaries can be so enlightening. From the obituary:

Doris Delfosse... 

"was the first working woman 'allowed' to adopt a child in the state of California in 1966, after proving to the adoption agency and courts that a woman could indeed work and raise a family."

That's right. Doris Delfosse loved teaching--and children--so much, that she went to court to force the system to allow her to adopt, because she wanted to keep working. She didn't want to be a stay-at-home mom, she wanted to be a teacher and a mom.

[This reminds me a bit of a case that is coming shortly to the Supreme Court--the case of April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse--expanding the idea of who is a "fit" parent.]


Here's something I remember about Mrs. Delfosse's class. If we got in line to go somewhere (perhaps a special, like art or gym) and then we had to wait for some reason, she kept us occupied by having us imagine that our tongue was a person with jobs to do, like sweeping the ceiling and the floor of our mouths (with our tongue). Nowadays they are called "oral motor exercises," and I imagine that she learned them while working with kids with speech delays--but we just thought they were fun.

Here's to you, Mrs. Delfosse--thanks for your devotion to kids.

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Guest Post: Guns First, and That's Great! What's Next for Activists?

This is a guest post from A3Teacher, an Ann Arbor teacher who posts here from time to time.

For many Ann Arbor community members, an issue of whether guns should be allowed in schools is one that has a clear answer: NO.  Many, many families, parents, and students came to board meetings expressing their strong convictions against having guns in our public community schools. The board, on April 15th voted for a resolution banning guns from our schools.  In Ann Arbor, rallying against guns in schools is easy.  On an issue that has such clear and logical implications, it is easy for parents, teachers, community members, and students to get on board with and advocate against guns in our schools.  

I love that families made posters.  I love that there were community members who came week after week to speak to the board.  I love that community members were unafraid to speak for the safety and well-being of our students and staff.  And I would love if this enthusiasm and passion made its way into other areas of concern for Ann Arbor Public Schools and the State of Michigan.  Many decision makers stopped listening to teacher voices years ago (or perhaps teachers need to speak out more clearly, loudly, and with a unified voice), and the reality is that we need more parents, families, and students, to raise their voices about issues pertaining to their schools.

The issue of guns in schools was easy because there was a pretty clear outcome from the beginning; most people, I believe, knew that ultimately (whether now or later) guns would not be a permanent fixture in our schools.  This was an easy issue to get on board with and add to the cadre of voices echoing the same perspective.  There are many other issues that are complex, require a lot of time, discussion, and consideration that are not as clear cut.  Below are two that I think are important to AAPS’ success in the future as well as questions to ask of your leaders (principals, district administration, etc.), and actions parents, students, and community members could take.  I welcome thoughts in the comments section.  

1. New and new to district teacher compensation.  In 2013 the Economic Policy Institute listed Ann Arbor as Michigan’s most expensive city in which to live.  With freezes, cuts, increased contributions from employees to benefits, and partial freezes to those who increased their educational levels, Ann Arbor and the State of Michigan must consider how it will retain “the best and the brightest.”  Back in 2002 the State Board of Education laid out specifics in their document “Ensuring Excellent Educators”, yet there is much left to be desired in regard to the work outlined in this task force report.  If our state economy is recovering, as our Governor insists, shouldn’t we be investing some of that money back into schools instead of raiding the K-12 School Aid Fund to pay for the general budget deficit?  [Editor's Note: On May 5th you can vote for an Ann Arbor schools bond renewal, and for Proposal 1, which will keep some monies in the School Aid Fund.]

If it cares about attracting and retaining very high quality teachers (as opposed to allowing mediocre or poor teachers to latch onto the system and hide until it’s too late to dismiss them), it must wisely invest in its younger teachers. Otherwise, newer teachers and millennials will move and find other cities, states, and districts to work for.  Perhaps this means that teachers, families, AAPS, and community members need to lobby in Lansing and actively enter the realm of politics in an organized fashion.  The largest factor in student growth and learning is not computers or technology, it is not a specific curriculum or fancy buildings, it is the quality of its teachers (one of many sources confirms this concept).  Teachers are the most important and influential factor in student growth.  It is time to show its teachers that they are valued.  

Questions to ask:  

1. How is Ann Arbor actively retaining and rewarding its best teachers?  
2. How is Ann Arbor showing its teachers that it values the work that they do besides a salary and benefits?  
3. Why has Ann Arbor frozen “steps” (a type of pay increase teachers get with seniority)?
4. Why has Ann Arbor chosen not to fully recognize (with compensation) teachers who increase their education?

[Editor's Note: Similar questions could be asked in other districts. In Dexter they are having big issues with health insurance; in Ypsilanti, the pay rates for teachers are very low.]

Actions you could take:

1. Send an email to your school’s teacher or administrator about teachers who do fantastic things for your students.  Conversely, also send messages about teachers who are not so great.  If we want to increase the number of great teachers in schools, administration needs to hear not only about the great teachers, but also about the not-so-great ones.  
2. Attend a board meeting and share a story about how a teacher has positively impacted your student (In the past, families have used board meetings to raise issues of problematic teachers, but I have yet to see a parent, family, or student tell a positive story about a teacher.  Perhaps this is because there is an assumption that all teachers should be doing their jobs with or without recognition).  
3. Write a letter to board members and Dr. Swift directly (the entire board and the superintendent can be reached at boe@aaps.k12.mi.us or individual board e-mails are available here, and Dr. Swift can be reached at swift@aaps.k12.mi.us) asking them some or all of the questions above.  
4. Contact your legislators and ask them what they are doing in order to support increased funding to schools and teacher retention (you can find your representatives here and your senators here).  If you dig deeper and look at bills up for proposal, ask your legislators to vote for or against specific aspects of those bills.  It is not as effective to simply ask legislators to provide more funding to schools - be specific in regard to current legislation.  

2. Standardized tests and common assessments have taken over a large portion of schools’ calendars.  These can be used to drive instruction, although I have yet to see it truly used successfully.  There is a growing movement that questions the benefits of these tests to students, their validity of the actual tests, and their use in regard to teacher evaluations and instruction.  There are many independent schools that (as a selling point) tout the fact that they do not overload their students with the types of standardized tests that many public schools do.  Besides teacher-created classroom assessments and school-wide exams (given two to three times per year dependant on the high school), a high school junior next year could potentially have:

• the SAT,
• the ACT WorkKeys,
• the M-STEP,
• any AP tests,
• district common assessment/s (dependant on the subject),
• building specific assessments in content areas (known as SMART Goals - this changes based on the subject and department’s decision),
• the SRI twice (which measures Lexile reading scores).  

Questions to ask:  

1. How is each of these these assessments and tests necessary for our students?  
2. How are these assessments and tests representative of growth and learning?  
3. Will my student(s) be able to use their test scores in order to learn and grow?  
4. How can we be smart, as a district, with the data that comes out of standardized testing so that it positively impacts learning and growth?  Which tests could we cut?
5. Why is the state using texts which have not been validated or used before?

Actions you could take:

1. Ask questions of your district and board of education.  Ask questions by speaking at a board meeting or through writing.  Become a part of the public record and seek answers.  In addition, this shows the board and district that parents, families, and students have a vested interest in their schools.  Remaining silent send the (perhaps unintentional) message that the public agrees with the decisions of the district and board.    

Ask questions of your State Board of Education - you can do this in person, via phone, or in writing (Ann Arbor also has two board members who live in town:  Eileen Weiser, a Republican and John Austin, a Democrat).   

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Pine River Superintendent Speaks Out--Eloquently--Against the M-STEP

The Pine River Area Superintendent, Matt Lukshaitis, sent an excellent letter to the district's local legislators, school staff, and the school board. His points are different from mine--as they should be, because his point of view is different--but I think they are really important points.

I wish that more superintendents would speak out as he has.


I had to look up where the Pine River area is--it's south of Cadillac. Here's a map to help orient you.

Honorable Gentlemen,

So far, the M-STEP process is a painful invasion of teaching and learning and really, state testing has become an oxymoron. The testing process is not good for kids.

17 different days of testing for 11th grade students? Really? This is the best we can do? We "improve" the test by going from 3 days to 17? Have we collectively lost our minds?

At Pine River, our computer labs are tied up from April 13 to June 4 for testing. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars? I cannot fathom how many great minds it takes to change a state system from one day of juniors taking an ACT test on a Saturday morning in a high school cafeteria to a system testing K-12 students over a period of two months, but I'm pretty sure between the MDE and the legislature that we have discovered the formula. I'm saddened by this.

Education is not happening.

Principals and teachers are in high stress mode. Students are not learning, they are in Sarcasm 101 mode--how hard they try is going to be a true turkey shoot.

Terri and I have five children. Number five is a senior. Looking at what we are doing to the students in our public schools, I am truly glad to know this fact.
How many people have to be in charge of the local school districts? It seems like the state and the fed have over M-STEPped their boundaries.

How about the growing resentment coming from parents who are starting to demand that we excuse their students from the testing process? And the onus of responsibility is on the LEA to make these kids test? The state is setting up public schools for imminent failure. There will be test cases in our courtrooms soon. This testing system is pushing public schools over a cliff. I am afraid there may be a long, terrifying drop into jagged rocks....

I know a lot of really smart people came up with this wonderful theory of testing. The practice of teaching and learning however, is the provenance of the LEAs. Perhaps we should all take a giant step back and allow the schools to answer the needs of their community with more freedom?

Please stem the tide of this testing. It is just too much. Listen to those of us in the schools. Sitting in an office in Lansing does not help you understand the issues. Come visit us at Pine River Area Schools. Visit every district. Go see the schools while the testing is happening and talk to the teachers and the principals. Help us help the kids.

Respectfully,

Matt Lukshaitis, Superintendent
Pine River Area Schools
Go Bucks!

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Upcoming Meetings for Ypsilanti Community Schools Superintendent Search

In Ypsilanti, they have begun a search for a new schools superintendent. They are trying to discern what is most important in the search, and to do that they are having a series of focus groups. Here is the information about the focus groups. I have highlighted the ones that aren't generally staff or board related. I really like that they have a special time for the 2012 and 2013 Willow Run and Ypsilanti school boards.

Anyway, if you fit into any of these categories, I hope that you will go to one of these meetings!

DATE AND TIME	GROUP	LOCATION
Thursday, April 16, 1:30 p.m.	Business Owners	Board Room, 1885 Packard Rd.
Thursday, April 16, 2:00 p.m.	Central Office Administrators	Board Room, 1885 Packard Rd.
Thursday, April 16, 2:30 p.m.	Central Office Department Personnel	Board Room, 1885 Packard Rd.
Thursday, April 16, 3:00 p.m.	Support  Association Representatives and Support Staff	Board Room, 1885 Packard Rd.
Thursday, April 16, 3:30 p.m.	Building  Administrators	Board Room, 1885 Packard Rd.
Thursday, April 16, 4:00 p.m.	Teacher  Association Representatives and Teachers	Board Room, 1885 Packard Rd.
Thursday, April 16, 4:30 p.m.	Non-­-Affiliated Staff	Board Room, 1885 Packard Rd.
Thursday, April 16, 5:00 p.m.	Parent Advisory Board Members	Board Room, 1885 Packard Rd.
Thursday, April 16, 6:30 p.m.	General Public	Board Room, 1885 Packard Rd.
Tuesday, April 21, 11:00 a.m.	High School Students	To be determined
Tuesday, April, 21, 11:45 a.m.	Public  Governance Municipal, City, State	Board Room, 1885 Packard Rd.
Tuesday, April 21, 12:30 p.m.	EMU,  UM, WCC, WISD Representatives	Board Room, 1885 Packard Rd.
Tuesday, April, 21, 1:15 p.m.	Non Profit Agencies, Clergy	Board Room, 1885 Packard Rd.
Tuesday, April, 21,1:45 p.m.	2012 WRCS and YPS Board 2013 YCS Appointed Board 2012-­-2013 Consolidation Task Forces	Board Room, 1885 Packard Rd.
Tuesday, April 21, 4:00 p.m.	General Public	Board Room, 1885 Packard Rd.

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Upcoming Meetings About the AAPS Bond (May 5, 2015 Election)

There are two items on the May election that concern the schools. One is a local Ann Arbor school bond proposal (this is essentially a renewal). The other is Proposal 1, which is a statewide initiative that involves both schools and roads. I'm supporting both of them.

There are some upcoming meetings about the local school bond proposal. If you have questions, this is a good way to learn more.

Five Community Meetings On the May 5 Bond Proposal 

Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Jeanice Swift will host five community meetings this month to share information about the bond proposal appearing on the May 5 ballot.  

Each community meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the following locations:

• Tuesday, April 14,  Slauson Middle School, Media Center

• Thursday, April 16, Tappan Middle School, Media Center

• Tuesday, April 21, Scarlett Middle School, Media Center

• Thursday, April 23,  Clague Middle School, Media Center

• Thursday, April 30, Forsythe Middle School, Media Center

Superintendent Swift encourages all citizens to attend and learn more about the proposal and have the opportunity to ask questions. 

The bond proposal would raise $33 million for capital improvements across the district’s 32 buildings, while keeping the millage rate at or below the current 2.45 mills for taxpayers.  Improvements in the plan include security upgrades at school entrances, new musical instruments, the replacement of more than 100 buses over five years, and new furniture and other upgrades in classrooms across the district.
More information on the bond proposal is available at: 

http://news.a2schools.org/community-bond-meetings-begin-next-week/And
http://news.a2schools.org/aaps-millage-request-may-5-2015/

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