Faced with critical needs, Michigan association brings 108 to FRN
By Ellie Ashford
03/09 -- For Michigan school leaders, many hard hit by troubles in the auto industry, the stimulus package is absolutely critical to prevent massive budget cuts and layoffs.
That’s one reason why the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) brought 108 school board members to the Federal Relations Network, making it the largest state delegation at the annual meeting.
Noting that Michigan faces a $240 million budget deficit, MASB Director of Government Relations Don Wotruba says the stimulus package is the association’s top issue. Wotruba is concerned, however, with how the money will be distributed to states and districts.
Scott Morrell, vice president of the Center Line school board in Macomb County, says the district has identified nearly $5 million in infrastructure projects and technology upgrades that could be completed with the stimulus money.
The district is facing a huge loss of property tax revenue, he notes. A major GM plant in the community has been idled and no one is sure when -- or if -- the two Chrysler plants in the area will reopen. Many suppliers have shut down, as well.
Morrell says 18 percent of homes in the community are in foreclosure, and the number of families slipping below the poverty line has risen dramatically.
At a MASB breakfast meeting on Capitol Hill, Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) warned school board leaders that there will be efforts to cut spending and add unrelated amendments to the Senate bill. Levin predicted key education programs will remain, however.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) emphasized that education and job training must be a crucial part of the economy’s recovery. Stabenow was instrumental in getting the state children’s health insurance program reauthorized and expanded, a priority item for MASB. President Obama signed the expanded SCHIP program into law Feb. 4.
Sherry Brasza, vice president of the Warren Consolidated School District, hopes to use the stimulus funding to fix school roofs, make other repairs, and incorporate an alternative energy program in a career and technical center. She figures the district’s infrastructure needs $188 million, including $78 million in green projects.
Warren Consolidated considered a bond issue three years ago but decided not to proceed because of declining household incomes.
Jeffrey C. Mills, superintendent of the Van Buren Intermediate School District in Lawrence, says his distict could receive a $1.3 million increase in IDEA funding if the stimulus passes, but that “still doesn’t cover all of our special education costs.” Still, the increased funding means his district might be able to restore its gifted and talented program and other initiatives that have been cut.
MASB President Paula Saari also has high hopes for the stimulus. Her district, the Marquette-Alger Regional Education Service Agency, has been forced to cut fine arts, foreign language instruction, vocational education, and sports.
School leaders throughout Michigan are frustrated by the economy, Saari says. “It’s affecting everyone -- large, small, urban, and rural districts -- we’re all struggling with funding issues and NCLB. There’s a strong sense of unity this year.”
With regard to NCLB, the Michigan association is seeking more flexibility in the way graduation rates are counted, Wotruba says. Under the current definition, students must graduate in five years.
The Kelloggsville school district in Grand Rapids has a new alternative high school, and board member Crystal Reidzans wants to make sure students who take an extra year or two to graduate are counted, as well.
Morrell hopes for flexibility in NCLB’s subgroups provisions. It’s not fair, he says, when a single student is counted in three separate subgroups. “We want to educate these kids, but let’s not do it with a hammer over their heads.”
Reproduced with permission from
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