Tag: schools (page 3)

LANSING - As students across Michigan end the fall semester and prepare to break for Christmas, the state House of Representatives on Wednesday approved Senate Bill 618, legislation to lift the arbitrary cap on charter schools in Michigan, empowering parents and putting children first.

Two-thirds of the state's charter schools, most in urban districts like Flint, Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit, have waiting lists as parents demand more choices and better results for their children.

"Parents want the best for their children, and that starts with a quality education," said the bill's sponsor, Senate Education Committee Chair Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair Township. "Today's action by the House of Representatives to lift the cap on charter schools and give parents quality options for their kids' education is a critical step toward improving Michigan's whole education system."

SB 618 was previously approved by the state Senate in October. The bill now goes to Gov. Rick Snyder for his signature.

I have decided to state my election platform for 2014 if I run for anything at all.

I am not exactly sure which office I should seek, but there is certainly enough here to encourage from our current elected officials.  Talk is really cheap it seems, but if we can move the levers we'll be better for it, and substantive change cannot come from a legislature or governor that has somehow embraced so much of what they despised under the previous Governor. Unless they continue to despise it.

It seems that a crap sandwich tastes better when prepared by Republicans, if one was to look through such things as raised taxes on Gas, Obamacare exchanges, Light Rail, or DRIC/NICT issues.

Along with education reforms proposals lifting caps for charter schools there are other reforms afoot. The lifting of the charter school cap in Michigan promises to bring some much needed competition to the education of our children.  Better schools draw more, and survive. Failing education practices .. well FAIL.  From M-Live a couple days ago:

"Every parent in the state wants the very best for their children," state Sen. Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair Township, chair of the Senate Education Committee. "Unfortunately, when it comes to educating our kids, adult issues too often get in the way."

SB0624 Sponsored by Sen Pavlov carries that competition a bit further. Appropriately allowing the financial credit for the student's attendance to move WITH the student to the school of choice, it provides incentive for schools to seek students from outside their districts.  It provides also another option for parents of students who want to learn, to provide the best possible education for their child.

Rumor has it not all Republicans are entirely on board.

The lefties have it wrong yet again.

Gross Pointe schools either do not want "certain elements" from other school districts in their schools or they are ignorant of the needs of kids getting shafted in certain areas throughout the state. From the Oakland Press:

"My personal point of view is when you take away local control of education, you essentially steal a community's destiny," board president John Steininger said.

"If your school board cannot control its boundaries and who is allowed to attend your schools, there just isn't much left that Lansing can't determine," Bledsoe said. "The school board is left to hire and fire the superintendent and that's about it."

Given some recent examples of charter school performance versus public school performance.

The remainder of the scores are identical.  Follow the image to a more complete representation. (PDF)

I have suggested before that schools be contracted out for the sake of the children.  Don't teach the kids? Don't get paid.

"The best way for Detroit to clean up that mess, is to kick ALL the teachers, employees, and management in the Detroit schools to the curb.  Then open contracts and bidding for the purchase or rental of the school buildings and resources."

Its not the lack of material that causes this, but rather a question of "where should I start?"  An article that has been written and re-written by me for the last month is one that addresses the Detroit schools problem.  Namely its inability to educate the kids, and then do so within a particular financial framework.

Something we outstaters call a budget.

PJ TV has a video released today worth watching.  from the introduction:

Detroit has been controlled by liberals for years, but close to half of the people living there are functionally illiterate. Even more surprisingly, Detroit had a Public School Board President who had difficulty writing coherently.

Of course one might think this is old news as the 'old news' cycle goes.  One might have been banging one's head too long over Otis' written word issues.  Detroit STILL has a failed system.  It has a new emergency manager in who thinks carefully slicing away with a scalpel is the cure for an unbelievably cancerous patient, when all that will be accomplished is a painful biopsy at best.

"We are, right now, living in an amazing moment of history. And this moment has happened because the youth around the world have decided they've had enough. Young people are in revolt -- and it's about time.

You, the students and young adults, from Cairo, Egypt to Madison, Wisconsin, are now rising up, taking to the streets, organizing, protesting and refusing to move until your voices are heard. Effing amazing!! It has scared the pants off those in power, the adults who were so convinced they had done a heckuva job trying to dumb you down and distract you with useless nonsense so that you'd end up feeling powerless, just another cog in the wheel, another brick in the wall. You've been fed a lot of propaganda about "how the system works" and so many lies about what took place in history that I'm amazed you've been able to sort through all the bs and see the truth for what it is. This was all done in the hopes you would just keep your mouths shut, get in line and follow orders. And don't rock the boat. Because if you do, you could end up without a good job! You could end up looking like a freak! You've been told politics isn't cool and that one person really can't make a difference."