Tag Archive for Schools

Education, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy

When She Is Right

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Betsy DeVos: Shut Down the Department of Education

She is right.

Of course any while regulars here would have suggested that the federal dept of education needs an uprooting long ago, we know that if there was a time to see it happen .. It is now.  From the Free Press (not the one you think either)

Since its creation in 1979, the Department of Education has sent well more than $1 trillion to schools with the express purpose of closing the gaps between the highest and lowest performers. Today, those gaps are as wide as they have ever been, and by many measures, even wider.

Last week, the latest Nation’s Report Card came out, giving us a clear assessment of where student achievement stands. The report, published by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), tells us that in reading and math, most students were even further behind than they were in 2022. Which was worse than where they were in 2019. Which was worse than 2013.

Its not going to get better either.

Schools need radical reforms, and one of those is the elimination of ‘leading’ grants that come with political agendas that actually take away from our kids’ education.  The other is (As I have suggested previously) is a complete reworking of funding, and organization that is done in a way that rewards excellence in education and performance.

Step it up Trump admin!

And if our legislators are paying attention..  this will work.

 

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Education, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Pensions & Retirement Benefits

Making Education Great Again.

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A roadmap to fixing our FAILING Public education system

Imagine if the resources spent on the Federal Department of Education was instead sent to the states?

Michigan has more School districts than counties, has had to (as a state) take over whole systems that cannot manage the resources given them by taxpayers, and is delivering CRAP insofar as outcomes.

Let me state this comparison as clearly as I can .. If you had a roofer fix your leaky roof, and the first time you had a light sprinkle you find yourself putting buckets around the house, what would you do?  You might have them try to repair, but most folks are going to get someone new.

Let me remind you that our kids can’t read.  Not like they should anyhow.   I drafted the below roadmap last night.  It is a response to my own personal assessment of what doesn’t currently work in our public education system.  It was inspired to this point as I spoke with a couple of retired legislators who may or may not agree with the entire premise.

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Michigan, Michigan Politics

Remember To Spay And Neuter

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Somewhere in Michigan recently.

Furries.

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2018 US Senate Race, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

John James Conversation 1

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Getting to know the Republican candidate who will unseat Stabenow

In this election cycle, I am not sure there could have been a better person to take out Debbie Stabenow.

The meat puppet herself is already advertising that she is a defender of farms etc., though we know better.  It is the go-to place for her in each election cycle, even though she hates the ‘family‘ part of the equation.

Failure by previous candidates to note that Stabenow has failed the farmers in Michigan and elsewhere is compounded by being completely out-of-touch for 5 of the 6 years terms, unless one is a major donor; most of which are found out-of-state.

In this video series, John James candidly addresses such things appropriately, and with authority we have missed in prior electoral runs at this office.

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Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Republicans, Taxes

It’s About Time already

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Michigan lawmakers look to plug the big gaping hole in government liability.

1997 was actually a good year for Michigan.

It could have been better however.  It was the year that Governor Engler signed off on pension plan changes for state employees, but not including the school retirement system. For those it did affect, It adjusted the way in which pensions are funded from defined outcomes at high risk for taxpayers, to defined contribution with real ownership to the recipients.

It also saved the state billions in the last 2 decades. 

The change to the Michigan State Employees’ Retirement System saved the state an estimated $2.3 billion to $4.3 billion in unfunded state employee pension liability from 1997 to 2010, according to the report, authored by public pension expert Rick Dreyfuss.

Seven years later we are still benefiting (no pun intended) from this change.

This 20 year anniversary could well produce the finishing touch and allow Michigan to move toward a predictable liability scenario for good.  School employees somehow remained outside of the course correction in 1997.  House Bill 4647 and Senate Bill 0401 being nearly identical, provide the mechanism for the fix to that problem that has been long overdue.

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Conservative News, Cronyism, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Republicans, Taxes

Lets Throw More Money Away!

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Commission to taxpayers - "Gird your loins."

About that blue ribbon report on education?

Governor RINO-Burger’s newly formed ’21st Century Education Commission’ has performed as expected. One theme seems to stand out.  In the end, all will be well if we follow some not-so-surprising advice from the best socialist minds around. – Free college. Preschool for every child. No more grade levels.

A report released last week from Gov. Rick Snyder’s office offered lofty goals designed to overhaul Michigan’s public education system. The state needs to offer free community college, expand preschool access, and restructure K-12 public schools, the report suggested. District leaders in northwest Michigan agreed, but they’ll need more clarity on the details.

Sure.  why not?

Government employees shilling for expansion of government?  But wait!  More clarity?

“My first question would be if it’s free, who’s paying for it?” asked Sander Scott, superintendent at Glen Lake Community Schools. “That’s what any taxpayer would say. There’ll be a cost to be able to offer these things. … The state is really struggling to fund its public schools so adding more is interesting.”

Yes, “interesting.”
The state is struggling to accurately provide (yes, “accurately.” ‘Adequately’ is a word I would use if it was called for) funding that provides for the best education for our declining youth.  As opined previously, dumping nearly an additional $billion bones into the Detroit school system last year was a seriously flawed legislative act.

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Democrats, Detroit, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans, Research & Analysis

Money Well Spent

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Michigan students at the bottom of the educational assessment list.

V.I. Lenin: Our National Dream Realized!
USSR Education Poster, 1950

Michigan schools are demonstrating unbelievable performance levels.

perhaps not in the way one might like, however.  From the Freep:

“A new analysis of results of a national educational test shows Michigan students have continually made the least improvement nationally of scores since 2003.  

..

That analysis comes less than six months after the release of the Michigan’s Talent Crisis report by Education Trust-Midwest that found Michigan’s students are falling far behind their peers across the nation. The ETM report found that Michigan is in the bottom 10 states for key subjects and grades, including early literacy. “

Surprising?

Oh wait, they probably need more money.  Everyone knows that the amount of money spent per child is closely linked to student performance. More from the article:

” Jacob, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, said there is no single explanation of the Michigan rankings.

“I believe that there are a number of factors responsible for Michigan’s weak performance: a lack of adequate state and local funding for schools, the highly decentralized nature of governance that makes it difficult for the state Department of Education to develop coordinated reforms, the lack of regulation and accountability in the charter sector, and the economic and political instability that have plagued Detroit and other urban areas in the state,” he said. “

Whoop, there it is.

With a bonus.  Bigger control from centralized government, ignore the failing ‘regular’ schools, and put the hammer on the charter schools..

Comrade.

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Cronyism, Detroit, Elections, Michigan, Taxes

Save The Children!

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Are Bailouts The Right Answer for DPS?

school-926213(Reposted from JasonGillman.Com)

The Michigan House just voted to give the Detroit Public Schools a $500 million bailout and the State Senate wants to give $800 million.

104th State Representative and incumbent Larry Inman explains it away as a necessary evil. He suggested on the Ron Jolly radio program Wednesday morning, that lawyers warned house leadership that if they didn’t do something, the courts would take over, and it could be far worse. He referenced the Michigan constitution, and its requirement on the legislature to provide funding for the schools.

My guess is that he did not ask the question of the attorneys advising the house “what might happen if every school district subjected the taxpayers to the same challenge?”

YES, the state is supposed to provide an education. The legislature is supposed to “maintain and support a system of elementary and secondary schools.. ” In fact, From the state constitution:

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Michigan, Michigan Politics

DPS Down Payment A Major Mistake.

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What are these legislators thinking?

shackles copyOperation ‘Can Kick’ In Full Swing. (re-posted from jasongillman.com)

Its for the children, right? HB5296, a $48.7 Million bill to get DPS through the school year, met little resistance from our state legislature, with seven senate, and only four house members opposing the final package. How could anyone vote to essentially close the doors? Its a valid question, and the intent should be considered honorable. However, an honest assessment of the overall situation can only remind us that it is with the best intent that we fail our children once again.

If the vote to hand over the money eradicated all debt, and set the course for district solvency, it would be hard to argue against such logic. However, the greater debt and liability still exists, and the precedent is set for the remaining $700,000,000 bailout that is next to come for DPS. Even that number is of questionable sufficiency, and is likely to be higher. Even with a bailout of this magnitude, it would be foolish to think it would be the end of hands out from a district that has produced 25% graduation rates, all the while receiving the highest per capita foundation payments.

And then there is the question of mismanagement being simply benign, or instead as a purposeful quest, evidenced by new indictments of a dozen prominent administrators within the district. Surely this is merely the tip of the iceberg.

Let us not forget also, that Detroit Schools represent only a part of the state’s public education apparatus. To be sure, it is not the only school district in Michigan that is facing obligations that seem insurmountable. What are we to do next when Grand Rapids Schools, Lansing, or even Traverse City Area Public Schools cry “No Mas!” throwing up their hands in futility?

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