HeadlinesA News Report for Michigan Education Leaders

May 13, 2014

inside this issue:

Download a Smartphone app to scan the QR code and learn more about MASB.

2014 Education Excellence Award Winners Announced

House and Senate Pass School Aid Budgets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

60 Years Following Brown v. Board of Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

2014 Education Excellence Winning Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

School Districts Get Advice on ‘Doing More With Less’ . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

School Boards Disapprove of Congress’ Attempt to Expand Charter Schools . . .15

MASB, with the generous support of SET SEG School Insurance Spe-

cialists, is proud to recognize 20 unique and innovative public school programs with the 2014 Education Excellence Award. These districts, schools, ad-ministrators, teachers, students and programs have helped to raise student achievement, encourage critical think-ing, and demonstrate innovation and uniqueness. They also have found solu-tions to complex educational challeng-es, and haven’t let financial challenges and limited resources stand in the way of attaining excellence.

In honor of its 20th anniversary, the Education Excellence Awards program was reimagined to showcase as many programs as possible. The changes in-cluded:

• More Winners—As programs have become increasingly more innova-tive, it’s been difficult to select just nine winners. This year, the top 20 point earners will each receive the same monetary award ($1,800).

• Simplified Categories—Four broader categories were introduced, allowing participants to more eas-ily identify where their program fit best.

• Updated Criteria—The Educa-tion Excellence Awards are better aligned with today’s K-12/intermedi-ate educational needs and priori-ties.

This year’s award winners represent:

• 19 districts in 13 counties

• Six first-time recipients (Bran-don School District, Farwell Area Schools, Marquette Area Public Schools, Midland County Educa-tional Service Agency, Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools and Warren Consolidated Schools)

• Seven Classroom-Based, 11 Beyond the Classroom and two ISD-devel-oped programs

In addition to the unrestricted mon-etary award from SET SEG, winning programs receive a trophy and metal street sign to display in their community proclaiming their district an “Education Excellence Winner.” The programs will be honored at an awards luncheon on Wednesday, May 14, and a poster ses-sion will be held during the MASB An-nual Leadership Conference on Saturday, Nov. 8.

Descriptions of each of this year’s win-ning programs begin on Page 6. Learn more about the Education Excellence program and past winners by using the searchable database.

New Report: Tax Cuts Have Hurt Schools, Haven’t led to Economic Prosperity

New Report, continued on Page 17

More than $51 billion in lost tax revenue, nearly $39 billion of which would have gone to public schools.

That’s what Michigan has given up over the past 20 years by cutting taxes in an effort to ignite economic prosperity, according to a new report.

The tax cuts were sold as being the catalyst to stimulate economic growth for the state, but over that period, Michigan’s national rank in per capita income has tumbled from 18th to 35th and the state’s unemployment

Education Excellence

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 20142

THIS YEAR, MEMBERS RECEIVE

$15.5 MillionIN COMBINED ASSETS

$9 millionin contribution reductions will be shared with members of the Workers’ Compensation Fund

$6.5 millionin net asset returns will be given to members of the Property/Casualty Pool

STABLE RATESCONSISTENT RETURNSSUPERIOR CUSTOMER SERVICE

415 W. Kalamazoo Street Lansing, MI 48933 | 1-800-292-5421 | www.setseg.org

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014 3

The House and Senate both passed their versions of the School Aid

budget on Thursday. The House version, House Bill 5314, includes increases to the foundation allow-ance by about the same amount as the Governor; however, the base allowance increase is less than the Governor’s recommendation. It also maintains the best practices line item and changes four others, including maintaining a minimum number of counselors and removing prohibited subjects of bargaining from contracts. Additionally, the proposal contains a 5 percent penalty for certain contracts passed after June 30, 2013.

One positive change the House Appropriations Committee made was to eliminate new language regarding deficit districts or districts on the brink, specifically setting up new reporting requirements and paths to emergency financial managers. It is expected that the Senate will be introducing a package of bills on this issue soon. By taking the language out of the budget, it will allow for a more thorough discussion on what really needs to be done to help our schools in this situation.

During debate in the House an amendment was added to distribute up to $35 million to districts with declining enrollment. To qualify, the district would have lost at least 1.2 percent of its pupil membership over the last year and not be in deficit. An amendment was also offered to reflect the Classrooms & Kids budget proposal; unfortunately, it was turned down.

The Senate version, Senate Bill 775, cuts seven specific line items

and rolls them into the foundation allowance, which is then allocated by the 2x formula. Among the line items eliminated were best practices and performance funding, as well the $100 million MPSERS offset. This budget will increase the per-pupil foundation above the Governor’s recommendation, but the overall amount of funding a district receives could be lower under this plan than the Governor’s because of the MPSERS change.

An amendment was also offered in the Senate to reflect the Classroom & Kids budget, but was defeated. The Senate did adopt an amendment to increase funding for ISDs to closer match the increase local districts could receive.

Despite the Classrooms & Kids proposal being defeated in both chambers, the discussion is not over. Because there are many differences in the two bills, they will now be referred to a conference committee to work out a compromise and final proposal. The conference committee will be made up of three Senators (two Republicans and one Democrat) and three Representatives (two Republicans and one Democrat). MASB will continue to talk to legislators, especially those who are expected to be on the conference committee making the final decisions about the budget, about adopting the Classrooms & Kids proposal.

One final twist in the budget negotiations is the upcoming Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference. This is the second CREC of the year and will produce the revenue estimates that all state budgets will be based on. CREC will be held on Thursday, May 15, and

MASB is hearing that revenues are lower than were expected at the January conference. Some estimates put the revenues for the School Aid Fund at $40 million less than estimated in January.

Final budget numbers and discussions will begin after May 15. The Legislature and Governor still maintain a goal of passing and signing the budget before June 1.

Thank you to all of the districts that have adopted a resolution in support of the Classroom & Kids proposal. Hearing local support from their constituents is always a positive for legislators. If you have not already done so, we urge you to adopt a board resolution to show your support for the proposal. Once passed, please be sure to share it with us and your Senator and Representative.

Legislative UpdateHouse and Senate Pass School Aid Budgets

Don’t miss the weekly News From the Capitol emails distributed by the MASB Government Relations Department every Friday when the Legislature is in session .

Keep up-to-date and find out what’s happened in Lansing over the last week .

Sign-up on the MASB website and view the archive of legislative alerts and updates here .

If you have any questions, contact Jennifer Smith, assistant director for government relations, at jsmith@masb .org .

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 20144

60 Years Following Brown v. Board of Education—What has (or Hasn’t) Changed?This Saturday, May 17, marks the

60th anniversary of the landmark ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education strik-ing down the “separate but equal” segregation that existed in public education.

Many positive strides have been made in the last six decades, including:

• A 2014 study conducted by Rucker Johnson, a public policy professor at the University of California at Berkeley, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, found desegregation’s impact on racial equality to be deep, wide and long-lasting. Black Americans who attended schools integrated by court order were more likely to graduate, go on to college and earn a degree than black Americans who attended segregated schools.

• Just before Brown, only about one in seven African-Americans, compared with more than one in three whites, held a high school

degree. Today, the Census Bureau reports, the share of all African-American adults holding high school degrees (85 percent) nearly equals the share of whites (89 percent); blacks have slightly passed whites on that measure among young adults ages 25 to 29.

• Before Brown, only about one in 40 African-Americans earned a college degree. Now more than one in five hold one. Educational advances have also keyed other gains, including the growth of a substantial black middle-class and health gains that have cut the white-black gap in life expectancy at birth by more than half since 1950.

But there are other factors coming into play that may impact how public schools continue to respond:

• The National Center for Educational Statistics recently projected that minorities will become a majority of the K-12 public school student body for the first time in 2014—and that majority will steadily

widen.

• The Center for American Progress and the National Education Association released data from the National Center of Education Statistics, which found that 82 percent of the teachers are white, while 48 percent of the students are nonwhite.

• Several analysts question whether segregation is worsening, but no one denies that racial and economic isolation remains daunting: One recent study found that three-fourths of African-Americans and two-thirds of Hispanics attend schools where a majority of the students qualify as low-income.

John W. Borkowski shares a few thoughts for how public school districts should celebrate in the April 2014 American School Board Journal. How is your school recognizing the anniversary of this landmark decision? Share your stories with us on Facebook or by sending them to webmaster@masb.org.

A Look BackBrown v. Board of Education Timeline1898—Plessey ruling

U.S. Supreme Court embraces “separate but equal” policy, offering legal protection for school segregation.

1940—Public opinionAlmost one-third of all Americans

express support for integrated schools. In Southern states, however, integration has the support of 2 percent of the populace.

1954—Brown v. Board of EducationSupreme Court bans school

segregation, declaring separate schools “inherently unequal” and pushing the

nation into a tumultuous policy debate over integration.

1955—Brown IIHigh court calls for school

desegregation “with all deliberate speed.”

1956—Public opinionNearly half of Americans express

support for integrated schools. In the South, 15 percent now agree that blacks and whites should sit in the same classrooms.

1957—Little Rock protestsThe 101st Airborne Division and

National Guard are called to the Arkansas capital to provide protection for nine black students integrating Central High School.

1959—Washington, D.C. marchA crowd of 25,000 marches in the

nation’s capital in support of school desegregation.

1963—Public opinionNearly three-quarters of Americans—

including 31 percent of Southerners—voice support for integration.

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014 5

With MASB’s FREE New Online Survey ToolMeasure Your Board’s Performance

Learn more atwww.masb.org/board-self-assessment.aspx!

Board Self-Assessment

A board self-assessment serves many purposes, including:

• Fostering healthy dialogue

• Improving the board’s understanding of its roles and responsibilities

• Gathering the perceptions of all board members

• Identifying next steps for board development• Demonstrating continuous improvement

MASB encourages boards to develop a strong commitment to regularly evaluate and improve their practices and procedures, and is available to help member boards meet this important challenge.

1964—Civil Rights ActTitle IV of this Act authorizes the

federal government to file school desegregation cases.

1968—Green v. School Board of New Kent County

U.S. Supreme Court orders segregated schools to be dismantled “root and branch.” The court identifies criteria to gauge compliance with desegregation orders.

1971—Swan v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg

High court approves strategies—busing, magnet schools, etc.—to promote integrated schools.

1974—Milliken v. BradleyBy rejecting metropolitan-wide

desegregation plans, the high court seriously undermines hope of urban school integration.

1988—Integration peaksAlmost 45 percent of black students

attend majority-white schools. In later years, the nation sees public schools reverse course and become increasingly segregated by race.

1991—Board of Ed. of Oklahoma City v. Dowell

New rules allow school systems to free themselves from court desegregation order. In Oklahoma City, schools undermine desegregation efforts with a focus on neighborhood schools.

2001—Race-based policies barred: Charlotte, N.C.

White parents seek an end to desegregation plan in the city-county school system, and a federal court judge bars the use of race in future student assignments.

2007—Parents InvolvedU.S. Supreme Court rules against

voluntary school integration plans, leading to an escalation in the resegregation of the nation’s schools.

Source: NSBA Urban Advocate, Spring 2014.

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 20146

2014 Education Excellence Winning Programs

Riparian Area Integrated LearningAllendale Middle School, Allendale Public SchoolsAllendale Middle School students are contributing new research data to the scientific community. The Riparian Area Integrated Learning project, or RAIL, helps sixth grade students investigate the ecology of stream ecosystems. By researching watershed systems, participants are able to assess water quality and the overall health of ecosystems. The program helps to immerse students in real science and then contribute their findings to a peer-reviewed scientific community. Since beginning the program, students in Allendale Public Schools have achieved a seven-point increase in the science portion of the MEAP test.

Blissfield Environmental Life LabBlissfield Elementary School, Blissfield Community SchoolsThe Blissfield Environmental Life Lab, commonly called the BELL, is at the cutting edge of a “hands-on, minds-on” approach to state science content expectations and curriculum. K- 5 teachers use the BELL for observations, experimentation and science activities.

The fifth grade students take responsibility by caring for the living and nonliving plants and animals as “Zoo Keepers.” Not only is life science experienced by students, but physical and earth science activities are integrated. Students experiencing a tropical rainforest mist firsthand and various animals found around the world are examples of expanding the students’ educational identity with social studies lessons. The goal for Blissfield Community Schools is to prepare students for the future, engaging them to finding creative answers to complex problems; for on their way to discovering truth, students find life.

Native Speakers as Helpers in English Learner ClassesBrandon High School, Brandon Schools

Just like many programs that start out with one goal and end up meeting many others, the Brandon High School English Learner (EL) program wanted to come up with a way to avoid isolating students in an EL-only classroom. The idea was to enroll native English speakers in the class to serve in a variety of roles, such as modeling various learning strategies, helping students individually meet certain targets.

The program and its unique integration of EL students and mentors have helped to increase EL student involvement in school activities, such as varsity soccer, basketball, track, honors choir and even student council. The original goal was to improve the students’ scores on the English Language Proficiency Assessment—Brandon High School has accomplished that and so much more.

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014 7

Bartering BonanzaClare High School, Clare Public SchoolsBartering Bonanza is a unique district-wide service learning project at Clare Public Schools. The goal of the project is to instill the importance of community service while teaching basic economics, marketing and entrepreneurial skills. It starts in the high school with a guest speaker who discusses the sharp rise in poverty and the growing distress that low-income families are experiencing.

This awareness inspires the high school students to contribute by forming business partnerships and creating products for a Bartering Bonanza. The middle and primary school teachers inform parents about Bartering Bonanza and the needed list with each item assigned a Bartering Buck amount ranging from $1 to $2.

Students enter the gym and exchange donated items for Bartering Bucks. Young shoppers roam the Bonanza viewing booths and make purchases. All students involved in this event have donated to the community either by providing items or creating products.

Dearborn’s 8-Step Plan to Improve Graduation RatesDearborn Public SchoolsThe Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education identified the need to develop a plan to improve district graduation rates. The resulting 8-Step Plan is intended to improve both short- and long-term graduation rates and ensure Dearborn students’ continuing success.

The plan includes social work support, truancy officers at school to reduce absences, a superintendent’s drop-out challenge, credit recovery through extended day or summer school, graduation intervention specialists at each high school, math and literacy coordinators to help evaluate teachers and improve instruction, and ninth grade academies at each high school.

Organizers are using these tools to encourage student achievement and improve graduation rates. The students have bought into the program and are working to ensure they leave Dearborn High School with a diploma.

Credit-Based College TuitionFarwell High School, Farwell Area SchoolsFarwell has an extremely high population of at-risk, low socioeconomic students and many were not transitioning into college after graduation or dropping out due to poor academic performance and weak support systems.

Farwell High School leaders wanted to give students the tools to succeed at the college level by starting a credit-based college tuition program. The goal is to maximize the number of students entering college and graduate 70 percent of students with 30 or more college credits.

This extremely unique college transition program offers an individualized education, including mentoring, a variety of career pathways and numerous supports. Through Farwell’s transition program, students receive daily classroom support that helps students shift into the college mindset without having the financial burden or anxieties associated with college. The program begins in their freshman year and focuses on communication, creativity, critical thinking and collaboration. Since the program’s inception, the amount of college credits completed by Farwell students has grown exponentially.

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • April 29, 20148

A Place for ALL in the TheaterFrankenmuth School DistrictFrankenmuth leaders set out to create a program that encouraged student participation in extracurricular activities.

Organizers found that students who are engaged in these activities develop a stronger overall self-confidence and therefore perform better in the classroom. In accessing the opportunities at Frankenmuth, leaders realized there were already numerous athletic opportunities, band and choir, and several traditional clubs such as student council. With that in mind, the staff and community were challenged with stepping up to the plate and creating opportunities for ALL students.

Knowing that Frankenmuth boasts a beautiful 475-seat theater and performing arts was nonexistent, the “A Place for ALL in the Theater” program was born. The goal was to encourage and involve any student who wished to be involved in some aspect of the theater. Since April 2012, Frankenmuth has put on five major theater productions involving hundreds of students. The combined attendance of the shows has been nearly 4,500 people.

The Center for Student SuccessGrand Blanc High School, Grand Blanc SchoolsThe Center for Student Success is a unique learning environment where students facing adversity and who have had difficulty being successful in a traditional setting receive additional support and opportunities. CSS is a school within Grand Blanc High School. Students are involved in CSS programming and are able to participate in all aspects of Grand Blanc High School at large.

Students apply and, along with parents, are interviewed. Acceptance into the program is a privilege. It is regarded with respect as staff and students have created a positive attitude and sense of pride around what it means to be “Alternative.” The mission statement of CSS is to provide a unique alternative learning environment where students have a quality educational experience. They will succeed by taking responsibility for their own academic learning, while developing appropriate social and life skills that lead to healthy personal development. The program is committed to the at-risk population and to their creativity in bringing about change and authentic learning for students resulting in high expectations and accomplishments.

Early Intervention Reading InitiativeLake Orion Community SchoolsThe Early Intervention Reading Initiative at Lake Orion Community Schools involves a comprehensive screening of all kindergarten students with measures of prereading skills in order to provide a targeted individual student plan for every kindergartner.

The initiative involved hiring and extensively training reading interventionists in the areas of reading, problem solving, and research-based reading strategies and interventions. In addition, general education teachers were provided professional development on how to support students under the Reader’s Workshop Model. Monthly collaborative data team meetings were facilitated in each building and targeted interventions based on individual student needs were implemented.

Student progress was monitored every two weeks to assess student growth. The mission was to create a service delivery model that would teach all kindergarten

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • April 29, 2014 9

students to read based on their individual needs. In the current school year, nearly 80 percent of first grade students are meeting reading standards, up from 59 percent just four years ago.

ROCK ClubPine Tree School, Lake Orion Community SchoolsIn 1998, the ROCK Club, an acronym for Responsible Outstanding Caring Kids, was established at Pine Tree School in Lake Orion. This unique and innovative after-school enrichment club provides an opportunity for members to actively participate in a once-a-week, 25-minute discussion addressing social problems such as bullying, the importance of teamwork and getting along with others, and improving the school academically, emotionally and socially. In the 15 years of its existence, it has evolved to address the unique needs of an ever-changing world, but the foundation of the club has remained the same—to promote and support leadership, empathy, good citizenship, critical thinking skills, self-esteem and responsibility. More than 100 boys, in third through fifth grades, have participated in this club, many of whom return on a regular basis.

The ROCK Club teaches life-long skills and gives members the foundation to be positive citizens and leaders in the community.

Before-School Intervention for MathRolland-Warner Middle School, Lapeer Community SchoolsRolland-Warner Middle School’s Before-School Intervention provides struggling students with an extra 60 minutes per day of math instruction to help increase foundational math skills. In addition to grades, teachers use data from MEAP and NWEA’s MAP math assessments to select eligible candidates for BSI and to measure academic progress.

As BSI students meet their individual goals, they may exit the program as determined by their instructors. Research shows that this extra support can make a major difference in math achievement not just in middle school, but in high school and on college entrance exams.

The program’s goals and objectives include improving foundational understanding of algebra, functions, expressions, equations, basic math facts, real and complex number systems, geometry, statistics and probability. Students also collaborate with peers using mathematical language. The program is already helping math students increase standardize test scores.

Making Macomb Transitions—Building a Communitywide Kindergarten Transition SystemMacomb Intermediate School DistrictTo support local districts and students transitioning to kindergarten, Macomb Intermediate School District designed a program for educators called Making Macomb Transitions. The objective was to build a communitywide kindergarten transition system to create a seamless educational pathway capable of preparing our youngest students for success in school and in life.

The three main goals of the program were to: 1) Provide educators with the tools, strategies and parent resources needed to create a kindergarten transition plan; 2) Provide educators with a deep understanding of the three types of kindergarten transition connections and how families, schools and communities can work together

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 201410

to ensure the transition into school sets the stage for a lifetime of successful learning; and 3) Provide all participating schools with literacy instructional activities/materials for their incoming kindergarten students and their families.

Promoting parental involvement helps to develop a home and school partnership to give children the means to succeed!

Rock the Socks (“Defeeting” Homelessness)Marquette Alternative High School, Marquette Area Public SchoolsFirst-Time WinnerRock the Socks (“Defeeting” Homelessness) is an innovative and unique program that was immediate and necessary in a community that faces extreme cold conditions and economic difficulties. Students studying the universal theme of apathy versus empathy in their core classes designed this community-based project.

Through research it was discovered that coats, hats and mittens are regularly donated but not socks. Equally important is that socks are within the financial means of high school students to purchase and donate, making this a realistic and needed fundraiser.

The goals and objectives for this unique program include an increased awareness of homelessness and of the financial hardships facing people in the local community, as well as collaboration between local schools, businesses, community members, nonprofit organizations and the local university.

Numerous organizations in the community received the donated socks, including St. Vincent DePaul, Goodwill and The Women’s Shelter.

The HUBPost-Secondary School Programs, Midland County Educational Service AgencyFirst-Time WinnerMidland County Educational Service Agency operates three post-secondary, transition-specific classrooms. Students who participate in these programs are referred by the local school district and are eligible for special education. Students range between the ages of 19 and 26.

The HUB coffee shop is a microenterprise operated by the students and staff of the post-secondary classrooms. The coffee shop has been operating as a school-based enterprise within one of the post-secondary classroom setting for the last three years.

During that time, the customer base included only staff, but this past school year it was expanded to include a café setting open to the public. The main mission of the school-based enterprise is to empower special education students to learn and connect classroom-, community- and career-related skills while also providing training to students with disabilities as they prepare for work. The program helps to provide guidance to students as they transition into adult life. Some of the basic work skills taught include customer service, job safety procedures, cash handling, inventory, grooming and hygiene, as well as food and beverage preparation.

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014 11

Sales ManagementH.H. Dow High School, Midland Public SchoolsWith the driving question of “How can you become a promotional genius?,” sales management students at H.H. Dow High School in Midland launched into a project-based learning unit creating professional promotional plans for local business clients. Students were teamed based on common business interests and then assigned to one of 16 local business clients specific to their industry of interest.

The teacher became the facilitator of learning and the students became inquirers, thinkers, creators, communicators and collaborators. Students were challenged to meet rigorous technical standards including topics such as types of promotion and effectiveness, channels used to communicate with target audiences, the promotional mix and social media’s role, maximizing return on promotional efforts, developing and delivering presentations using appropriate media and preparing complex multimedia publications.

Student connections with businesses were enhanced through the completion of the Toastmasters Youth Leadership Certification program where students gained a strong foundation in communication and presentation skills prior to the project. Business representatives also served as expert presenters and mentors guiding students through aspects of the project.

K-12 Alternative Energy CurriculumNew Haven Elementary, Endeavour Middle and New Haven High Schools, New Haven Community SchoolsThe K-12 Alternative Energy Curriculum in the New Haven Community Schools district is embedded into all grade levels for all students. The elementary focus is solar, middle school is wind and high school is biofuels. Additionally, the program built a relationship with Macomb Community College creating opportunities where all of our high school students can graduate with their diploma and a Renewable Energy Certificate for completing 16 credits of college coursework in one of six different renewable energy pathways.

The program helps to create conscientious consumers of energy, prepare students for future energy jobs, and embed alternative energy projects and concepts into existing curriculum increasing relevancy and achievement.

The Alternative Energy Curriculum also features female high school students attending Women in Engineering activities at the University of Michigan, students attending Oakland University’s alternative energy days to build solar cells, and three wind turbines, multiple solar panels and a student-built, solar-powered lawn sprinkling system in the district.

Community Volunteer Service ProgramNovi High School, Novi Community School DistrictThe Community Volunteer Service program, or CVS, at Novi High School has supported students since 1987 as they seek out nonprofit community organizations for volunteer work experiences. The program is unique due to the organization, accountability and rewards garnered by students who participate.

Students have the opportunity to grow personally, gain satisfaction from helping others and explore a future career through their volunteer work.

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 201412

Participation numbers are on par with athletics and the arts, and student representation comes from every walk of our academic community: National Honor Society applicants, Special Education Buddies and students working toward Credit Recovery.

CVS is a true snapshot of Novi’s students working to meet the needs of its community while learning valuable career and life skills, including enhanced awareness of community needs, humanitarian efforts, promotion of leadership characteristics and increased self-confidence.

Pre-Engineering ProgramOxford Middle School, Oxford Community SchoolsThe U.S. Department of Commerce states that jobs in science, technology, engineering and math fields will grow 17 percent by 2018. Oxford Community Schools chose to challenge this demand in 2008 by establishing a strategic goal to implement research-based curriculum and instructional practices that provide authentic, real-world skills applicable to a global marketplace.

One of those is the Oxford Middle School Pre-Engineering Program, a comprehensive, required program designed to expose and prepare all sixth through eighth grade students for higher education in STEM fields.

Through the program, every Oxford Middle School student is immersed in a project-based, pre-engineering curriculum designed to challenge and inspire their ingenuity. The students utilize industry-grade software to solve complex problems during eight nine-week courses. The goals are to encourage future student participation in STEM fields, particularly among females; fulfill the district’s strategic initiative to provide an education that meets the demands of an ever-growing and changing international job market; and create collaboration among grade levels.

Pewamo-Westphalia Students Take Charge Pewamo-Westphalia High School, Pewamo-Westphalia Community SchoolsFirst-Time WinnerPewamo-Westphalia Students Take Charge is a student-led program. High school students there knew public schools would be faced with new challenges from a Michigan budget crisis. Concerned about losing school funding, students worked together to find new ways to address the problem. They created Pewamo-Westphalia Students Take Charge to improve their education.

It is the mission of PWSTC to give every student the resources that he or she will need to succeed, not only in the classroom but in life as well. Students held fundraisers in the community to help pay for critical programs, projects and supplies, including books, musical instruments, a mobile computer lab and even video equipment.

This year, the students also began raising money for the Helping Hands Fund—a fund that supports low-income students whose families cannot provide essential goods and services. Pewamo-Westphalia is this year’s only student-led program winner.

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014 13

Peer-to-PeerSterling Heights High School, Warren Consolidated SchoolsFirst-Time WinnerSterling Heights High School has initiated a Peer-to-Peer program. This program is designed to transform the culture of Sterling Heights High School by teaching principles of acceptance and awareness for students with learning differences.

Through this experience, students are given multiple opportunities to interact with their general education peers, helping them gain self-confidence and develop appropriate social skills. Monthly large group activities merge students with autism, cognitive impairments, emotional impairments, learning disabilities, speech and language impairments, and physical impairments with their general education peers.

These activities allow a close look at what makes a team work, including elements such as communication, planning, trust, leadership, respect and responsibility. The ultimate goal of the program is to embed these strategies into the school culture and community.

Education Excellence

291 number of local and

intermediate districts that have won since 1994

13Awards received

by Macomb ISD, the winningest ISD in the last 20 years

14Years SET SEG School

Insurance Specialists have sponsored the Education

Excellence Awards

15Awards received by

Southgate Community Schools the winningest

local district

113Applications received for the 2014 awards

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 201414

School Districts Get Advice on ‘Doing More With Less’

Executive Search Services Superintendent Vacancies

District:Decatur Schools

Position Closing Date:May 28, 2014

District:New Lothrop Area Public Schools

Position Closing Date:June 12, 2014

Contact MASB Executive Search Services for information about applying for any of the positions above or assistance in retaining a superintendent at doser@masb.org or 517.327.5923.

With America’s public schools unlikely to return to past funding

levels in the near future, the District Management Council released a policy guide last week to help districts thrive, rather than just survive, within the constraints of their new fiscal re-alities.

In the main report, “Spending Money Wisely: Getting the Most From School District Budgets,” the council lists 10 high-impact opportunities that it says helps school systems “do more with less.” The Boston-based consulting group, which helps its member districts with management issues, began posting a set of papers outlining specific steps to implement the cost-saving measures on its website on May 8.

“For most of history, school budgets went up faster than inflation, and we managed ourselves well, given that reality,” said Nathan Levenson, the council’s managing director and a former superintendent of the Arlington, Mass., schools. “That reality has changed. It is a world of shifting rather than of adding and, as a result, it requires new strategies and different types of data systems.”

The council reached out to more than 30 “brainstorming partners,” including superintendents, chief financial officers, college professors and researchers,

to identify strategies to realign school resources. The council then evaluated those 71 ideas, assessing their financial benefit, impact on student achievement, political feasibility and certainty of success.

From increasing class sizes to evaluating the academic return on investment, the ideas are intentionally recognizable and actionable, the group says.

“These are very practical, actually implementable, ideas that can lead to higher achievement even if [school district] budgets shrink,” Mr. Levenson said.

The report is part of a $7 million effort funded by the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to examine how schools can use money more effectively. The foundation is working on such strategies in the Fayette County schools in Lexington, Ky.; the Lake County schools in Tavares, Fla.; the Knox County schools in Knoxville, Tenn.; and the Rochester, N.Y., district.

Read the full Education Week article here.

The Top 10Here are steps that school districts can take to manage their funds more effectively, according to the District Management Council’s latest research:

1. Calculating the academic return on investment of existing programs

2. Managing student-enrollment projections to meet class-size targets

3. Evaluating and adjusting remediation and intervention staffing levels

4. Adopting politically acceptable ways to increase class size or teachers’ workload

5. Spending federal entitlement grants to leverage their flexibility

6. Adopting more-efficient and higher-quality reading programs

7. Improving the cost-effectiveness of professional development

8. Rethinking how items are purchased

9. Lowering the cost of extended learning time

10. Targeting new investments by eliminating inefficient and unsuccessful strategies

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014 15

School Boards Disapprove of Congress’ Attempt to Expand Charter Schools

The National School Boards Association recently issued its opposition to H.R. 10,

the Success and Opportunity through Qual-ity Charter Schools Act, which passed in the national House of Representatives last week.

Decisions regarding charter schools should rest with the state and the local school board, not federal lawmakers, NSBA contends. The legislation also fails to recog-nize that to protect student outcomes, char-ter schools should be authorized exclusively by the local school board.

“Charter schools absent school board oversight have far less accountability for student achievement than traditional public schools,” said Thomas J. Gentzel, NSBA executive director. “The school board gover-nance model protects student outcomes for the many, not the few, and strives to resolve inequities in educational delivery and ser-vice.”

Further, lawmakers must focus on ade-quately funding the primary system of pub-lic education instead of creating a second-

ary system of education that siphons off essential funding. With multiple chartering authorities, local school districts can be adversely impacted as the per-pupil expenditures are reallocated or deducted from operational revenue essential to maintain already cash-strapped school district operations.

“The future of America is dependent on ready access to a high-quality educa-tion,” Gentzel said. “If Congress passes legislation to help states and local com-munities improve the quality of their public schools absent federal intrusion, we applaud it, but this should apply to all students equally, not just those enrolled in charter schools. The call to action the legislation raises is that our nation must create a level playing field for public char-ter schools and traditional public schools alike.”

Contact your Senator and urge them to vote against the Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act.

Add Boyne to Your Summer Calendar2014 MASB Summer School for School Leaders

When: Aug. 8 – 9 Where: Boyne Highlands What: A weekend featuring CBA classes, “Go to Pros” Summit for Administrative Professionals, Board President Workshop, Advanced Workshop for Board Presidents and family fun!

Register today at www.masb.org!

A publication of the Michigan Association of School Boards

Contact MASB800 .968 .4627 • www .masb .org 517 .327 .5900 • webmaster@masb .org

MASB DatebookBoard Leadership Development

Opinions and sponsorships expressed in Headlines don’t necessarily reflect the position of MASB.

HeadlinesA News Report for Michigan Education Leaders

Mission StatementTo provide quality educational leadership services for all Michigan boards of educa-tion, and to advocate for student achieve-ment and public education.

2013-2014 MASB Board OfficersPresident: Ruth Coppens President-Elect: Donald Hubler Vice President: Darryle Buchanan Past President: Steve Zinger

Executive Director Kathy Hayes

Director of Communications, PR and MarketingJohn Tramontana

May 17, 2014CBAs @ Fitzgerald

May 28, 2014CBA 274 @ Eaton RESA

June 2, 2014CBA 259 @ Marquette-Alger RESA With Distance Learning Sites

June 6, 2014CBA 101 @ Lansing Community College West Campus

June 30, 2014CBA 103 @ Dundee Community Schools

View Complete Calendar

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 201416

Kids Get Back to Nature for Rouge Study“That’s a bug.” “No, that’s a crayfish.” “I thought it was a peanut.”

Those are some of the discoveries made during the Rouge River water quality survey conducted by eighth graders from Pierce Middle School Monday morning at Lola Park in Redford.

“We sort through and see if there are any bugs and organisms in here,” student Paula Smith said as she and her science partner used tweezers and spoons to pick through a wet, black pile of soil, leaves and other matter scooped out of the nearby Rouge River.

Smith found a small crayfish and proceeded to name it “Clarence.”

“It fits him perfectly,” Smith said.

The students needed to find enough organisms to have a good sample, science teacher Erin Trost said as the sorting process continued.

Meanwhile, teacher George Houttekier, dressed in waders, helped guide a similarly clad student to collect samples with a net on a long stick, resembling a butterfly net, and put them in tubs for sorting.

After the sorting the kids would then perform tests on the samples. Students were surveying three components—physical, biological and chemical, Trost said.

They performed these tests to investigate the health of the river. From their results, they calculate a standardized numerical value that indicates the relative health of the river section they surveyed, according to the

Friends of the Rouge website.

Sixteen students participated in the education project Monday after receiving a grant from Friends of the Rouge. The grant provided the materials and training needed to perform the project.

Examining ecological and social factors that influence water quality is part of the students’ survey.

Students also learn how to work with a group and develop group problem-solving skills.

Source: Observer & Eccentric, May 9, 2014.

CTE Program Celebrates 25th AnniversaryOfficials of West Shore Community College and the West Shore Educational Service District have scheduled a celebration of the 25th anniversary of their joining together to provide the local Career and Technical Education program.

The college and ESD—which was then the Mason-Lake Intermediate School District—formed a partnership in 1988 to provide technical and vocational programs for local high school juniors and seniors.

When it was launched, the partnership offered seven different programs and attracted 236 students.

The CTE program now offers 10 fields of study—allied health, automotive repair, construction, criminal justice, digital media, graphic communications, hospitality, marketing, mechatronics and welding, and has attracted more than 400 students.

“This has been such a wonderful

partnership,” said Randy Howes, superintendent of the ESD. “These things don’t happen everywhere.”

Howes said ESDs and colleges in other Michigan communities sometimes each start their own CTE programs and then compete for students and spend twice the tax money to offer those programs. That is not happening here, Howes said, because WSCC and the ESD have combined to provide a program that is beneficial for the area’s children and the community.

Source: Ludington Daily News, May 8, 2014.

Michigan Schools Taking Steps to Support Stu-dent HealthMichigan schools are stepping up to the task to build healthier school environments as a part of the Michigan Health and Wellness 4 x 4 Plan. In recognition of these efforts, the Michigan Department of Community Health and Governor Rick Snyder will recognize 18 Michigan schools for fostering healthy eating, physical activity habits and tobacco-free lifestyles among students.

“Throughout the 18 schools recognized today, more than 11,000 students have been impacted by the positive changes made in their school environments,” said James K. Haveman, director of the MDCH. “The effort put forth by these schools to promote healthy lifestyles has helped contribute to a decline in childhood obesity; proof that Michigan is moving in the right direction.”

Education NewsAround the State

Education News, continued on Page 18

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 2014 17

rate, aligned with the national average in 1994, last year was more than 25 percent above the national average, according to the report, “Michigan’s Tax Policies: Wrong Turns on the Path to Prosperity.”

“I think we need to get smarter in this state, not cheaper,” said Douglas C. Drake, author of the report and former head of the state Treasury Department’s Office of Revenue and Tax Analysis and a top legislative tax committee aide.

The report was commissioned by a number of education groups, including MASB, to examine the impact of Proposal A. It also closely examined both Michigan and national tax policies.

“Michigan’s tax cuts have been deep and dramatic,” Drake said. “Going back to 1977, we find that state and local revenues in Michigan have increased by less than any other state on a per capita basis, and are 42nd lowest when measured as a percentage of per capita income.”

The biggest winners of the tax cut policies over the past 20 years have been businesses. Michigan currently ranks 49th in the nation in business’ share of the tax burden. Nationally, businesses pay 45.2 percent on average of a state’s tax base. In Michigan, businesses pay just 35.8 percent.

“We know these cuts have led to major reductions in the size of government—a key goal of their proponents,” Drake said. “But we can also see, from this long view of the situation, that the state’s economy has not improved, and the average family in today’s Michigan is worse off than it was before we focused on tax cuts as our primary economic development tool.”

Public schools have suffered the most during the past two decades. The report concludes the School Aid Fund has lost $38.3 billion since 1994 — nearly $2 billion each year.

“Michigan’s schools have certainly felt the bite of these tax cuts,” said Kathy Hayes, MASB executive director. “And we can see that the quality of Michigan’s education system has suffered over this period.”

“We know the states at the top of achievement—like Massachusetts, Maryland and New Jersey —are spending far more to educate a student in their state than Michigan does,” Hayes said. ”Those states are also high in per capita income, evidence that they are attracting the ‘better jobs’ that are critical to a middle-class economy today.”

A special section of the study reviews the relative rankings of all states by

per capita income over the period of 1929 to 2010. Its key finding: the poorest states in the beginning of this period —Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee — are still among the poorest states in the nation today, even as they have followed low-tax policies that lead to low levels of public services.

“We can see from Michigan’s results since 1994, or from national data going back to before the Great Depression, dramatic cuts in taxes do not increase prosperity as measured by the income of average citizens,” Drake said. “Michigan can learn from this data, or continue to ignore it, as it moves forward.”

In addition to MASB, the report was funded by the American Federation of Teachers Michigan, Michigan Association of School Administrators, Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators, Middle Cities Education Association, Michigan Education Association and Michigan School Business Officials. A copy is available online at www.masb.org/drake-report.aspx.

Key Findings of the Drake ReportMichigan has slashed taxes over the last 20 years—an estimated $38.3 billion of which would have gone to K-12 education (Page 5, Table 1).

These cuts have meant very small revenue increases compared to other states—SMALLEST increase in the nation in taxes as measured on a per capita basis over the period of 1977 to 2011 (Page 17, Table 3A). Measured as a percentage of personal income, over the same period, Michigan’s increase was the 42nd lowest in the nation (Page 18, Table 3B).

Businesses are paying a very small share of the state’s tax burden by national standards—Michigan ranks 49th (35.8 percent); national average is 45.2 percent (Page 24, Table 5).

Our business climate rating is quite “good”—Michigan is now among the top 15 states by nature of the tax structure and burden on business (Page 23, Table 4); state is ranked third best overall when considering both costs and benefits to businesses (Page 24, Table 5).

Low taxes and levels of public services are not the path to long-term economic prosperity—a special section of the study reviews the relative rankings of all states by per capita income over the period of 1929 to 2010 and Michigan comes in 10th (Pages 34-36, Table 8).

Below average in tax burden, any way you measure it—since the late 1980s, Michigan has been a below average tax state on both a per capita and percent of income basis (Pages 15-16).

New Report, from Page 1

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • May 13, 201418

Worth Repeating

Worth Repeating doesn’t necessarily reflect the views or positions of MASB. It’s intended to spark dialogue and inform readers about what’s being said about public education around the state and nation.

Lawmakers Risk School ImprovementEditorial From the May 7, 2014 Lansing State Journal.

Michigan lawmakers are again showing reluctance to adapt

higher standards for the state’s schools. Residents should be con-cerned.

The state is midway through implementing Common Core standards, an initiative developed by the National Governors Association to help states achieve better outcomes in their K-12 classrooms.

Common Core is not a curriculum in itself. It’s a list of learning objectives around which states build their own curricula. And because states worked together developing the program, they are able to share resources and best practices, improving efficiency for all. The State Board of Education adopted the standards in 2010, but the Legislature has worked to slow down the process. Last year there was debate over funding needed to continue implementing the changes.

This year, the debate focuses on testing that would help measure success. Michigan has been part of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, a group of states working to develop tests that follow Common Core standards.

Lawmakers are reluctant to support the new tests. Department of Education officials say that casts doubt on whether the state’s students will be tested next year and possibly in 2015-2016 as well. Officials also say backing out now could jeopardize the state’s federal waiver under the No Child Left Behind program, among other problems.

Lawmakers say they are worried the Smarter Balanced tests are too long and won’t be ready for full implementation next spring.

States that have implemented new Common Core-focused tests have seen drops in the number of students getting

satisfactory scores—something to be expected when higher standards are applied, but something parents dislike.

Residents got a taste of what changing tests might be like last month when the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress test showed the state below the national average in reading and mathematics. Indeed, Michigan was among a handful of states that saw negative progress at some grade levels in some subjects.

Lawmakers objecting to Smarter Balanced tests say they want to make a sound choice on a new assessment. The right choice is making sure Michigan finds a test with high standards and a true comparison to other states, and then devotes the time and money to preparing the state’s educators to teach the needed material successfully.

The Michigan School Wellness Award program is part of the governor’s Health and Wellness 4 x 4 Plan. MDCH, in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Education, the United Dairy Industry of Michigan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and the Michigan Health and Wellness Education Workgroup today recognized Michigan’s award-winning schools at a special lunch event during the Michigan

Learning Connection Summit at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich.

The Michigan School Wellness Award program aims to engage schools statewide in creating healthy school environments by establishing Coordinated School Health Teams, completing the Healthy School Action Tools and implementing sustainable policy and environmental changes. The top award level, Gold, schools have

achieved each of these elements. To apply for the program, schools provide information about nutrition, physical education/activity and tobacco-free practices, and submit at least one success story. The winners of this year’s School Wellness Awards can be viewed here.

Source: Michigan Department of Community Health Press Release, May 6, 2014.

Education News, from Page 16