HeadlinesA News Report for Michigan Education Leaders

The Power and Promise of Modeling Transformational LeadershipBy Cile Chavez, M.Ed., Ed.D.

Those who answer the call to the challenges and complexities of

leadership are constantly given the op-portunity through circumstances to el-evate their thinking and behaviors. It is indeed a call to model the highest levels of leadership for greater effectiveness. However, this takes a certain degree of curiosity, deep reflection and clarity as to one’s intentions.

Service as a school board member is very unique and critical to the success of school districts. Roles and responsibilities provide a road map as to the “what” of the position. It is, however, the “how” that can offer the power and promise of

modeling transformational leadership. It is an unfolding journey, constantly influenced by external and internal influences. Given the challenges of:

• New requirements for employee evaluations;

• Changes in board composition; and

• Issues of teacher tenure, etc.

How can one model quality leadership in order to leave a legacy of intelligence and merit? What does being in the circle of influence look like for outstanding leaders? Indeed, this journey begins within. If you believe that, “who you are is

what you will do,” then it is a compelling call to examine one’s essence, intentions and attributes of a quality journey.

This examination might include being clear of one’s talents, gifts and skills that can contribute to an organization’s development and indeed, reputation. It takes great courage to act on one’s beliefs. The challenge is to embrace the facts, realities and motivations in order to formulate one’s beliefs.

The journey of a transformational leader is to truly be of service to others. What does that look like both personally and professionally? Again, knowing the answer strengthens the leader’s journey. We can then move to an awareness of behaviors to model that will positively impact our school districts. Of all the things board members could model, what must they model?

Any discussion of modeling must include the power of constructive, thoughtful, respectful relationships.

Oct. 14, 2014

inside this issue:

The Power, continued on Page 4

Campaign Do’s and Don’ts—Take Care to Avoid Campaign Law Violations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Regional Priority Setting Meetings Underway . . . . . . 3MASB Delegates Could Lead Change of Direction . . 4SET SEG Honors 10 Districts for Promoting Programs That Increase Safety, Lower Claims . . . . . 5It’s Never Too Soon to Start Preparing for Negotiations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Myths of School Board Service: Part I . . . . . . . . . . . . 7MASB Welcomes New Staff, Position Changes . . . . . 8VIP Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

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Nov. 6 – 9

Your One-Stop Access to: • The most respected educational thinkers and innovators

• CBA classes for school board members at all stages of board service

• A variety of clinic sessions

• Opportunities to connect with school-related vendors and peers

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • Oct. 14, 20142

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www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • Oct. 14, 20143

Legislative UpdateCampaign Do’s and Don’ts—Take Care to Avoid Campaign Law Violations

Did you realize that almost 80 percent of our education funding comes

through the state via the legislative pro-cess and every year there are hundreds of bills introduced in the state legisla-ture that prescribe, prohibit, encour-age or discourage matters that affect schools? Who we elect matters.

Nov. 4 is Election Day—take advantage of your right and privilege and VOTE! The Michigan House, Senate and Governor are on the ballot, along with other federal and local elections. You can view your sample ballot before heading to the polls.

Campaign laws can be complicated and a board member’s responsibilities can get a little murky. Here are the highlights of what’s allowed as we head into the home stretch before the Nov. 4 election.

• All information disseminated by a district relating to a ballot proposal must be factual without expressly advocating for or against the proposal if district funds are used.

• Board members and school employees may engage in campaign activities that support or oppose a ballot proposal or candidate on their own time as long as district funds aren’t used.

• Leasing school facilities, including office space or phones, to a community group supporting or opposing a ballot proposal or candidate for the purpose of contacting voters is prohibited.

• The teachers’ lounge, school bulletin boards and other areas within a district building may not be used to disseminate literature

supporting or opposing a ballot proposal or candidate even if it was printed by an outside organization.

• A school district may not use public resources to create and maintain Internet links to websites, organizations, commentary or editorials that expressly support or oppose a ballot proposal or candidate if the district does so for the purpose of influencing the outcome of the election.

• Board members and school employees may use their own materials to draft letters to the editor to express their opinions on an election.

• A school official is prohibited from sending a mass email or mailing that expressly advocates for or against a ballot proposal or candidate.

• A school board may discuss its support of or opposition to a ballot proposal at an open meeting, as well as adopt a resolution supporting or opposing the proposal and record the resolution in the meeting minutes. However, the use of public resources to distribute or publicize the resolution beyond the regular provision of factual information regarding actions taken by the board is prohibited.

• Board members may wear t-shirts or buttons that support or oppose a ballot proposal at board meetings if not prohibited by policy. School employees may also wear these items at school if not prohibited by policy or the district’s collective bargaining agreement.

Regional Priority Setting Meetings Underway

Our fall priority setting meetings have now been scheduled in each of the

MASB regions; meetings in Regions 4 and 7 have already been completed. At the meeting, board members and superintendents will brainstorm with MASB’s Government Relations staff on what your Association’s focus should be for the 2015-2016 legislative session.

All events start at 7 p.m. For more information and to register, visit our Calendar, or contact Cheryl Huffman at 517.327.5915 or chuffman@masb.org.

Please join us and encourage your local colleagues—board members and superintendents alike—to participate in these important events. MASB’s legislative agenda is only as strong as the number of voices that create it.

Schedule:Oct. 16, Region 5 – Genesee ISD

Oct. 16, Region 8 – Stout Middle School, Dearborn Public Schools

Oct. 21, Region 3 – Greenville Central Office

Oct. 27, Region 1 – Delta Schoolcraft ISD – (Remote locations available at Copper Country ISD, Dickinson-Iron ISD, Eastern Upper Peninsula ISD, Gogebic-Ontonagon ISD, Marquette-Alger RESA and Menominee ISD)

Oct. 28, Region 2 – Cheboygan-Otsego-Presque Isle ESD

Oct. 30, Region 6 – Van Buren Technology Center

Nov. 12, Region 8 – Macomb ISD

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • Oct. 14, 20144

MASB Delegates Could Lead Change of Direction

Much like we tell students in school, the success of the 2014 Delegate

Assembly and your Association is de-pendent on doing your homework. By now you have selected your delegates to represent your district at the MASB Del-egate Assembly and hopefully you have set aside time to review and discuss the proposed resolution changes as a full board. If you haven’t, you still have the next three weeks to do so. The delegates ultimately are attending on their board’s behalf to represent the position of your school district and that of your commu-nity, so it is important they have those positions to bring to the Amway Grand Plaza on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m.

Much of the discussion and voting focus on specific legislative, governance

or leadership issues that the MASB membership believes it is important for the Association to have or give direction on. Last year, the delegates approved a substantial revamping of the Handbook with a separation of advocacy based resolutions from general ones so that members, both new and old, would be able to more easily find and better articulate our Association positions on items in the resolutions book. Most of the resolution content was not changed, but the way they are presented to the Delegate Assembly is now quite different.

Following a legislative update and immediate past president and executive director reports, an overview of the 2014 Rules and Procedures will be presented and voted on. Then, the

continuing and amended resolutions will be reviewed before voting on those items takes place. There are no new and substituted resolutions or proposed changes to the bylaws this year.

Again, please take your time as delegates and MASB members to look at the Delegate Assembly Handbook, which is on the MASB website. If you have any questions or concerns about the Delegate Assembly, please contact Board Liaison Cheryl Huffman at chuffman@masb.org or 517.329.5915.

Relationships in any organization and certainly those that are designed to educate youth, are the bedrock of success—any measure of success.

Dr. Chavez is the first featured speaker (Friday, Nov. 7, 8:30 a.m.) at the 2014 MASB Annual Leadership Conference on the topic of “The Power and Promise of Modeling

Transformative Leadership.” Her presentation is intended to offer attributes leaders can model that will make all the difference, not only in their individual lives, but the lives of all those for whom they lead. Participants will be invited to pause, reflect and formulate what truly matters in this journey called leadership. We hope to see you there!

The Power, continued from Page 1

CBA 106—Please note that this course is taking place on Friday, Nov. 7 from 6 – 9 p.m., not on Thursday morning as listed in the print promo; our apologies for this error.

Delegates and members listen to the legislative update during the 2013 Delegate Assembly.

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • Oct. 14, 20145

Getting them there safely

For over 50 years, Dean

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SET SEG Honors 10 Districts for Promoting Programs That Increase Safety, Lower Claims

SET SEG is recognizing 10 districtswith the 2014 Safety is No Accident

Award. The award is given to members of the MASB-SEG Property/Casualty Pool and the SEG Workers’ Compensa-tion Fund in recognition of a district’s efforts to reduce claims and create a safe environment for staff, students and visitors.

These districts work closely with SET SEG Loss Control Consultants to analyze their claim data as they develop a targeted plan to increase safety measures, training and awareness, and building effective return-to-work programs for employees injured on the job.

Congratulations to:Branch ISD

Charlotte Public Schools

Croswell-Lexington Schools

Essexville-Hampton Public Schools

Lake Fenton Community Schools

Leslie Public Schools

Ludington Area Schools

Marquette-Alger RESA

Springport Public Schools

Warren Woods Public Schools

For more information about the Safety is No Accident Award program, visit www.setseg.org.

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • Oct. 14, 20146

It’s Never Too Soon to Start Preparing for Negotiations

Yes it’s that time again. You may have just finished negotiations for

2013-2014, or you may not even be done yet, but it’s time to start thinking about and preparing for your 2014-2015 negotiations.

Preparation is the foundation of success in many aspects of life and business. It is definitely true in labor negotiations.

To put it in perspective: negotiations impact 80 to 85 percent of most school districts’ budgets. It’s worth preparing for something that has such a significant impact on your budget.

If your team (administrators and board) have a history and pattern for roles and procedures it may be easiest to just follow what has been done in the past. Many boards have practices they’ve developed over years that have worked for them. Just the same, it makes sense to confirm/re-confirm the roles, responsibilities and processes you wish to use in negotiations.

No matter where you are with current negotiations, in November and December you should start looking toward the future. As a starting point, begin to consider the following:

Gather Data • Heath Insurance Bids/

Comparisons. Get them sooner rather than later.

• Salary Comparisons. Check MASB’s ERiN website and your district’s previous settlement information.

Assess Your Financial Situation • Where are you now?

• Prepare projections and “what ifs” based on student enrollment, state aid, etc.

• Project out three years based on your best, conservative assumptions.

Connect With Your Union Leadership

• Meet to discuss future negotiation processes and the start date.

• What does the union want?

• Gently set realistic expectations.

Prepare Your Board • Discuss process and

general goals but don’t lock-in specific goals this early in the process.

• Consider bringing in an outside expert to review the law and practice of negotiations.

• Give a realistic preview of what is likely to occur during negotiations.

Internally • Get a contract analysis by

an outside expert. MASB can help you with this, and so can a labor attorney.

• Review grievances. Past contract disputes may foreshadow future negotiation proposals.

• Talk with administrators. What problems have they had administering the current contract?

• Form your team. Inside or outside chief negotiator? Board members and/or administrators on the team?

Above all else, your negotiators must understand that the board and administrators are a bargaining TEAM. Unions often use tactics to split one or more board members from the rest, and/or to create doubt and questions about your administrators. Done during negotiations, this is a common tactic to help a union achieve its goals, and

is explicitly listed in union materials on negotiations. Understand and treat all negative comments about your board’s position and administrators as a potential tactic by the union until proven otherwise.

Boards have the ability to hold discussions about negotiations in closed session. That’s where questions can be answered and disagreements between your bargaining team discussed and resolved.

To dig even further into negotiation preparation, see MASB’s The Bargaining Toolkit.

How Can We Help You?

MASB is your partner throughout the nego-tiation process, from start to finish. Our

services to members are geared toward mak-ing sure you represent your district’s interests effectively and efficiently. Let us help you with any of the following services:

• Free phone consultations.

• Thorough, written contract analysis for a fee.

• Direct representation at the bargaining table by experienced negotiators.

• Behind the scenes consulting assistance.

• Help through ERiN to do salary comparisons, financial trend data, contracts and more.

• Individual board and administrator preparation seminars and general training.

Accomplishing your goals takes persistence, intelligence, hard work and good preparation. Contact: Brad Banasik, Legal Counsel/Director of Labor Relations & Policy, at bbanasik@masb.org or 517.327.5929, for assistance or questions.

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • Oct. 14, 20147

Myths of School Board Service: Part IBy Sandi Barry and Terry McCabe for the National School Boards Association

Each election year, citizens decide to run for their local school board

and some approach the job with pre-conceived ideas of what the job will be and what they want to accomplish on the board. Among those ideas are some persistent myths that veteran board members have learned are just not true.

Myth #1: I can speak and write as a private citizen about school issues. Be very careful if you think you can continue to speak or write as a private citizen on school issues once you are a board member. Even if you just sign a letter to the editor or an opinion piece with your name and town address (usually required for publication) the news media will pick up on who you are.

Your district may have a policy that outlines who may speak for the board. Usually that is the board president, but it can be a board member who has been designated because of expertise in a certain area. If you are saying

anything that borders on slander of a staff member, you may be liable.

Myth #2: I can stay involved with school-related groups. You may think you’ll be a great reference for them, but it may inhibit interaction in the group. You’re not just one of them anymore: you’re a board member. Let them know you’ll advocate for them, but you don’t want to do the work of staff.

This also can become an issue of intimidation. Check with your board president regarding any potential issues of conflict.

When you’re a board member and a parent, however, your parent hat always should come first. There’s no reason you can’t volunteer in your third-grade student’s classroom if you’ve always been the one to help with cutouts and copying for the teacher. Just be sensitive to larger issues and let someone else “carry the water.”

Myth #3: No more 7-0 votes! I am here to “rock the boat!” As long as they are reached independently, is there really anything wrong with a 7-0 vote? Of course not. Look at the process by which you reach an unanimous vote. Many boards have two or three readings on policies before adoption, which is plenty of time to make suggestions and changes.

So how do you convey your reasoning behind 7-0 votes? You can recap the process by which you reached your decision: “This item was vetted in committee and this was the recommendation.” Try to engage the vocal minority voices in your community to diffuse the possibility of an issue “going viral” with misinformation.

Also remember, even if the vote is split, the board should stand together on the decisions that are made for the district.

The Michigan Blues offer a wide range of health plans for school districts,

backed by the strongest state and national provider network.

Your options range from our PPO and HMO plans, to consumer-directed SM plans compatible with health savings accounts, to MyBlueSM

individual coverage. Our first-to-market group wellness product, Healthy Blue

LivingSM HMO, rewards you and your employees with lower costs for a greater

commitment to healthy behaviors.

And you have Blue DentalSM and vision coverage options, too. All from a

company that accepts everyone for coverage regardless of medical history,

with nearly 70 years of nonprofit heritage and an unrivaled commitment to the

future of Michigan.

For information on Blues plans available to MASB members, call 517-327-5900.

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Myths, continued on Page 13

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • Oct. 14, 20148

MASB Welcomes New Staff, Position ChangesPhil Knapp joined the Communications, Public Relations & Marketing team in August as the Video Production Coordinator. He is responsible for all video production

projects associated with MASB, including video editing, motion graphics and video camera shoots.

“Video is such an effective communication tool to help spread our message and get our members actively engaged,” said John Tramontana, Director of Communications, PR & Marketing. “We felt this was the right time to add this position to better serve our members. Phil’s experience and creativity already have been a great addition to the MASB team.”

Phil also works at WILX Channel 10 in Lansing as one of the full-time photographers with a lot of his responsibilities dealing with producing video clips for the news shows along with going out in the field for breaking news and manning cameras for live shots. In the past, he interned with HOM-TV in Meridian Township where he worked mostly on the production side of the organization, putting together promotional videos and helping with show production.

He is originally from Troy, and moved to the Lansing area a few years ago to attend Michigan State University, where he received his bachelor of arts in Media Arts and Technology. While at MSU he was part of the college’s first competitive ballroom dance team where he had the opportunity to compete in several nationally known competitions. He even placed in a couple of events.

Outside of work he enjoys working on his personal artwork along with self-publishing a graphic novel that he has debuted on his website.

Lisa N. Powers joined the MASB team on Sept. 22, in the newly revised role of Business Affiliate Manager. Created in an effort to better serve our Very Important

Partner members, Lisa is responsible for all endeavors related to school board business affiliates. From sponsorship to exhibiting, advertising and beyond, she is happy to help and will ensure a successful partnership between MASB and our business partners.

A graduate from Cornerstone University with a degree in Business Management, Lisa enjoys the complexities of associations. During her tenure with the Michigan Restaurant Association as the Director of Development, Lisa developed hand-crafted sponsorship packages for their allied members and served as editor of the Michigan Restaurateur magazine. Lisa is ecstatic about joining the MASB team and making a difference in public education.

A resident of Delta Township for the past 20 years, Lisa enjoys serving on the Rivers Edge Community Church Missions Board and is actively involved in her community. In addition to serving on the board, she is also a part of the Rivers Edge band, a staple at the Lansing City Rescue Mission and heads up fundraising activities for Lansing Pregnancy Services. “Serving others truly brings joy into my life,” she shared. “I feel fortunate to be able to assist in meeting others’ needs.” Lisa is happily married to her husband Tim, and the light of their lives is their seven-year-old son Michael.

The Leadership Services and Executive Search Services departments recently merged into one department, and is being overseen by Donna Oser, CAE. As a result, a few positions have been revised to better serve the MASB membership.

Angel Davis has been with MASB for more than 11 years serving in a multitude of roles, including her newest as CBA Program and Meetings Manager. During her tenure with

MASB, Angel served the membership first as an intern and, a few years later, was hired on full time as the Accounting Assistant. Angel then joined the Leadership Development team as the Project Coordinator, moving to the CBA Program and Exhibit Manager, before beginning her latest role this year. In addition to managing the Certified Boardmember Award program, Angel is responsible for all other meeting and event logistics. She truly enjoys working with MASB’s members and staff alike, and feels blessed to have been afforded every opportunity within the Association. Her heart lies with her nine-year-old son Braylond, who brings Angel joy each and every day.

Mary McCarthy has been an integral part of the MASB Leadership Development team for 12 years. As the Administrative Assistant, her experience transcended all facets

of the department, which was recently changed to Leadership Development and Executive Search Services. Mary is now the Registrar and Member Services Coordinator, and continues to be a strong asset to the team. She assists members with meeting

MASB, continued on Page 9

registration (setting up passwords and walking through the website), as well as transcripts, the tally sheet process and helping to determine what Certified Boardmember Award classes best fit an individual’s needs. Mary is married to Casey, and they have two daughters Cassie and Cleary, as well as two dogs. She enjoys bike riding, cooking and spending time in northern Michigan.

Debbie Stair has a new role this year with MASB. She is now responsible for all aspects of board development, which includes designing and

coordinating (and sometimes delivering) strategic planning processes and onsite workshops. Debbie is also responsible for conference program planning as

MASB’s Board Development Manager. Debbie has been a great addition since arriving to the Association last year. In addition to her work in the area of board development, Debbie oversaw the revamp of the business affiliate program. You may have noticed along with the job change here at MASB, Debbie has a name change as well from Squires to Stair. Congratulations to Debbie on her marriage to Steve.

School districts in the United States spend about $8 bil-lion on energy each year. Although energy costs account for only 2 to 4 percent of school district expenditures, energy is one of the few expenses that can be decreased without negatively affecting classroom instruction. By implementing energy-efficient measures, along with operations and maintenance strategies, school districts can generate substantial energy cost savings while improving the physical environment of school facilities. Examples of how school districts are saving include:

Saving on gas bills by taking steps such as improving demand control ventilation, tuning up boilers and install-ing high-efficiency boilers.

Saving on electricity by installing T12 to T8 lighting, occupancy sensors, LED exit signs and vending machine controls.

DTE’s Energy Optimization Programs also helps reduce energy use by increasing awareness of energy-saving technologies, and providing services such as rebates, tips, tools, strategies and energy efficiency education to help customers make informed decisions. The program has helped schools save $9.4 million in lifecycle energy costs!

Looking AheadIn addition to making system improvements for cost sav-ings today, school districts are looking to the future. DTE

Energy is working with elementary school students, teach-ers, schools and families, in both public and private sectors, to develop a powerful culture of energy efficiency.

In 2013 alone, DTE Energy reached 180 schools, 22,000 students and 708 teachers through the THINK! ENERGY® school program—participating schools received $135,750 in grants! The program provides schools with an hour-long presentation by experienced energy educators, take-home kits for teachers and students, as well as a wealth of hands on learning activities and classroom resources for educators. Students are given a small incentive item to complete the student guide and fill out the home survey.

Teachers were given mini-grants of $25-$100 for returning data.

Presentations are delivered by two trained presenters in groups

small enough to allow for interaction and hands-on demonstrations. The main program serves grades 4-6, but other programs are available for high school and grades 2-3 in some areas of the state. Depending on the school’s geographic region, presentations are available in both the fall and the spring.

For more information on THINK! ENERGY, visit thinkenergy.org, or call the Michigan program director, Robin Reinarts, at 800.616.8326, ext. 117. For more infor-mation about DTE’s Energy Optimization program, visit dteenergy.com.

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • Oct. 14, 20149

VIP Focus: DTE Energy Helping Schools—and Students—Become More Energy

Efficient

VIPVery Important Partner

VIP Focus articles are company-sponsored advertisements and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of MASB. It’s intended to provide Very Important Partners with a space to share information of value to you and your district.

MASB, continued from Page 8

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • Oct. 14, 201410

Education News

Education News, continued on Page 11

Coffee Shop Saves Students, Teachers TimeMost students are just rolling out of bed at 6:15 a.m., but Fowlerville High School seniors Drew Vielbig and Zella Patrick were up grinding coffee beans for the benefit of their peers.

Sept. 29 marked the opening of Brewed Awakening, the high school’s new student-run coffee shop. It was also National Coffee Day, coincidentally. Profits will go toward expenses incurred by students invited to attend the DECA International Career Development Conference in April in Orlando.

“It can be pretty expensive—about $1,200 per student,” said marketing instructor Paula Struble.

The idea for the shop came about last school year in Struble’s marketing class, prompting Vielbig and Patrick to make a proposal to Principal Brad Lusk. The two got the OK and made it happen this year after developing a business plan, with the idea the shop would be a convenience to their peers, like Jordan Smith.

The sophomore, who purchased a coffee with a pump of hazelnut cream Wednesday, said the coffee shop allows her 10 extra minutes of sleep each morning. She previously would drive to McDonald’s or the shuttered Dunkin’ Donuts that once was located in Walmart.

“I would have to get up earlier and drive out of my way before school,” she said. “This saves me so much time.”

The shop, which offers students a place to sit at tables in the school’s main hallway, serves coffee, tea and hot chocolate for $1 per cup. Chai tea lattes and hot cider are available for $1.50.

“We wanted to keep it inexpensive,” Patrick said.

The senior said the biggest challenge in launching the business was making

sure the beverages and snacks served align with national school nutrition standards.

The National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs regulate that all milk served must be fat-free or contain 1 percent milk fat if it’s unflavored. All grains must be what national standards deem “whole-grain rich.”

Lusk said the shop, which had been busier with each passing day this week, has also been a hit among teachers. Students deliver their orders to classrooms before the instructors start their day.

“It’s a great opportunity for the kids to learn business skills, and gives them a different perspective than from just being a consumer,” Lusk said.

Profits from the shop are still to be determined, Struble said. Some of the profits of the high school’s school store, which is open during the lunch period, also go to offset expenses for DECA nationals.

Three Fowlerville students attended the national competition last school year. Struble said the district hopes as many students as possible make it to this year’s national competition in Orlando.

Source: Livingston Daily, Oct. 13, 2014.

District Piloting University Middle School Class With Hopes of Future ExpansionInside University High School is one class that is different from the rest. The expectations are the same, but what makes this class different is the students.

They are middle schoolers.

While initial plans sought a separate building to start University Middle School for this school year, new Superintendent Blake Prewitt and the administration decided to pilot UMS for the 2014-2015 school year then make a decision on the future of the potential school.

“As we worked through the summer, we decided to scale it back and to do a pilot to make sure we provided a solid academic opportunity for students akin to what we do at University High School,” said Prewitt, who was hired in July. “As part of the high school, the middle school class is part of the high school culture right from the get-go, so not only do they get the academic rigor, but the mentoring capabilities in relation with the high school students to see what they have to do to be successful.

“If you are in eighth grade and you see a senior going to Wayne State getting college credit and being respectful, you see that as the norm and you aim to do it.”

This year, there is one UMS classroom at UHS with a teacher who teaches all the core subjects. Students can take elective classes with high school teachers. The district is working with the state to allow students who attend UMS to take part in athletics at Ferndale Middle School.

Prewitt said that when he came in over the summer, he felt everything was not in place for a full launch of UMS and a pilot program would allow administrators to see what works.

“We are working in tandem with University High School so there is consistency with students doing eighth-grade math, so they are on the right path to start at the high school level,” he said. “We have students coming from somewhere over 75 different feeder schools, so students come from many different academic levels and we do a lot of work to get students proficient to go to college.”

Katie Jeffrey, the UHS staff affairs and instruction administrator, said that having a smaller pilot program allows the administration at UHS to develop

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • Oct. 14, 201411

Education News, continued from Page 10

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.

2014-2015 MASB Board OfficersPresident: Donald HublerPresident-Elect: Cindy GansenVice President: Brenda CarterPast President: Ruth Coppens

Executive Director Kathy Hayes

Director of Communications, PR and MarketingJohn Tramontana

Oct. 15, 2014 Creating Agenda Packets With BoardBook

Oct. 16, 2014Region 5 Legislative Meeting @ Genesee ISD

Region 8 Wayne County Legislative Meeting @ Dearborn Schools

Oct. 21, 2014 Region 3 Legislative Meeting @ Greenville Central Office

Oct. 27, 2014Region 1 Legislative Meeting @ Delta-Schoolcraft ISD

Oct. 28, 2014Region 2 Legislative Meeting @ COP ESD

Oct. 30, 2014Region 6 Legislative Meeting @ Van Buren Technology Center

View Complete Calendar

good practices and allow a small group to see the benefit of starting in the UHS atmosphere sooner.

“The UMS pilot is a great opportunity to build a class culture that could then develop into a larger school setting,” she said. “The students in UMS today can be leaders at (the school) moving forward and have the opportunity to build a great culture that helps to prepare them for college and beyond.

When the school year starts to come to a close, Prewitt said school officials would start to determine what the next step for UMS would be. But, only a month in, he said they are just excited about how things have gone so far.

“It is hard to say now in October what the steps are, but we will look at how it is working and how to tweak and get into the conversation of what it might look like moving forward,” Prewitt said. “This will be part of the whole strategic planning of looking at all our overall programs and how we move forward and what is best for students. Right now, we are in a pilot for this year and then we will assess and see what the next step is in the process.”

Source: candgnews.com, Oct. 8, 2014.

Grand Rapids Public Schools Now Offering Online Parent University CoursesIn an effort to empower more parents, Grand Rapids Public Schools is now offering online courses for its Parent University initiative.

Launched last year, the program is designed to offer parents and other family members relevant classes that will bolster their existing skills and give them opportunities to grow to support their child’s educational development. Classes cover different categories, including effective parenting and navigating the educational system.

“We were hearing from some parents about not being able to make the classes, who were asking to be provided the information in a different way,” said Mel Atkins Jr., executive

director of community and student affairs for GRPS, about expanding the program to include online courses.

The information is on the district’s new, revamped Parent University website. There are at least a dozen courses in English and Spanish available.

For example, “Teaming with Teachers,” an online course to understand the importance of teaming with your child’s teachers. The preview says parents are to learn how their participation in parent-teacher conferences helps students stay on track with learning, earning good grades and graduating on time—all crucial for succeeding in school, work and life.

Atkins said the district also shared with parents at its Parents Engagement kick-off dinner at Ottawa Hills High School, Tuesday, Oct. 7, how they can become a “Power Parent.”

He said parents must do the following items to earn that distinction: Complete Attendance and Achievement course, complete one Effective Parenting course, complete one Navigating Education course, and attend and report on their Parent Teacher Conference.

Besides the online courses, Atkins said the new website has other information, including upcoming events, attendance resources for educators and parents, information on parent groups at each school, as well as the monthly updated list of the five most improved schools that are reducing chronic absenteeism.

GRPS has the only Parent University in Michigan. The programs exist in only a few states, including Massachusetts, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and California.

Source: MLive, Oct. 8, 2014.

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.

Educating Kids Isn’t Rocket Science. It’s Harder.Blog Post From The Washington Post, Oct. 10, 2014. Written by Jack Schneider.

For the past two decades, self-styled education reformers—the newest

of whom is journalist Campbell Brown, whose Partnership for Educational Jus-tice seeks to “reform” teacher tenure—have been inundating the public schools with ineffective programs and imprudent policies. They’ve spent billions of dollars and millions of hours on their pet proj-ects. And the simple truth is that they don’t have much to show for it.

Ask reformers about this and they’re likely to blame unions and bureaucracy. Reform fails, they would argue, because it gets blocked.

But most reform isn’t blocked. Just ask a teacher; reform has been raining down on the schools as long as most can remember.

The real question, then, is why does so much reform produce so little change?

The answer is that education doesn’t seem very complicated. To most observers, fixing schools seems more like baking brownies than like launching a rocket. Mix one good teacher with a solid curriculum; stir in a few books; add a pinch of snazzy technology; and bake for 180 days.

After all, what could be so hard? We’ve all been to school—most of us for at least 13 years—and we’ve watched teachers and administrators do their work. It just doesn’t seem that hard. Make sure the bells ring on time. Keep the kids quiet. Get some teachers who know the material.

By contrast, most of us have never been to a NASA center. And we’d be hard-pressed to guess what goes on inside one. Are they doing equations? Practicing maneuvers in zero-gravity

simulators? Mixing up rocket fuel?

As a result, most of us—reformers, particularly—think we know what’s best for the public schools. But we would never presume to have answers about where to look for sources of Gamma-rays or about the importance of measuring Jupiter’s atmosphere.

Imagine Congress exerting control over NASA through a bill like No Child Left Behind or coercing policy shifts through a program like Race to the Top. Or well-intended organizations like Teach for America jumping into the fray—recruiting talented college graduates and placing them on the job as rocket scientists. Or philanthropists deciding to apply lessons from their successes in domains like DVD rentals to “disrupt” the NASA “monopoly.”

How long would any of this be taken seriously?

The point here is not that various groups involved in school reform should disengage from the field. Their energy and financial support can play a critical role in supporting communities and their schools. And for all their arrogance and errors, reformers have helped turn the nation’s attention to the importance of public education. NASA should be so lucky.

But the egotism and ignorance of the so-called education reform movement are all too often on display. Because the work of improving schools isn’t as simple as reformers believe.

Reformers would know this if they spent their days in schools. But most do not. Unlike working educators, most leaders in the reform movement have never taught a five-period day, felt the joy of an unquantifiable classroom

victory, lost instructional time to a standardized test or been evaluated by a computer. And unlike the vulnerable students targeted by so much reform, most policy elites have not gone to school hungry, struggled to understand standard English, battled low expectations or feared for their personal safety on the walk home.

Sure reformers may visit schools occasionally. But they see only what can be immediately observed and miss everything beneath the surface. Consequently, as I documented in my book Excellence For All, they tend to ground their decisions in anecdotal evidence and personal experience.

Because they believe that school reform is simple, reformers are also untroubled by their lack of familiarity with educational research. Most do not know much about test construction, cut scores, or measurement error. Most are not steeped in the literature on cognition, memory or motivation. And most have never understood schools from an anthropological perspective or picked up an educational history.

At its core, education can be quite simple. To quote the ever-eloquent Mike Rose: “It’s the experience of democracy itself. The free play of inquiry. The affirmation of human ability. The young person guided to the magnifying lens, the map, the notepad, the book.” Intuitively, we all get that.

But bringing about the conditions that foster this vision of education? That’s among the greatest challenges I know of. As anyone who spends time in schools knows, good schools are

Worth Repeating, continued on Page 13

www.masb.org • MASB Headlines • Oct. 14, 201413

Myth #4: I have a mandate from the voters! We hear this often. A board member had support from a group to gain election and then six months down the road a call comes from the leader of that group asking why the board member “hasn’t done anything” regarding a specific issue.

It’s easy to be vocal during a contested campaign and often said that candidates campaign in poetry but govern in prose.

Learn how to count. One member on a seven-person board is not a majority. Always do the math regarding the number of calls received versus the number of students affected by the issue. Your real mandate is to do what

is best for all the children in the district.

Myth #5: As a former teacher (or other role) I know exactly how the school system operates. The learning curve for being a school board member is more like a steep grade, especially when it comes to understanding laws and finance.

Yes, you do bring an expertise to the board that has value, but you need to understand what your new role is. We knew a teacher/union president who ran for the board in order to get the superintendent fired. That person finally let go of the issues that came with being a union representative when she realized what the board was doing for children.

If you have difficulty understanding your new role as a board member, talk with your board president, superintendent or someone from your state school board association to gain clarity.

Part II will appear in the Oct. 28 Headlines. Terry McCabe was president of the Maine School Boards Association and Associate Executive Director of Maine School Management Association. Sandi Barry is communications and marketing coordinator for the Maryland Association of Boards of Education and a school board member in Maryland.

Myths, continued from Page 7

thriving ecosystems—the product of strong relationships, high levels of trust, robust systems for knowledge-sharing and a collective pursuit of personal growth. And those things simply can’t be mandated from on high or plucked off a shelf.

Schooling—our primary mechanism for promoting education in the United States—is plagued by a number of challenges. Some are relatively straightforward; schools need adequate funding, for instance. But most of

these issues are dilemmas rather than problems. The difference being that whereas problems can be solved, dilemmas can only be managed. What, for instance, do you do about student engagement? That’s a question not easily solved by introducing new gadgets or by paying students to stay focused.

Want to put a rocket into space? No problem. Just get enough brains working on the task.

Want to educate 50 million students in a powerful, relevant and relatively

equal way? Now that’s a challenge.

As it turns out, educating kids isn’t rocket science. It’s harder.

And until reformers take that message to heart, it’s our job—as citizens—to speak truth to the simplistic answers pushed by the powerful.

Jack Schneider is an assistant professor of education at the College of the Holy Cross, the author of two books and the father of a pre-K public school student.

Worth Repeating, continued from Page 12

$734 million to schools last yearIf you bet more than you can afford to lose, you’ve got a problem. Call 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help.