Printer-friendly Version

Three In Four School Funding Elections Fail
MIRS, February 28, 2007

Of the 17 school districts holding school funding-related elections Tuesday, 13 saw losses, according to media reports and research conducted by MIRS.

The Secretary of State's office reported that 20 school districts held elections Tuesday. One district recalled a board member and the front offices of two others say their bonding elections are not until May.

As for the remaining 17, the results — by and large — were not what school officials were hoping to see. Large proposals went down, like Portage Public Schools' whopping $145-million bond for infrastructure improvements and Romeo Community Schools' $93-million bond proposal for a new high school.

Smaller proposals likewise went down. Rural districts such as Freesoil Schools in Manistee and Mason Counties wanted an override of the Headlee Constitutional Amendment that caps millage rates when property values rise faster than the rate of inflation. This lost, for the second time, by a handful of votes.

Whitmore Lake Schools in Washtenaw County put three proposals in front of voters and saw two of the three pass, but its Headlee override proposal only passed by two votes. The big winner was an 18-mill non-homestead levy renewal. A renewal for public recreation and playgrounds lost by 119 votes.

"Does this make us anxious? You bet it does. It concerns us a great deal," said Tom WHITE, executive director of the Michigan School Business Officials. "But I'm not jumping to the conclusion that this is a trend."

White said he wanted to look at results of the school bond elections in relationship to past elections before commenting too much more on Tuesday's results.

Ray TELMAN, executive director of the Middle Cities Education Association, said he, too wanted to look at the results in relationship to past years, but he did offer up the state's sour economy as a possible explanation for the voters' reluctance to support funding increases.

It appears as if Michigan is going to miss the nation's economic recovery of earlier this decade and voters may find it difficult under this to support property tax increases. However, he pointed out that a stressed economy puts an added strain on local schools. Unfortunately, educators need the money more during the times when voters are less likely to support them.

Patrick ANDERSON, of the Anderson Economic Group, agreed the economy is suffering but said he thinks people are a lot wiser than most of their elected officials. According to Anderson, voters realize that when taxpayers have less money, government should spend less, not more.

Also, one of the fastest areas of spending in government since Proposal A is school construction. Anderson quoted his group's study that showed since 1995, school infrastructure spending is up 200 percent.

"Voters are starting to smell a runaway train," Anderson said. "This is not an increase in spending, it's an explosion in spending on school brick and mortar."

Finally, he noted that voters are starting to wise up about districts misusing their sinking fund money for operating expenses, which is forbidden under Proposal A. One could argue that using sinking fund money for computers can be classified as "infrastructure costs," but "borrowing for 20 years on computers that may last three years doesn't make a lot of sense."

Ryan OLSON, of the free-market Mackinac Center think tank, said taxpayers also realize that there are steps school districts can take to save money. He said that in Pinckney, 97 percent of the teachers voted to get rid of its Michigan Education Special Services Association (MESSA)-run health insurance plan at an alleged savings of $800,000 a year.

A Mackinac Center survey found 38 percent of school districts are competitively bidding for non-instructional services like janitorial services, Olson added. Until more school districts take similar cost-cutting measures, cries to the public for more funding will continue to fall on deaf ears.

"Taxpayers are realizing that schools don't have a funding crisis. They have a management crisis," Olson said.

School Districts Elections (With County)

1. Beecher Schools (Genesee) WON
A 15-year, $2.7 million bond to finance building repairs and demolition, 211-134

2. Freesoil Schools (Manistee, Mason) LOST
A non-homestead override of the constitutional amendment that decreases millage rates when property values increases faster than inflation, 99-104

3. Fulton School District (Clinton, Gratiot) LOST
A 29-year, 6.5-mill increase for $20.3 million in improvements defeated, 484-812

4. Gladwin School District (Clare, Gladwin) LOST
A non-homestead override of the constitutional amendment that decreases millage rates when property values increases faster than inflation, 459-760

5. Gwinn Area Community Schools (Marquette) LOST
A 3.97-mill increase for a $17.9-million bond proposal, 650-1,230

6. Memphis School District (Macomb, St. Clair) WON
A $6.33-million bond for improvements to the Elementary School, 503-194

7. Muskegon ISD (Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Ottawa) LOST
A $4.2 million, 20-year property tax increase for special education, 6,907-8,132

8. Parchment School District (Kalamazoo) WON
An $18 million for high school infrastructure projects, 1,085-678

9. Plymouth-Canton Community Schools (Washtenaw, Wayne) LOST
A 25-year, $62.1 million bond proposal, 6,968-7,715

10. Portage Public Schools (Kalamazoo) LOST
A $145-million bond for infrastructure improvements among many projects, 5,449-6,346

11. Portland Public Schools (Clinton, Ionia) LOST
A seven-year 1.75-mill increase for a sinking fund to finance about $3.2 million in roof replacements, 713-1,314

12. Romeo Community Schools (Macomb, Oakland) LOST
A $93-million bond proposal for a new high school, 2,095-3,323

13. River Valley School District (Berrien) LOST
A $27.5 million bond for building improvements, 967-1,403

14. Southgate Community Schools (Wayne) LOST
An $8.75-million bond proposal for safety and technology lost, 995-1,775

15. Webberville Schools (Ingham, Livingston) LOST
A 30-year, $6.5 million bond question for district improvements, 440-509

16. Whitmore Lake Schools (Livingston, Washtenaw) WON, LOST

Three items on the ballot. An 18-mill non-homestead renewal levy won, 508-269; A two-mill non-homestead override of the constitutional amendment that decreases millage rates when property values increases faster than inflation won 391-389; a .10 mill to restore the district .62-mill public recreation and playgrounds millage lost, 330-449.

17. Wyoming Public Schools (Kent) WON
A $15.2 million bond for computers, buses, furniture and other infrastructure projects

School Officials Call For 'Stable' Funding

MIRS, February 28, 2007

Michigan education officials are jumping on the panic button in their efforts to secure "stable funding" for their local districts, insinuating that Gov. Jennifer GRANHOLM's proposed two-cent sales tax on services is the winning ticket.

Michigan School Business Officials Executive Director Tom WHITE today asked a House panel for "fundamental change" in how schools are funded. Proposal A served Michigan well for the last 10 years. Now the Legislature needs to take the "big step" and correct the system with something that "will take us for another 10 or 15 years," he said.

"Let's fix it right and fix it now," White told the House K-12 Appropriations Subcommittee. "Time is of the essence. We all need to work together to come up with a system that works for the kids, the school districts and Michigan."

The testimony comes after four education organizations wrote a letter to superintendents and board presidents that urge them to call their legislators and to express support for the governor's funding increase proposal in the name of "our schools, our children and our state's economic future."

The letter reads that local school boards are preparing pink slips in March to give out in April under the fear that the Legislature and Governor will end up cutting the state's per-pupil foundation allowance mid-year to balance the $377 million hole in the School Aid Fund.

It asks local school officials to develop local communications and awareness campaigns — to write letters to the editor, call in to local TV and radio shows, etc. The message: It's time to say goodbye to one time fixes. A plan for stable funding is on the table. It needs to pass.

"Keep in mind that we ALL are stakeholders in this urgent campaign, but the most important stakeholders are the children. We need you to mobilize your community to fight, and win, for them," the letter reads.

At today's House K-12 Appropriations Subcommittee meeting, White; former Rep. Mike PUMFORD, now representing the Grand Rapids ISD; and two ISD Superintendents reiterated the extent of the current "funding" crisis. Pumford and Kent County ISD Superintendent Kevin KONARSKA noted that Kent County has consolidated services. It has started its own health care pooling system. Yet the district is still on the verge of having to cut services.

Rep. Bruce CASWELL (R-Hillsdale) didn't doubt that schools are being asked to do less with more, but he noted that so are the state's working-class families. He noted that he had a woman break down in tears during his in-district coffee hours. Her husband had lost his job. Her children were having trouble finding work in state.

"We've got a lot of people who are losing the middle-class dream," Caswell said. "Everybody is struggling. God bless the school districts for what they've done. Nobody demeans the school districts. It's tough. But it's tough everywhere."

Caswell added that the governor and both parties understand the importance of education and that both parties are doing everything it can do support education.

Subcommittee Chair Matt GILLARD (D-Alpena) asked aloud whether cutting education funding is the direction this state wants to travel in the next several years.

Flanagan Wants Education Consolidated Around ISDs
MIRS, February 27, 2007

Michigan’s top educator told a conference of social studies instructors that he favors the downsizing of Michigan school districts and allowing the state's 57 Intermediate School Districts (ISDs) to takeover all of the "non-instructional services" now performed at the local school level.

State Superintendent Mike FLANAGAN wants to "push up" to the ISDs services such as transportation, food, and custodial work by next year and use a $10 million "carrot" from the governor to get there.

He told the conference that schools should focus on "student achievement" and not worry about the cost of those other services.

Toward that end, he called in key leaders in the ISD system and asked them, "How are we going to make this work?"

In addition to that, he said school district numbers need to be sliced from the current level of more than 500. However, Flanagan warned that consolidation could result in high schools with too many students, which is a drawback. Flanagan wants to preserve smaller student bodies.

Also in the audience at the social studies instructor conference was State Board of Education President Kathleen STRAUSS, who expressed her reservations about privatizing non-instructional services. Her concerns center on the employees.

She said the first thing private companies do is cut the salaries of employees, who are already on the low end of the pay scale. Strauss said that unions would protest those privatizing moves and something should be done to protect their paychecks.

"It's not as easy as it sounds. It is very hard," she warned. Privatization could actually create more jobless workers, she argued, at a time when families are already struggling in the labor market.

Mental Health Parity Round Two
MIRS, March 1, 2007

Michigan lawmakers have reintroduced a series of bills that would require business to provide the same benefits for mental health issues that they provide for physical ailments.

A group of bi-partisan, bi-cameral lawmakers held a press conference to announce the "mental health parity" legislation early Tuesday morning.

"At a time when we are deeply concerned about Michigan's economic health, we must consider Michigan's mental health as well," said Sen. Gilda JACOBS (D-Huntington Woods). "When mental illness is treated responsively and quickly, those who suffer from it become better parents, better spouses, better students and better workers."

Last session, former Republican Senator Bev HAMMERSTROM sponsored the bills and got her caucus members to move the bills out of committee. However, the bills were never taken up for a vote on the Senate floor due to lack of Republican support.

This time around, Sen. Bruce PATTERSON (R-Canton) is picking up where Hammerstrom left off. Patterson introduced two bills (SB 0329 and SB 0330) that support mental health parity. On the House side, Rep. Ted HAMMON (D-Burton), Rep. Mark MEADOWS (D-East Lansing), Rep. Bert JOHNSON (D-Detroit) and Rep. Fran AMOS (R-Waterford) are sponsoring legislation.

The Senate's mental health parity bills include: SB 0332, SB 0333, SB 0334 and SB 0335.

bridges4kids does not necessarily agree with the content or subject matter of all articles nor do we endorse any specific argument.  Direct any comments on articles to deb@bridges4kids.org.