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| Michigan Association of School Administrators fires back; Kalamazoo Gazette,Tuesday, May 24, 2011 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: May 27 2011, 10:06 PM (268 Views) | |
| Administrator | May 27 2011, 10:06 PM Post #1 |
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Administrator
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Michigan Association of School Administrators fires back against Bolger's comments in Kalamazoo Gazette story Published: Tuesday, May 24, 2011, 4:30 PM Updated: Tuesday, May 24, 2011, 6:30 PM By Julie Mack | Kalamazoo Gazette Courtesy photoState Rep. Jase Bolger R-Marshall A state education organization says its Michigan school officials, not GOP lawmakers, who are intent on shaking up the K-12 status quo. That's the point made in a press release issued today by the Michigan Association of School Administrators. The MASA statement said it was responding to House Speaker Jase Bolger's comments in a story published in the May 21 Sunday Kalamazoo Gazette. The MASA referenced this quote from Bolger : “Too often, people are focused on keeping the status quo and doing what is easiest in the short term. My hope is that we’re pushing the reset button, and we can get our state growing again.” The Gazette story, which appeared on Page 1, was headlined "Educators winning PR battle over K-12 funding, but GOP winning the war on changing status quo." (To read the story, click here.) Meanwhile, Bolger's office fired its own shots today at the state's education establishment. An email that I received today from Bolger's spokesman, Ari Adler, questioned union tactics that he says puts "children at risk in an attempt to maintain their stranglehold on taxpayers." First, the MASA press release: Earlier this week House Speaker Jase Bolger lamented being cast as the “bad guy” because school leaders lack the guts to negotiate lower cost employee contracts. We concede that employee contracts are eating some district budgets alive. However, here are some facts Rep. Bolger fails to acknowledge: · Renegotiating multiple employee contracts that will SIGNIFICANTLY reduce take-home pay and benefits is not as simple as “pushing a reset button.” · Repeating that difficult (and often protracted) negotiations process in each Michigan community is highly inefficient and likely to produce uneven results. · Proposal A has failed so far to eliminate funding disparities between districts and ensure stable K-12 funding. Consequently, what one district “can’t afford” might be sustainable practice for another. Bolger’s funding strategy exacerbates disparities between districts and further erodes the viability of low-funded districts, regardless of how well they have managed their funds or succeeded in educating students. · Rep. Bolger fails to acknowledge that retirement benefits are controlled by the state—not by districts—and it is legislators, not school administrators, who lack the courage to push for significant reforms. · By pushing difficult decisions into local communities, to be fought out between neighbors, friends and family members, it seems that lawmakers are the ones intent on “keeping the status quo and doing what is easiest (for them) in the short term.” · Legislators are talking out of both sides of their mouths: They propose to drive innovation and growth by removing regulations from business and cutting their taxes while simultaneously trying to mandate and cut their way to school success. · Legislators either believe education is critical to our future or they don’t. If it’s important, then recruit and reward the very best people you can find. Then create the best possible conditions for their success and get out of their way while they work. Michigan’s school superintendents were among the first and the loudest calling for needed reforms to employee compensation and benefits. Our 2009 Lead Forward report is reaffirmed every year and calls for groundbreaking reforms to Michigan’s retirement and health care benefits, teacher tenure, school finance, and more. Speaker Bolger and his Lansing colleagues have ignored this well-researched guide crafted by thoughtful, boots-on-the-ground professionals. Instead, they’ve opted to slash school funding while sidestepping politically risky statewide reforms that would help reduce costs. So, who’s protecting the status quo? Next is the email from Bolger's office, which involves the K-12 deal assembled last week that would give districts $100 per student if they show "best financial practices." To qualify for the money, districts must fulfill four of five requirements: Obtain competitive bidding for a noninstructional service; establish an annual financial "report card" made available to taxpayers; share at least one service with another district; have employees contribute a certain amount towards health care, and/or have the district as the policyholder of employee insurance plans. Here's what Adler said in his email: In a report in MIRS (Michigan Information & News Service) yesterday, Don Wotruba, the lobbyist for the Michigan Association of School Boards, said one third of the schools may not be able to attain the best financial practices laid out in the Fiscal Year 2012 education budget because the chances are "slim and none" that teachers will want to reopen existing agreements. I find that very interesting. Basically, Mr. Wotruba is suggesting that teachers, or more likely their unions, will stand in the way of additional funding for students. That might be an interesting question to pose to your union contacts to determine its validity. If it's true, we have compelling evidence that teachers' unions like the Michigan Education Association are quite willing to put children at risk in an attempt to maintain their stranglehold on taxpayers. http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/05/michigan_association_of_school.html |
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| Momof4 | May 28 2011, 11:36 PM Post #2 |
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Veteran
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Renegotiating multiple employee contracts that will SIGNIFICANTLY reduce take-home pay and benefits is not as simple as “pushing a reset button.” Private sector employees all over the state have taken 10% to 15% pay cuts voluntarily to save their jobs and already pay a protion of their healthcare....what is considered SIGNIFICANT? Legislators either believe education is critical to our future or they don’t. If it’s important, then recruit and reward the very best people you can find. Then create the best possible conditions for their success and get out of their way while they work. Are we really to believe that legislators don't believe education is critical to our future? What? Should we believe they don't want the competition of educated graduates? What I DO believe is that legislators are doing the very best they can to give the best possible conditions given what they have. I also believe that with tenure the way it was, the very best people may have been recruited, but then didn't give their best... What is mean by Then create the best possible conditions for their success and get out of their way while they work. sounds so self righteous and demanding. Are we really suppose to believe that legislators are not trying to make the best possible conditions. The system can't support the status quo and give more, more, more. The people who write these letters just end up sounding so selfish and self serving like they are the best thing out there. We all should be doing good work in whatever we do- not just teachers. Michigan’s school superintendents were among the first and the loudest calling for needed reforms to employee compensation and benefits. Our 2009 Lead Forward report is reaffirmed every year and calls for groundbreaking reforms to Michigan’s retirement and health care benefits, teacher tenure, school finance, and more. Speaker Bolger and his Lansing colleagues have ignored this well-researched guide crafted by thoughtful, boots-on-the-ground professionals. a.k.a. other teaching professionals Instead, they’ve opted to slash school funding while sidestepping politically risky statewide reforms that would help reduce costs. Livonia's school superintendent was the loudest calling for his own compensation and benefits...to the tune of $50,000... didn't put the teachers first then! Edited by Momof4, May 28 2011, 11:38 PM.
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| LPS Reformer | May 29 2011, 09:29 AM Post #3 |
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The schools exist to educate, not employ.
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Yep. He reformed his paycheck nicely. |
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“Child Abuse” means different things to different people.... ----Randy Liepa 8/9/12 | |
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