Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Birmingham mom of two Courteney Gettel tells lawmakers in Lansing she plans on holding them accountable if educational reform bills pass.
This letter was received by Birmingham Patch Editor Laura Houser. The author sent it to all legislators representing the Birmingham Public Schools (BPS) district in the State House and State Senate. It is reprinted here with permission from the author. Good Afternoon Everyone! I thought about making this a BCC, but that would be rude and make it look like the normal, form letter. I am nowhere near boring and the words “form letter” don’t fit me. So, this is why I am taking MY time to write to you. I am a mother of two who has fought her husband CONTINUOUSLY to stay in BPS Schools. My husband has tried for years to get me to move closer to his work (he works in Walled Lake) and move our kids. In the last year, I have had three different …
Friday, November 30, 2012
School board resolution echoes comments at Royal Oak informational meeting with Oakland Schools Superintendent Vickie Markavitch.
In a move timed to correspond with a series of informational meetings on the potentially sweeping education reform currently making its way through the Michigan legislature, the Birmingham Board of Education passed a resolution Tuesday formally opposing the bills. During a special meeting Tuesday night, the school board passed a resolution in opposition to House Bill 5923, House Bill 6004 and State Bill 1358. The resolution "implores legislators and the governor to avoid proposals that create more layers of governement to solve pressing educational problems." "These changes will drastically change the face of public education, and it's something to be very concerned about," said Birmingham Schools Superintendent Daniel Nerad in a statement…
Find out what the bills entail, where they are in the legislative process, the pros and cons, and when an informational meeting will be held near you.
This week, state House and Senate committees are considering portions of a proposed education reform package that has sparked howls of protest throughout Michigan. The bills' timing coincides with the waning terms of "lame duck" lawmakers who have only a few weeks left to serve and little to lose by potentially pushing through parts of the controversial legislation that would transform education in Michigan. Supporters argue underperforming schools and achievement gaps necessitate the reforms, which they say would make students more competitive when they enter college and the work force. But opponents say the measures are moving too quickly, do not provide proper regulations for new schools and would strip communities of control over their…
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
A series of meetings across the county is planned to educate and mobilize public school supporters starting Tuesday in Bloomfield Hills.
Parents and school officials concerned with potentially sweeping education reform currently making its way through the Michigan legislature are invited to sound off at a series of informational meetings starting Tuesday across Oakland County. Dave Randels, assistant director of the office of government relations and pupil services for Oakland Schools, will speak about Gov. Rick Snyder's education funding proposals from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Doyle Center in Bloomfield Hills. "Michigan is embarking on a very radical experiment with our children — one that is untested and untried," an alert on the Bloomfield Hills Public Schools website read Monday. "We need to come together to learn about this movement and what we can do about it." …
42.5329
-83.29427
7273 Wing Lake Rd, Bloomfield Hills, MI
Doyle Center
/articles/learn-about-the-educational-reform-plan-the-school-board-calls-bad-for-birmingham
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One Birmingham parent says a series of bills being pushed through the Michigan legislature has "very serious flaws" — ones everyone should pay attention to.
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Tuesday, November 27, 2012
This letter was received by Birmingham Patch Editor Laura Houser. Governor Snyder is proposing a major shift in public education and education funding. His idea, presented by the well-funded, private Oxford Foundation, is to remove all borders and boundaries between school districts. This would allow state per-pupil funding to follow the student to one or several districts of their choosing, relinquishing the home district's "ownership" of that student. In addition, this new shift also makes room for a state controlled, statewide school district composed of the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools managed by the very new EAA (Education Achievement Authority). While I don't think anyone would argue that there isn't a need for improvement …
Monday, November 26, 2012
Birmingham Board of Education argues house bills 6004, 5923 and state bill 1358 "create a new Lansing bureaucracy that tells Birmingham and other high performing schools how to operate."
This letter was received by Birmingham Patch Editor Laura Houser. Kill HB 6004, 5923, and SB 1358 — It’s like a federal takeover of state’s rights Representative Moss and Senator Pappageorge, please do not support the school district ruining bills which are snaking their way through the lame duck legislative session. These bills will gut the competitive educational excellence our communities expect and undermine the very structure which supports strong property values. They create a new Lansing bureaucracy that tells Birmingham and other high performing schools how to operate. Please don’t support bills fueled by the mutation of a single interlocal agreement between Detroit Public Schools and Eastern Michigan University. From this single …
Rick Haglund
3:48 pm on Thursday, December 6, 2012
I watched Gov. Snyder's news conference this morning on right-to-work legislation being introduced today. Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville said at the news conference that right-to-work is all about "freedom." He also said the government should not require motorists to wear seat belts or prevent people from smoking in bars and restaurants. This "freedom" agenda will be the guiding … more ›