Michigan Public Schools Finance Act 2013 (Updates)

Gov. Rick Snyder’s school finance reboot that offers parents options merits debate, not immediate partisan dismissal by Admin

By Dave Murray | MLive.com

Editor's note: The following opinion piece reflects the views of The Grand Rapids Press editorial board.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – If you could continue living in your home but send your children to another school district, either physically or virtually, would you make changes in how your children are educated?

A work group assembled by Gov. Rick Snyder has offered a recommendation that effectively erases district boundaries and creates an educational marketplace for parents.

It’s an ambitious plan, with many aspects to be discussed and debated – and not dismissed out of hand, as some Democrats and school leaders already have suggested.

We agree with the governor, who believes that the state’s school funding plan, rooted in the industrial age, needs to be updated to better prepare students to compete globally.

He also believes that the quality of a child’s education shouldn’t be determined by his or her ZIP code.

Embracing an “any time, any place, any way and any pace” philosophy, the plan removes district “ownership” of a student, allowing them to take a course, some courses or all their courses from any districts. That includes the growing use of online courses.

Funding would change from being based on an October headcount snapshot to a new system where money would follow the student – with an eye toward linking added state aid to performance.

The plan would encourage struggling districts to open year-round, and offers scholarships as an incentive for students who are ready to graduate early.

There are many questions. For example, there should be assurances that students in low-performing districts without access to transportation would have the same options as those in the suburbs have. Would those students have access to programs in other districts if they can’t get there on their own?

Would districts dealing with high-needs students get adequate resources for helping those children overcome their struggles? Competition is healthy – when all the sides have the tools they need.

Democrats already are attacking the plan, with Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing, calling it a “voucher plan that would end public schools as we know them.”

But for too many Michigan students, the public schools they know are failing them.

Snyder’s ed finance plan is spot on by Admin

Detroit News

By Ingrid Jacques

State Democrats haven’t taken kindly to the governor’s backed re-write of the School Aid Act. A draft is now available, and then the Legislature will likely act on it next month.

The re-written version is far less sexy than all the reaction indicates. It allows education dollars to follow students directly. For instance, if a student wants to take most of his classes at his home district, but also wants to take an online course or a class at a nearby charter school, he could do that – and each school would be compensated accordingly.

This gives students and parents much more control over shaping their education. The money would only head toward public schools, so it’s not a voucher system at all. That’s not allowed under Michigan’s Constitution anyway.

But that is not what Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer and others in the education establishment would have you believe.

Here’s a few graphs from a recent news release from Whitmer:

In response to a draft plan released today by the Oxford Foundation on behalf of Governor Snyder that would replace Michigan’s public education system with a voucher plan, Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer issued the following response:

“The Kalamazoo Promise is a national example of how reinvesting in our local schools has created unequaled success for the city, its schools and its students, yet instead of modeling a statewide program after it, the Governor has done the exact opposite and his latest voucher plan would simply end public schools as we know them.”

This rhetoric is simply untrue. Gov. Rick Snyder has the best interest of students in mind. He should be applauded, not berated. Plus, Michigan would become one of a small number of states allowing students more flexibility. Other states would pay close attention. It would be refreshing for this state to prove forward-thinking in education; too often, we are catching up to what other states have already done.

If you want to see what the draft actually says, check it out at the Oxford Foundation’s website.

Education reform plan has promise by Admin

The Times Herald

The message that comes with Gov. Rick Snyder’s plan to reform K-12 education is unmistakable. Public education is changing, and public officials must adapt.

The right to an education has never been disputed. But the ways an education can be acquired today have expanded. Cyber schools enable students to learn through a computer rather than studying in a classroom.

Plus, the time when students had to be residents of a school district has passed. Schools of choice saw to that.

Considering education’s changing landscape, Snyder’s new plan shouldn’t be considered so radical. Some of its proposals, however, place more pressure on school districts to succeed.

The highlights:

Students would have access to a combination of school districts. In effect, they can assemble a course of study according to classes that offer the best quality. The districts the student chooses will share his or her per-pupil funding from the state. If the plan meets its potential, students would acquire the status of consumers school districts will court.

Students can access online learning throughout the state. In addition to attending classes at different school districts, online classes could further diversify students courses. Public dollars would cover the cost, and the money would pay school districts that provide online classes according to performance.

State funding in general would be performance-based. School districts that show their educational products work will receive more money. Those that don’t will be given less.

The promise of Snyder’s plan is it gives students unprecedented freedom to shaped their education. It also challenges traditional school districts to compete for those pupils.

Low-income students could benefit most, but that depends on the details. Cyber schools can offer the potential of quality education to impoverished students trapped in failing school districts. They could answer the concern that the students couldn’t afford transportation to quality school districts in wealthy suburbs.

Traditional school districts, particularly the ones struggling to meet state standards, aren’t likely to embrace Snyder’s plan. Its funding formula favors districts that perform well. That could mean wealthier districts that already receive more state aid would prosper benefit.

At least students will have more options.