State schools superintendent proposes new system to help struggling districts
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State schools Superintendent Michael Flanagan is proposing a hybrid system of county-wide school districts to try to cure the problems of the growing number of districts having financial and achievement difficulties.
Almost 55 districts across Michigan and five in Oakland County are in deficit, prompting Flanagan, legislators and area educational leaders to seek solutions.
Although Flanagan has advocated for a system of county-wide school districts, his official proposal does not go so far as to dissolve all local districts and combine them in a county-wide system.
Instead, because Flanagan expected opposition to the status quo, he proposed a system to start the change. It would turn several key local school operations over to the intermediate districts to save millions that could be returned to the classroom, yet leaves local administrators and school boards in place, free to focus on student achievement.
Leading Oakland County educators, such as Oakland Schools intermediate district Superintendent Vickie Markavitch and Bloomfield Hills Superintendent Robert Glass, have said they appreciate Flanagan’s proposal and efforts to find a solution, but are not convinced it is the answer.
“We need the (statewide) study that many have been recommending for several years including the Citizen’s Research Council,” Markavitch said.
“Michigan has not done a school funding study since the ’60s. One critical data point is what an adequate education should cost for students at different grade levels and with different learning needs.”
In Bloomfield, Glass praised Flanagan as trying to do right by local control and keeping schools open.
“We want to keep an open mind,” Glass said. “(But) what scares me is it might not be better, but would create a lot of disruption” and in the end hurt children.”
“I think more study is needed to learn why so many districts are in trouble. Ten percent are in deficit and 10 percent are right behind them. What is the root cause? I think that is the question.
“We’ve been in an economic stall for a long time. Revenue may be part of the picture. A study would look at what it costs to educate a child; are we providing enough money.
“We should know what the root cause is before we design a solution.”
Markavitch, who also has advocated for a statewide study, also points out that Oakland Schools and its 28 school districts have long been involved in collaborations on major operations to save districts millions and become more efficient.
But she said area districts have determined which collaborations and intermediate services work best for them; not all work for all districts.
“We shouldn’t impose a structure that hampers what is working well and is already efficient,” Markavitch said.
For example, if a district already is operating a function below the average regional cost why should it consolidate with another entity that has higher costs, she asked.
“I hope that a proposed state mandate does not impair the progress we are already making on this front; nor should such a mandate require collaboration where it does not add value,” Markavitch said.
Flanagan’s official July 8 proposal, which includes eight pages of details of how to amend the state School Code and state School Aid Act, accompanied a letter to chairmen of the appropriations subcommittees on K-12 education, state Sen. Howard Walker and Rep. Bill Rogers.
The state school superintendent was requested to make a proposal by legislators at a June 2013 joint House-Senate subcommittee meeting on deficit districts, where some subcommittee members were concerned about what could be done — especially for districts that are rapidly losing enrollment, explained Martin Ackley, director Office of Public and Governmental Affairs for the Michigan Department of Education.
Flanagan said it is practical, doable, and preserves community schools, with the school building as the center of the community.
“We should know what the root cause is before we design a solution.”
Markavitch, who also has advocated for a statewide study, also points out that Oakland Schools and its 28 school districts have long been involved in collaborations on major operations to save districts millions and become more efficient.
But she said area districts have determined which collaborations and intermediate services work best for them; not all work for all districts.
“We shouldn’t impose a structure that hampers what is working well and is already efficient,” Markavitch said.
For example, if a district already is operating a function below the average regional cost why should it consolidate with another entity that has higher costs, she asked.
“I hope that a proposed state mandate does not impair the progress we are already making on this front; nor should such a mandate require collaboration where it does not add value,” Markavitch said.
Flanagan’s official July 8 proposal, which includes eight pages of details of how to amend the state School Code and state School Aid Act, accompanied a letter to chairmen of the appropriations subcommittees on K-12 education, state Sen. Howard Walker and Rep. Bill Rogers.
The state school superintendent was requested to make a proposal by legislators at a June 2013 joint House-Senate subcommittee meeting on deficit districts, where some subcommittee members were concerned about what could be done — especially for districts that are rapidly losing enrollment, explained Martin Ackley, director Office of Public and Governmental Affairs for the Michigan Department of Education.
Flanagan said it is practical, doable, and preserves community schools, with the school building as the center of the community.
Under his plan, the local districts would all pay the intermediate district for providing all the operational services, which would include administrative and academic functions, such as transportation systems, curriculum development, staff training and development, educator evaluation systems (not evaluations), education technology, school accounting functions, food service, assessment coordinating, and building-level data collection and reporting.
“There still would be local school districts, with school boards and local administrators, however, with this hybrid system of countywide functions, local districts would be able to focus primarily on getting their students to higher levels of achievement and on educator evaluations,” Flanagan said.
“Realizing that such transitions may take time, legislation could be written to allow up to five years for this full transition,” Flanagan said.
FYI
A Michigan House subcommittee hearing on school consolidation issues has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 31 in the wake of state Superintendent Michael Flanagan’s proposal on county-wide school districts.
“There still would be local school districts, with school boards and local administrators, however, with this hybrid system of countywide functions, local districts would be able to focus primarily on getting their students to higher levels of achievement and on educator evaluations,” Flanagan said.
“Realizing that such transitions may take time, legislation could be written to allow up to five years for this full transition,” Flanagan said.
FYI
A Michigan House subcommittee hearing on school consolidation issues has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 31 in the wake of state Superintendent Michael Flanagan’s proposal on county-wide school districts.
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