State of Michigan Scorecard (By the Numbers)

Public sector

New Michigan Scorecard: Five years later, state still stuck in neutral

11 September 2013

by Rick Haglund
Bridge Magazine correspondent

Despite a rebounding auto industry and real estate prices beginning to turn around, Michigan is barely moving the needle in many other quality of life rankings against other states. That’s the somewhat humbling message of this year’sMichigan Scorecard, compiled through a partnership of The Center for Michigan and Data Driven Detroit.

The scorecard, now in its fifth year and based on dozens of data sources and some two dozen specific measures, shows Michigan has made little overall progress during the past five years in four broad areas:

• Education and talent;
• Jobs, prosperity and economy;
• Quality of life;
• Politics and civic participation.

That doesn’t surprise Charles Ballard, a Michigan State University economist who is an expert on the state’s economy.

Ballard says the state dug itself into a deep hole over the past several decades and it will take many more years to climb out of it.

“Some of the problems we face are the legacy of trends that have been happening for 60 years. We’re not going to fix them by next Thursday,” he said. “No governor or legislature can snap their fingers and transform things.”

Michigan showed improvement in the rankings since last year in venture capital, tax burden and, in some ways, in public opinion of state leadership.

Michigan regressed slightly in some other areas: gross domestic product growth compared to other states, the environment, philanthropy and volunteering. There was no qualitative change in the many other categories tracked in the scorecard. Scorecard rankings are based on the latest available data.

If there has been one bright spot in Michigan since the end of what many called the state’s “lost decade,” it’s the economy.

After losing jobs for 10 straight years, Michigan added 257,400 payroll jobs between the end of 2009 and July. That job growth is one reason Gov. Rick Snyder has been calling Michigan “the comeback state.”

Michigan ranks fourth in recent job growth among the states, according to the latest data cited in the scorecard.

Still, there are about 643,000 fewer people employed in Michigan than there were at the state’s last employment peak in 2000, according to the government’s monthly household survey. And the state’s unemployment rate, currently at 8.8 percent, has risen for the past two months. The national jobless rate is 7.4 percent.

Michigan’s ranking against other states in exports, and university research and development, showed little change since last year, although these are strong components of the state’s economy. The state has consistently ranked among the top 10 states in university research and development spending in recent years.

Michigan also posted a record $29.1 billion in merchandise exports during the first half of this year, according to the International Trade Administration.

Venture capital, which many technology-based startup businesses depend on to grow, flowed into Michigan at a faster rate last year. The state ranked 15th in the amount of venture capital invested last year—$242 million—up from 25th in 2011, according to the Michigan Venture Capital Association.

“Thanks to the successful venture community in Michigan, more entrepreneurs are considering the state as a destination to locate and grow their business,” said Carrie Jones, the association’s executive director.

Michigan’s business tax burden also fell last year. The state had the 12th best business tax climate last year, up from 18th in 2011, according to the Tax Foundation.

But Michigan remains a relatively poor state, which still heavily depends on a manufacturing base that pays new workers lower wages than in the past.

The state ranked 35th in per capita income last year. That’s up from 40th in 2011, but down from 17th in 1999.

Ballard attributes that in part to poorly educated workers as more jobs require higher level of educational attainment.

“We remain a state where way too many people don’t graduate from high school,” he said. “If you don’t graduate from high school, your economic prospects are lousy. And the number of our high school graduates who are college-ready is frighteningly small.”

Fourth-grade math and reading scores have slipped since last year’s Scorecard analysis. Michigan ranks 42nd in fourth grade math scores and 36th in fourth grade reading.

Eighth-grade reading scores improved from 33rd in the nation to 29th this year and eight-grade math scores dropped to 37th from 36th last year.

High school completion rates have remained at 76 percent since 2010, according to the scorecard data.

Michigan ranks 37th in college completion, down from 36th last year. College affordability approved somewhat, from 48th in the country in 2012 to 45th this year.

The state ranks 25th in per-pupil investment in the K-12 system, down from 24th last year. State public schoolteachers are the eighth-highest paid in the country, up from 12th last year.

Investment in Michigan’s higher education system, compared to other states, has improved slightly from a year ago. But the state, which ranks 39th, is still far below average.

“The numbers are unfortunate, but accurate,” said state Board of Education President John Austin. “We’ve been losing ground the past couple of years because of reduced investment in higher education and the K-12 system.

“We’ve done all the reform pieces in K-12 but we haven’t delivered on the investment side,” he said.

Michigan ranked 16th nationally in per pupil expenditures in 2008, but has fallen to 25th now.

Education system critics, including the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, say state financial support isn’t the problem with educational performance.

Michigan is spending about $13 billion in state resources on K-12 education this year, the single largest use of state revenue. Some others say most local school district financial problems are a result of declining enrollments and increased costs for employee pay and benefits.

Michigan also fares poorly against other states in other “quality of life” areas that depend on state government financial and policy support. Rankings in public safety, incarceration rates, poverty and the condition of roads all slipped this year compared to 2012.

The scorecard has ranked the state’s overall public health as “average” compared to the nation every year since 2008.

Overall environmental quality in the state slipped from “good” to “average” in this year’s scorecard. Michigan ranks 25th in power generated from renewable energy sources this year, down from 21st last year. Greenhouse gas emissions per capita and toxic chemical releases increased.

Michigan Environmental Council spokesman Hugh McDiarmid Jr. said the state has made progress on key environmental and public health fronts, including taking steps toward building a better public transportation system and making a stronger commitment to eliminating childhood lead poisoning.
But natural resources protections “have been significantly eroded” by rollbacks of environmental laws in the Legislature, he said.

Ballard, who conducts MSU’s State of the State Survey, says the most crucial areas where Michigan is lagging are education, per capita income and employment.

“Those three things say a lot,” Ballard said.

2013 Michigan Scorecard

13 August 2013

by Bridge Magazine

EDUCATION AND TALENT SCORECARD

CATEGORY	2008	2010	2012	2014
Student Performance	Poor	Poor	Poor	Poor
4th Grade Math	33rd	39th	41st	42nd
8th Grade Math	37th	37th	36th	37th
4th Grade Reading	31st	31st	35th	36th
8th Grade Reading	30th	33rd	33rd	29th
4th Grade Science	NA	NA	28th	28th
8th Grade Science	NA	NA	24th	18th
High School Completion	Good	Fair	Good	Good
Graduation rate	75%	76%	76%	76%
Drop-out rate	15%	14%	11%	11%
Adults with a diploma	87%	89%	89%	91%
K-12 Investment	Good	Fair	Poor	Poor
Per pupil expenditure	16th	20th	24th	25th
Teacher salary	7th	9th	12th	8th
College completion	Poor	Poor	Poor	Poor
National ranking	35th	35th	35th	37th
College affordability	Poor	Poor	Poor	Poor
National ranking	NA	47th	48th	45th
Higher education investment	Poor	Poor	Poor	Poor
National ranking	37th	42nd	41st	39th

JOBS, PROSPERITY AND ECONOMY SCORECARD

CATEGORY	2008	2010	2012	2014
Personal income	Poor	Poor	Poor	Poor
Per capita income ranking	36th	40th	40th	35th
Unemployment rate	Poor	Poor	Poor	Poor
Unemployment rate	7.9%	12.8%	9.3%	8.7%
Job growth	Poor	Poor	Good	Good
Job growth ranking	49th	49th	13th	4th
Overall economic growth	Poor	Poor	Good	Fair
State GDP growth ranking	50th	50th	13th	18th
Exports	N/A	Fair	Good	Good
Exports ranking among states	6th	8th	7th	8th
Research and development	Good	Fair	Good	Good
University R&D rankings	10th	11th	10th	10th
R&D growth	29th	27th	6th	23rd
Venture Capital	Fair	Fair	Fair	Good
National ranking	29th	25th	18th	15th
Business tax burden	Fair	Fair	Fair	Good
National ranking	28th	17th	18th	12th

QUALITY OF LIFE SCORECARD

CATEGORY	2008	2010	2012	2014
Public safety	Poor	Fair	Poor	Poor
Violent crime ranking	10th	17th	12th	14th
Incarceration ranking	11th	19th	17th	23rd
Poverty	Poor	Poor	Poor	Poor
Poverty ranking	42nd	35th	35th	36th
Population trends	Poor	Poor	Poor	Poor
Population ranking	8th	8th	8th	9th
Persons gained/lost	-46K	-86K	-1K	+7K
Public health	Fair	Fair	Fair	Fair
Active physicians	27th	25th	23rd	18th
Insurance coverage	12th	14th	15th	17th
Infant mortality	44th	38th	36th	37th
Tobacco use	39th	36th	34th	41st
Diabetes	41st	35th	39th	30th
Obesity	45th	35th	44th	46th
Exercise	27th	29th	24th	16th
Home ownership	Good	Good	Good	Good
Home ownership ranking	2nd	4th	6th	6th
Infrastructure	Poor	Poor	Poor	Poor
Roads in poor condition	38%	37%	37%	38%
Bridges in poor condition	28%	30%	30%	28%
Arts and Culture	Poor	Poor	Poor	Poor
NEA grants ranking	16th	15th	17th	16th
Capita ranking	33rd	30th	47th	33rd
Environment	N/A	Poor	Good	Fair
Renewable energy ranking	16th	22nd	21st	25th
Energy use ranking	10th	12th	11th	15th
Forested area ranking	11th	12th	12th	12th
Greenhouse gas emissions	28th	29th	30th	28th
Toxic chemicals released	33rd	36th	36th	38th
State enviromental report	N/A	N/A	good	good

POLITICS AND CIVIC PARTICIPATION SCORECARD

CATEGORY	2008	2010	2012	2014
Public opinion	Poor	Poor	Poor	Fair
State headed in wrong direction	78%	N/A	66%	43%
Government efficiency	Good	Good	Good	Good
Number of government employees	11th	11th	11th	12th
Government employee pay	12th	13th	13th	13th
Voter participation	Good	N/A	Good	N/A
National ranking – presidential	11th	N/A	7th	N/A
Philanthropy and giving	Good	Good	Good	Fair
Total giving	5th	6th	8th	9th
Volunteer hours	31st	13th	30th	35th

Source download (.xls file)

Merrill Institute for Manufacturing Skilled Trades

Area welding certification program accepting new students

By Rachel Hopkins for the Daily News 
Posted: Monday, September 9, 2013 12:30 pm

Alma-based Merrill Institute recently received its license to operate as a private school within Michigan and now is enrolling students for its welding certification program to start on Oct. 14.

The institute creates curriculums that support current and future industry needs by providing students hands-on learning in a manufacturing environment. It currently offers an accelerated single semester certification program, accredited by the American Welding Society. The certification is recognized worldwide.

“We’re setting students up for success the moment they walk in,” said Mark Johnston, director of Merrill Institute at Merrill Technologies. “And we have some of the most talented instructors in the industry training them.”

Johnston said there is a shortage of skilled labor today. He also said that people are unaware of the earning and career advancement possibilities in manufacturing. Entry-level welders could work to continue their education to become welding inspectors, instructors, estimators or project managers.

“Local employers were struggling to find the skilled labor they need,” he said. “I think there’s a big misconception about manufacturing. There’s a lot of opportunity. If someone’s willing to work hard and continue learning, there’s the potential to make a six-figure income.”

The welding program is facilitated by nationally-recognized AWS-certified welding educators and instructors. The program consists of about 522 hours of accelerated training that covers the most common welding processes. The institute also is establishing a program for machinist certification — another skilled-trade need that is going unmet in the region. He hopes that the program will be available by spring.

To help connect students with jobs, the institute is hosting a reverse job fair on Sept. 26 where employers can network with recent program graduates.

The Merrill Institute initially launched in October 2011 to provide a no-cost welding course to unemployed workers and military veterans. The courses were funded by the Michigan Department of Labor, Michigan Economic Development Corp. and Michigan Community Ventures.

Since its inception, 95 percent of the students have graduated from the program and received certification, while 85 percent have found employment after graduation.

Johnston said that although the institute is licensed as a private school and the program is accredited by the AWS, he is starting the process to gain accreditation as a post-secondary education school which will allow students to use federal student loans to pay for tuition.

The institute also has partnered with MiTech+ and Meridian High School as part of the regional STEM initiatives to increase high school student interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics-based careers. The institute worked with teachers to provide hands-on, project-based learning in the classroom and will be hosting camps for students wanting to learn more about the opportunities available in manufacturing.

Enrollment for the Oct. 14 program is limited to 30 students. To learn more about the specific courses, costs and schedule, visit: merrillinstitute.com

The Merrill Institute can be reached at (989) 462-0322 or info-min@merrillinst.com

Machining U Summer Program 2013 Debuts (Update: Jackson Michigan, Bill Rayl & Nancy Norris / Crain's Magazine)

September 08, 2013 8:00 AM

This class is riveting: Jackson program makes manufacturing fun for young students, creates pipeline for employers

PHOTOS BY LON HORWEDEL

Dominik Balser, 13, of Hillsdale, spot-welds what he calls a "radioactive coaster" during the Jackson Area Career Center's "Machining U" program.

Dressed in a Lady Gaga T-shirt, jeans and bright neon yellow shoelaces, Madison Nichols stood laughing with her friends, her blond ponytail swaying back and forth as she talked.

Then, the 13-year-old Jackson eighth-grader adjusted her safety glasses, picked up her electric drill and got back to work on some finishing touches to the metal table she had just built.

"I love to weld," she said. "It's really fun."

The table legs were made of 16-gauge aluminum, and the centerpieces of the table, also welded onto each edge, were metal butterflies she created using a computer numerical control (CNC) plasma cutter. She picked that design, not just because she likes butterflies, but because it was the most complicated design the plasma cutter's computer had.

It was a challenge and a skill Nichols didn't have just a few days before — or even knew existed.

Nichols chose to spend two weeks of her summer at the "Machining U" camp in Jackson, which teaches young students a variety of manufacturing skills, from how to run a lathe, to a CNC machine — and the math that goes into it — and how to weld all the pieces together safely.

The camp is designed to teach the students that manufacturing is not dead in this state and can produce highly skilled jobs that remain in high demand.

The program, run by the Academy for Manufacturing Careers, along with its other supporting summer camps and its education programs used in local schools beginning in kindergarten, are unmatched in the state in terms of their breadth and scope, said Delaney McKinley, director of human resource policy for the Lansing-based Michigan Manufacturers Association.

"They have been the model for the entire state," McKinley said. "It's the only area or program in the state that has a seamless K-16 program that gets kids interested in manufacturing careers."

The results are just now starting to develop as the first two classes of camp graduates are now of working or college age and have graduated from high school.

Bill Rayl, executive director of the Jackson Area Manufacturers Association, which sponsors the Academy for Manufacturing Careers, said 31 students attended one or both of the first two years of the camp in 2007 and 2008.

Of those, more than a half dozen have gone on to find full-time employment at local manufacturers or are in college studying engineering or a similar discipline, Rayl said.

Ben Marsh, 14, of Jonesville uses a power drill to poke holes into the Plexiglas tabletop of the metal end table he made in the Machining U class.

Because the camp is largely aimed at students ages 12-14, those who have attended since 2009 are still in high school. Rayl said they hear often from current high school students who attended the camps when they were younger and are now working in the summer months at local manufacturers.

Rayl said the goal isn't just to get the most amount of kids involved in a manufacturing career, but to give students more of a practical understanding of math and science.

"You can't be what you can't see, and these programs are all meant to help kids see a bigger possible future for themselves and give them tools and skills that can help them realize that future," Rayl said.

McKinley said her association has been encouraging its members to become involved with programs like this around the state.

"We believe this is what it's going to take to solve the issue with a lack of skilled workers in the state," she said.

A report released this summer by the state's Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives showed that about 15 percent to 20 percent of the skilled trades workforce in the manufacturing sector is age 55 or older, and there is an increased demand for new skilled workers.

It also showed there was a 20 percent increase from 2012 to 2013 in online job ads in Michigan for skilled trades positions. The state's employment website, www.mitalent.org, shows there are now more than 5,000 manufacturing jobs available, and more than 500 are specifically for welders. For the long term, job growth in the skilled trades sector is expected to increase 7.4 percent by 2020.

First-hand understanding

Annette Norris, director of the Academy for Manufacturing Careers, surveys the shop floor at the Jackson Area Career Center like a proud mother, as the students at the manufacturing camp move from the machining lab to the welding area, each focused on their task at hand.

"These kids — these are the future," Norris said.

During the economic downturn in 2009, when General Motors and Chrysler were headed toward bankruptcy and the suppliers in the Jackson area were struggling, a lot of parents had a dim view of manufacturing, said the camp's welding instructor, Gale Brockie.

Coupled with the decline in the number of parents who have the tools and capability to do in their garage some of this work that their children are exposed to, most students would not see these machines and what they can do if it wasn't for a camp like this, he said.

But even during the downturn, Norris said, the Machining U camp has not seen an attendance drop; it takes 20 students each summer.

This year, the camp had a waiting list to get in, Norris said.

"That negative stereotype is changing," Norris said. "It takes parents, it takes teachers and counselors and hearing these success stories and knowing that the manufacturing jobs are out there."

Good pay to start

The jobs students are taking right out of high school, or during the summer break, pay around $15 an hour on average, which also helps attract interest, said the camp's machining instructor, Joe Lienhart.

Lienhart, who also teaches the high school machining class at the Jackson Area Career Center, said students who take these jobs over the summer often come back to school in the fall with a car, or a four-wheeler or other "new toys," and the other students take notice.

Later, once a student graduates from high school and opts to pursue a journeyman's card, he or she can increase pay to $18 to $20 an hour.

McKinley said this is a great selling point, because there aren't many careers where someone can start out making $40,000 a year, even before earning a college degree.

"If they have enough forethought, it can be a gold mine," Lienhart said.

During the camp, the owners and managers of manufacturing companies will attend the camp to help mentor students or assist in teaching a particular skill.

But, like college football coaches attending a high school football game, these manufacturers are also eyeing potential recruits.

Often, Lienhart said, many of the older students begin meeting with company officials and taking tours of their facilities. Eventually, some are spoken for, and when they are offered a job by another firm, they have to decline because they had already agreed to work somewhere else over the summer, he said.

Kaleb Revere, 12, puts his team’s underwater remotely operated vehicle into the Jackson High School pool for a test run.

Manufacturers "are salivating over really talented kids that have exposure to the skills they need," McKinley said.

Roger Watson, manager of injection molding at Jackson-based TAC Manufacturing Inc., spent a day volunteering at the camp and working with the kids. They will come into the working world with the skills his company needs, he said.

"We could be seeing future employees here already," he said.

The program

Norris was hired in January 2005, before any of the youth workforce pipeline existed.

That summer, the first youth camp — called "I Can Make It!" — kicked off. In the camp, students in grades four through six learned to design, build and test a variety of different projects.

After the students finished with that camp, they asked Norris what they could do next, she said, which is where the idea for the Machining U camp came from. Many of the students transition from one camp to the next as they get older.

One of those was Tristan Chandler, 15, of Manchester. He had previously attended the "I Can Make It!" camp and recently attended Machining U for the second summer in a row.

"I'm glad I did it," Chandler said. "I wasn't into it before I came, but now I think it could be a really good career."

Chandler said he may even pursue a career in automotive manufacturing. "This is good experience," he said.

Rayl said another important piece, aside from the camps, is implementing things like the Engineering is Elementary program developed by Boston's Museum of Science in classrooms in the area. It encourages young students to think about engineering problems in innovative ways from the earliest of ages.

"We've taken all those pieces and parts and developed this pipeline," Rayl said. "You can't just say 'I'm going to run a camp for fourth-graders.' If you spark interest in these kids and there's no follow-through, that's not a pipeline."

For the academy, the main focus has always been on the adult apprenticeship program, which helps retrain workers, or assist individuals in obtaining the skills needed to obtain manufacturing jobs.

But as that program was being built, the manufacturers in the community also talked of the need for creating the future workforce.

"This is a long-term workforce development strategy that was built by the manufacturing community," he said.

Making it work

Norris said she and Rayl have traveled the state to meet with other groups about their training programs and said she thinks other regions haven't emulated the success in Jackson because it takes an involved manufacturing community and champions who understand it.

"They all want to do something, and they all love what we're doing," she said. "The manufacturers are not going to come together once a month and make it happen."

She said without the support from a local manufacturing community to offset the cost, by donating raw materials and personal expertise, a program will never get off the ground.

Norris said companies in the Jackson area are quite generous with their donations because "they know we are training their future workforce," she said.

McKinley said the reason the program in Jackson has been so successful is because of Norris and Rayl, who have been the champions of it from the beginning.

"There's not enough Bill Rayls and Annette Norrises out there," McKinley said. "I've never seen two people more dedicated to kids and to this industry." 

Online Science Communication (Panel, American Museum of Natural History)

Back to School (Whats Old is New Again)

New schools, new beginnings

   The new school year arrived Tuesday full of new beginnings for the estimated 1.5 million public school children in Michigan who headed back to the classroom.

   In Inkster, more than 2,200 students returned to school in new districts because of the dissolution of Inkster Public Schools this summer. Former Buena Vista students also started in new schools, as that district also was dissolved because of a financial crisis. Gloria Ru-bis, superintendent for Bridgeport-Spaulding Schools, which absorbed some of the Buena Vista kids, said the transition likely would last the entire school year.

   Elsewhere in the metro area, students in Macomb County’s Chippewa Valley Schools grappled with new security measures; students at Livonia’s Stevenson High School got newly renovated classrooms because of a voter-approved millage; a new charter school opened in Waterford, and Detroit Public Schools debuted its new community schools concept, offering a range of social services and extracurricular activities to students and parents.

From left, Kyndal Radford, 8, Braylon Ball, 8, and Brie Stachowski, 7, use tiles to work out math problems during the first day of school Tuesday at Jefferson International Academy, a new charter school in Waterford. MANDI WRIGHT/DETROIT FREE PRESS

Juniors Jalyn Robinson, 16, left, and Tayla Cornelius, 16, are two of 100 former Inkster students who now attend Romulus High after the Inkster district was dissolved this summer because of financial problems. REGINA H. BOONE/DFP

A new year,a fresh start

Changes greet students on the first day of school

By Lori Higgins and Chastity Pratt Dawsey Detroit Free Press Education Writers

   After a school year that ended sadly last spring, Inkster students started classes Tuesday hoping for solace, warmth and progress.

   More than 2,200 students returned to school in new districts because of the dissolution of Inkster Public Schools this summer. They were among the state’s 1.5 million public school children who kicked off the 2013-14 school year across the state.

   Among the estimated 100 former Inkster students to start school at Romulus High on Tuesday was Tayla Cornelius, 16, a junior. She said the last school year at Inkster High was stormy after a student died in a car crash and the school district crumbled under a financial deficit. The first day at Romulus High was like a break in the clouds, kicking off with a motivational speaker. Tayla said.

   A transition also was happening in Saginaw County, where the dissolution of the Buena Vista School District dispersed nearly 250 students to nearby districts. Gloria Ru-bis, superintendent for Bridgeport-Spaulding

   Schools, said many of the former Buena Vista parents weren’t aware they would need to register before their kids could attend school, and that led to a hectic day for office staff.

   “It wasn’t disorganized. It wasn’t chaotic. It was just busy all day long,” she said.

   And Detroit Public Schools, the state’s largest district, began the year with what it’s calling new community schools. Twenty-one school buildings will be open up to 12 hours a day, seven days a week, offering a range of social services and extracurricular activities to students and parents.

   “I can’t wait!” said Tracy Carpenter, principal at Mackenzie Elementary Middle School. “I think we signed up to get everything!”

   So far, the community schools each have a caseworker from the state Department of Human Services on-site to serve parents who receive state assistance and to connect other parents with medical, housing and job assistance. In total, DHS has placed 87 caseworkers in 90 schools in Wayne County — 80 in DPS buildings and 10 in Detroit schools in the Educational Achievement Authority, the state’s district for the lowest-peforming schools.

   At Jefferson International Academy in Waterford, a new charter school run by the Hanley-Harper management company, Jalivia Palmer was nervous about starting in a new school. Then she saw Elaina Wade, and all was OK.

   “I made a new friend,” said Jalivia, 9, who’s in a split fourth- and fifth-grade class. “It helped me gain my confidence.”

   Principal Elizabeth Ruff said the school will have an international focus, with the goal of preparing students for eventual enrollment at another Hanley-Harper school, the Taylor International Academy in Southfield. That school — a K-12 school — is working toward certification as an International Baccalaureate (IB) program for its high school grades.

   Jalivia said she hopes the school will help her become smarter. Elaina said she likes that the class sizes are small.

   In Livonia, students at Stevenson High School arrived to new lockers, new lighting and classrooms that have been rebuilt from top to bottom. The improvements, part of a voter-approved millage, are creating a whole new vibe in the school, principal James Gibbons said.

   “The renovations have given the building a new feel, both academically and socially,” he said.

   At the Detroit School of Arts, staff cuts drew protest and angst. The school, housed in a $122-million building, enrolled less than 500 students last year, though it has a capacity of 800. DPS cut the eighth period from the schedule and cut eight staff at the specialized school. Amid outcry from parents and students, four positions were restored during the past week.

   Michelle Zdrodowski, spokeswoman for DPS, said the school operates at a deficit every year because it requires an academic staff as well as arts instructors. Administrators will be required to teach classes that were formerly taught by the dismissed staff, she said.

   Val Watson of Detroit has a son who is a senior music major at the school. His schedule had two electives when she checked it, compared with three electives in past years.

   “I would like the classes restored. ... Parents are taking their kids out because of the instability and uncertainty,” she said.

   While most public schools started Tuesday, today will be the first day of school for students who attend 12 schools in the EAA. It also will be a belated first day for students at Crothers Elementary in Warren — in the Center Line School District — which was closed Tuesday after weekend storms caused flooding.

   Contact Lori Higgins: 313-222-6651or lhiggins@freepress.com  

New friends Jalivia Palmer, 9, and Elaina Wade, 10, sit near each other on the first day of school Tuesday at Jefferson International Academy, a new charter school in Waterford. Jalivia was nervous about starting at a new school, but then, “I made a new friend,” she said. “It helped me gain my confidence.”

   MANDI WRIGHT/

   DETROIT FREE PRESS

LTU ROBOFEST 2013 DPTV (Update: For Those Whom Might Have Missed It / CJ Chung)

DPTV Robofest 2013 (Aired September 2, 2013)

It is already on the web at

http://video.dptv.org/video/2365071692/

Thank you Matt!

CJ Chung

LTU Robofest May 2013 World Championship (Airs TONIGHT! Monday, September 2, 2013 7:30PM Detroit Public Television Channel #56 / C.J. Chung)

Hello,

Detroit Public Television (Channel 56-1) will air a special feature on the Robofest 2013 World Championship, held in May at LTU, on

Monday, September 2, 2013 at 7:30pm.

The 30 minute program will highlight the fun and exciting autonomous robotic challenges and will showcase some of the brightest young minds involved with Robofest from around the world.

Be sure to watch on Channel 56-1.

Thank you.

C.J. Chung