State senator targets Michigan school districts with flush rainy day funds

So, some legislator wants to raid the coffers of school districts with "high fund balances". Sounds really nice on the surface until one considers that doing so is only a "one year fix" (something the legislature has turned into a science). What happens when the money is gone one year later? Then what? How about a long term plan for a change.

One of the reasons school districts have "large" fund balances is to avoid borrowing to meet short term cash shortages. (This became a systemic problem back in 1997 when then Governor Engler got the bright idea to delay state aid payments as a way to fund (yet another) tax cut.) In the long run, raiding the cash surpluses will force districts to borrow more to meet their short term obligations. And, doesn't this state already have borrowing capacity issues?

Here's what's happening. The STATE creates a crisis and then uses the crisis as a pretext to justify stripping local governments of local control.

Don Sovey and Tom Goodwin Present to SWMSBO

Click on the above to access the presentation made by Don Sovey and Tom Goodwin on March 3 to the Southwest Michigan School Business Officials.

Summit to Speak to MSBO Finance Committee

Tom White from SOS and Tom Goodwin from The Practitioners Summit will present to the Finance Committee of the Michigan School Business Officials on Friday, December 17. The meeting starts at 9:30 am in the Education Leadership Building where MSBO is headquartered.

Governor's Consolidation Categorical/Grants Dead for Now

"A plan to offer $50 million in incentives to consolidate school districts and share services is dead, an influential state senator says, because Gov. Jennifer Granholm didn't give lawmakers details on how the plan would work.

But Granholm aides said she still backs the plan and hopes money can be authorized by the end of her term.

Under the proposal, school districts would be eligible for competitive grants to cover expenses created through efforts to either share services or even erase district boundaries."

Click on the title of this article or below for the article in the GR Press:

www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/10/granholm_lawmakers_debate_who.html

The (False) Hope of School District Consolidation

Another article on school consolidation, this one from the Mackinac Center. The findings in this report run pretty much in line with previous articles written by them on this subject. What I am (very) skeptical about is their statement that charters are "more efficient" because their per pupil expenditures are lower. There is a reason for this. Charter schools focus on the "inexpensive to educate" student population primarily "regular ed" elementary students. The more expensive instructional areas - high schools, athletics and special education - have been left for the public schools to provide. Lower cost does not equate to greater efficiency.

Are Michigan's school administrators underpaid?

As a continuation of the articles on school district consolidation comes this article on administrator pay. I'd like to see some hard data on administrator compensation in Michigan versus other states.