Educators, Grosse Pointers Concerned as House Passes Education Cuts

A late-night vote by the Michigan House of Representatives narrowly passed a bill that cuts per-pupil spending by $256 to $297. Meanwhile, the state Senate passed a different bill. Eventually the two will need to be reconciled, but Thursday's vote concerns Grosse Pointe education officials.

Grosse Pointe's Representative Tim Bledsoe voted against the measure. Voting followed party lines with the exception of a handful of Republicans who crossed the line to vote no. The bill passed 57-53.

This is not the final version to be implemented, but the potential reduction would be in addition to an already-established cut of $170 per pupil. 

Grosse Pointe School Board Member Brendan Walsh said he personally believes the Grosse Pointe district is in much better fiscal shape than many. He said the district has been fortunate to not make bigger cuts such as school building closures, drastic increases in class sizes or the elimination of arts and music programs, as many districts are doing now.

Walsh said Thursday's vote is discouraging, but the bigger picture of an attempt to correct the state's financial woes using education funds is a mistake, noting it isn't a permanent fix but a stopgap effort.

How the reduction in per-pupil spending affects local school districts depends on how their school boards react, Walsh said. In Grosse Pointe, the long-term impact of the reduction in education funding is likely to affect teacher compensation, whether directly in pay or indirectly through health insurance costs, he said.

Potential cuts to per-pupil spending are especially difficult for educators to accept, considering the state's School Aid Fund is said to have a surplus that could have allowed an increase of more than $200 in per-pupil spending. 

Educators are anxiously awaiting Gov. Rick Snyder's final plan for the surplus, which he suggested should be used to help balance the general budget rather than be directed to the schools as originally planned.

Grosse Pointe Education Association President Ranae Beyerlein said the teachers are already stretched thin in their workload  compared to what they had to do a decade ago and even more so than two or three decades ago. 

She said the governor's reinvention plan for education has many conflicts. He emphasizes degrees in the Any Time, Any Place, Any Way, Any Pace plan but then doesn't have the same attitude regarding degree-appropriate pay for teachers.

The teachers in Grosse Pointe have already lost their professional development opportunities through the state because of funding, she said. There is value in attending events beyond the district to learn from other professionals, she said.

Many educators now attend outside conferences or events by applying for grants or through grass roots efforts. One such opportunity, edcamp Detroit, will be held at Wayne State University Saturday. It is described as an unconference and offers continuing education seminars put on by the attendees. The event is free. Those going to the event are welcome to attend as much or as little as they'd like as well as put on as many or as few seminars as they'd like.

Part of the reason Beyerlein came to the district was to have more access to professional development, but with 85 percent of the budget going for staff, there isn't much wiggle room. 

Walsh and Beyerlein agree Snyder's plan and budget proposal concerning education doesn't take into consideration variations.

Beyerlein said Snyder's "corporate concept" of schools doesn't allow for the fact that every student learns differently and at a different pace. By funding schools based on scores, districts on either end of the spectrum receive no funding, she said. In Grosse Pointe, for example, the scores of standardized tests are already in the high 90s generally so there isn't much room to advance, she said.

Walsh said the schools of choice plan doesn't account for differences in districts or buildings within the same district. 

"At what point is there respect for the individual community?" Walsh said, noting every community holds different values and interests. "His proposal further eliminates the local control."

Snyder's use of statistics is also not reflective of Grosse Pointe schools, Walsh said. He said the governor is quick to point out that there are many students who are not college-ready but those statewide statistics don't apply to Grosse Pointe, where the graduation rate approaches 100 percent annually. 

"It's going to be a rough road ahead," Walsh said.