Michigan Fact Sheet
MICHIGAN
Teachers
Unions
Fact
Sheet
Student Achievement Data for Michigan ‐
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Graduation Rate (Class of 2008) – 76% state and U.S DoE reported1 o If just half of those dropouts had graduated from high school, they could have contributed these economic benefits: $544 million more in home sales, 1,200 new jobs, $224 million in increased gross state product, and $19 million more in annual state tax revenue.2 Per‐pupil expenditure in Michigan ‐$10,1713
Bottomline: Despite spending $10,171 per pupil each year, Michigan 4th graders are still performing significantly lower than the national average in mathematics. Reading and mathematics scores for both 4th and 8th graders reveal that the status quo is being maintained and student scores have not increased in 10 or 20 years in some areas. Black students have a significant performance gap between their scores and those of their white peers. This performance gap has not narrowed in 20 years in some cases. NAEP Average Scores for State/Jurisdiction and Nation (public) – 4th Grade Reading
NAEP Average Scores for State/Jurisdiction and Nation (public) – 8th Grade Reading
1 Alliance for Excellent Education, Michigan High Schools, 2012 2 Id. 3 Common Core of Data, 2009‐2010 school year (non‐adjudicated) accessed from
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/
NAEP Average Scores for State/Jurisdiction and Nation (public) – 4th Grade Mathematics
NAEP Average Scores for State/Jurisdiction and Nation (public) – 8th Grade Mathematics
Specifics of Illinois’s Student Achievement According to the National Assessment of Education Progress4: ‐ 4th Grade o Reading: Average 2011 score of 219 is not significantly different from the average score in 1992 NAEP Proficient Level was 31% in 2011, not significantly different from that in 1992 (26%) NAEP Basic Level was 66% in 2011, not significantly different from that in 1992 (62%) Black and Hispanic students are both performing significantly lower than their white peers 34 and 19 points respectively – a performance gap not significantly different from that in 1992 o Mathematics: Michigan’s average score of 236 is lower than the national average of 240 for public school students across the nation. The average score in 2011 is not significantly different from that in 2009 NAEP Proficient level was 35% in 2011, not significantly different from that in 2009 NAEP Basic level was 78% in 2011, not significantly different from that in 2009 ‐ 8th Grade o Reading: Average score of 265 is not significantly different from that in 2002 (265) NAEP Proficient level was at 32% in 2011, not significantly different from that in 2009 or 2002 NAEP Basic level was at 77% in 2011, not significantly different from that in 2009 or 2002 either Black students are performing on average 25 points lower than their white peers – a performance gap that is not significantly different from that in 1992 4 National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2011
Mathematics: Average score of 280 is not significantly different from that in 2009 NAEP Proficient level was at 31% in 2011, not significantly different from that in 2009 NAEP Basic level was at 71% in 2011, not significantly different from that in 2009 Black students are performing on average 36 points lower than their white peers – a performance gap not significantly different from that in 1992 Teacher Dismissal Rates Approximately 3 out of every 116 teachers in Michigan are dismissed: meaning that over 97.5% of teachers – both good and bad – retain their jobs. This statistic suggests that 97.5% of teachers in Michigan are performing at a satisfactory or even excellent level; thus, begging the question of why 97.5% of students in Michigan are not performing at a satisfactory or excellent level? 5 ‐ Experienced teacher firing rate – 2.58% 6 ‐ Probationary teacher firing rate – 0.17%7 ‐ Private school teacher firing rate (national) – 9.8% 8 Power of the Teachers Unions in Michigan: ‐ Michigan Education Association – 157,000 members9 Financial Data for Teachers Unions In Michigan: ‐ Michigan Education Association Revenue ‐ $78,138,23610 ‐ Detroit Federation of Teachers Revenue ‐ $6,105,57311 ‐ State‐level political contributions ‐ $7,980,565 (includes MEA, Detroit Fed of Teachers, Michigan Fed of Teachers, Michigan Fed of Teachers and School Related Personnel, Roseveille Fed of Teachers12 o MEA spent $140,000 to target Rep. Paul Scott in a recall election, the House Education Committee Chairman, who was a vocal supporter of education reforms 13 Spending Power: In the 2006 cycle alone, the Michigan Teachers Unions contributed $1,603, 206 to candidates and parties in the state, with 90 % going to Democratic candidates and 10% going to Independent or Republican candidates.14 Recent Headlines: Teachers Union Leaders Call for Corporations to Pay More Taxes, Sending Money to Schools The Teacher’s Union for DPS Reacts to the Ruling that Keeps EM Law off the November Ballot Flint Teachers Union Sues School Board Over Tenure Reform Changes o
5 Id. 6 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School
District Data File," 2007–08. 7 Id. 8 Id. 9 http://www.mea.org/about‐mea 10 IRS Master File, 2008‐2009 11 Id. 12 www.TeachersUnionsExposed.com 13 NECN.com, 11/9/11 14 Terry Moe, “The Rise of Teachers Unions,” Special Interest: Teachers Unions and America’s Public Schools,” Brookings Institution Press, 2011 (p. 288).
Recent Issues ‐ Education Authority of Michigan is taking control over 15 Detroit schools starting July 1, 201215 o Substantial changes will be put into place with an enrollment of 12,000 and $82 million in state funds One of three models will be employed – charter, private entity contracted school, or directly run by EAA 8‐hour school day, Sept‐August school year; increased autonomy and flexibility for principals, professional development & teacher evaluations as well as individualized instruction for students Teachers will be paid approximately $5,000 above the average salary in Detroit Detroit Fed of Teachers President Johnson said “this is a recipe for disaster” – citing that teachers won’t want to work there because they can’t participate in state retirement system, but will be offering a 401k plan ‐ Politicking o Recalled House Education Committee Chairman Paul Scott for supporting education reform initiatives – wasted taxpayer dollars MEA targeted him for “supporting laws weakening teacher tenure and cutting education funding” 16 “This was entrenched special interests wanting to preserve the status quo and putting politics ahead of reform”17 Scott played an instrumental role in teacher tenure reform passed by the Legislature in 2011 – took away security of seniority in favor of more effective teachers Resident said: “I kind of feel it’s ridiculous for the (Michigan Education Association) to target this to him alone,” he said. “The MEA would have been better off spending their money on helping the kids in the classroom.” 18 “Teachers union spent thousands of dollars and invested significant manpower to oust Scott, whose only error was supporting important education reforms. But when they put up one of their own against Republican Joseph Graves, they failed.”19 o Democratic Senator John Gleason proposed a bill that would limit language for a recall to be approved, requiring it to be stated “factually” in response to many recalls in his district o Democratic Representative Roy Schmidt introduced a constitutional amendment which would prohibit recall proposals based on voting records and would limit the reasons for recall to convictions of felonies or misdemeanors, court judgments or if the vote results in misuse of public funds – Rep Schmidt called the recalls against mainly Republican lawmakers for their votes on education reform “silly and sophomoric” 20 Filed in response to the recall against Rep. Scott Recalls cost municipalities thousands of taxpayer dollars 21 o MEA created an incentive program to reward its members based on how much they raise for the PAC 22 15 Detroit Free Press, 3/14/12 16 NECN.com, 11/9/11 17 Id. 18 Grand Blanc News, 11/13/11 19 Detroit News, 3/2/12 20 Livingston County Press, 11/2/11 21 Flint Journal 8/12/11 22 http://prezi.com/ewf‐s5tjad9y/real‐growth‐for‐students‐from‐improved‐teacher‐
evaluation/?auth_key=5cdee86b10ef48143120e982fc2eb4453d23da1c
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Struggling Students o Gov Snyder is proposing bold reforms to tackle still struggling student scores – following in his predecessor Governor Granholm’s footsteps23 Recommending funding based on student outcomes rather than just head counts Only 16% of Michigan’s students achieved ACT scores that would qualify them for college last spring 238 Michigan high schools failed to produce a single student deemed college‐ready in all subjects on college proficiency tests Erik Hanushek of Hoover Institution published a book in 2009 “Schoolhouses, Courthouses and Statehouses: Solving the Funding Achievement‐Puzzle in America’s Public Schools” – argues that “funding has ‘done little to improve student achievement’” and often rewards poor results and punishes good performance Will be opposed by teachers unions – who prefer the status quo Cyber Schools (SB619) o Thousands of children are on waiting lists for the state’s 2 virtual charters – there is currently a cap on the number of cyber charter schools These schools are held to the same standards as traditional public schools Shows a huge demand for them Bill still stale in the House as traditional public school leaders oppose • Yet some offer similar online programs through their schools – Parents across the state are standing up and sharing stories about how virtual charters have significantly helped their children, many who are gifted or are falling behind – whereas in traditional public schools their children were often helping other students in the class because they were farther advanced or they were falling far behind their peers and could not catch up o Passed by the Senate in October, no action in the House yet MEA and Michigan Board of Ed both oppose o “Cyber schools are one method that parents can choose to help students to succeed, depending on their learning style and learning needs…” 24 Pension & Budget Reform o Due to economic conditions, Michigan is looking to require public school employees contribute to their retirement costs This change would allow “more money in the classroom” if school districts have the flexibility to allow teachers to contribute – this will also allow the state to ensure that retirement money will actually be there when these teachers retire 25 The measure would wipe out $9 million of the unfunded future retirement costs 26 Teachers unions are arguing that this “is not very fair” despite the fact that a quarter of school district’s budgets now go to cover pension costs, which would climb 3 percent next year if nothing is done As of 2011, only 71% of future pension costs were covered 27
23 Detroit News, 1/20/12 24 Herald‐Palladium, 2/26/12 25 Associated Press, 3/31/12 26 Id. 27 Id.
Student Achievement Data for Michigan ‐
‐
Graduation Rate (Class of 2008) – 76% state and U.S DoE reported1 o If just half of those dropouts had graduated from high school, they could have contributed these economic benefits: $544 million more in home sales, 1,200 new jobs, $224 million in increased gross state product, and $19 million more in annual state tax revenue.2 Per‐pupil expenditure in Michigan ‐$10,1713
Bottomline: Despite spending $10,171 per pupil each year, Michigan 4th graders are still performing significantly lower than the national average in mathematics. Reading and mathematics scores for both 4th and 8th graders reveal that the status quo is being maintained and student scores have not increased in 10 or 20 years in some areas. Black students have a significant performance gap between their scores and those of their white peers. This performance gap has not narrowed in 20 years in some cases. NAEP Average Scores for State/Jurisdiction and Nation (public) – 4th Grade Reading
NAEP Average Scores for State/Jurisdiction and Nation (public) – 8th Grade Reading
1 Alliance for Excellent Education, Michigan High Schools, 2012 2 Id. 3 Common Core of Data, 2009‐2010 school year (non‐adjudicated) accessed from
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/
NAEP Average Scores for State/Jurisdiction and Nation (public) – 4th Grade Mathematics
NAEP Average Scores for State/Jurisdiction and Nation (public) – 8th Grade Mathematics
Specifics of Illinois’s Student Achievement According to the National Assessment of Education Progress4: ‐ 4th Grade o Reading: Average 2011 score of 219 is not significantly different from the average score in 1992 NAEP Proficient Level was 31% in 2011, not significantly different from that in 1992 (26%) NAEP Basic Level was 66% in 2011, not significantly different from that in 1992 (62%) Black and Hispanic students are both performing significantly lower than their white peers 34 and 19 points respectively – a performance gap not significantly different from that in 1992 o Mathematics: Michigan’s average score of 236 is lower than the national average of 240 for public school students across the nation. The average score in 2011 is not significantly different from that in 2009 NAEP Proficient level was 35% in 2011, not significantly different from that in 2009 NAEP Basic level was 78% in 2011, not significantly different from that in 2009 ‐ 8th Grade o Reading: Average score of 265 is not significantly different from that in 2002 (265) NAEP Proficient level was at 32% in 2011, not significantly different from that in 2009 or 2002 NAEP Basic level was at 77% in 2011, not significantly different from that in 2009 or 2002 either Black students are performing on average 25 points lower than their white peers – a performance gap that is not significantly different from that in 1992 4 National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2011
Mathematics: Average score of 280 is not significantly different from that in 2009 NAEP Proficient level was at 31% in 2011, not significantly different from that in 2009 NAEP Basic level was at 71% in 2011, not significantly different from that in 2009 Black students are performing on average 36 points lower than their white peers – a performance gap not significantly different from that in 1992 Teacher Dismissal Rates Approximately 3 out of every 116 teachers in Michigan are dismissed: meaning that over 97.5% of teachers – both good and bad – retain their jobs. This statistic suggests that 97.5% of teachers in Michigan are performing at a satisfactory or even excellent level; thus, begging the question of why 97.5% of students in Michigan are not performing at a satisfactory or excellent level? 5 ‐ Experienced teacher firing rate – 2.58% 6 ‐ Probationary teacher firing rate – 0.17%7 ‐ Private school teacher firing rate (national) – 9.8% 8 Power of the Teachers Unions in Michigan: ‐ Michigan Education Association – 157,000 members9 Financial Data for Teachers Unions In Michigan: ‐ Michigan Education Association Revenue ‐ $78,138,23610 ‐ Detroit Federation of Teachers Revenue ‐ $6,105,57311 ‐ State‐level political contributions ‐ $7,980,565 (includes MEA, Detroit Fed of Teachers, Michigan Fed of Teachers, Michigan Fed of Teachers and School Related Personnel, Roseveille Fed of Teachers12 o MEA spent $140,000 to target Rep. Paul Scott in a recall election, the House Education Committee Chairman, who was a vocal supporter of education reforms 13 Spending Power: In the 2006 cycle alone, the Michigan Teachers Unions contributed $1,603, 206 to candidates and parties in the state, with 90 % going to Democratic candidates and 10% going to Independent or Republican candidates.14 Recent Headlines: Teachers Union Leaders Call for Corporations to Pay More Taxes, Sending Money to Schools The Teacher’s Union for DPS Reacts to the Ruling that Keeps EM Law off the November Ballot Flint Teachers Union Sues School Board Over Tenure Reform Changes o
5 Id. 6 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School
District Data File," 2007–08. 7 Id. 8 Id. 9 http://www.mea.org/about‐mea 10 IRS Master File, 2008‐2009 11 Id. 12 www.TeachersUnionsExposed.com 13 NECN.com, 11/9/11 14 Terry Moe, “The Rise of Teachers Unions,” Special Interest: Teachers Unions and America’s Public Schools,” Brookings Institution Press, 2011 (p. 288).
Recent Issues ‐ Education Authority of Michigan is taking control over 15 Detroit schools starting July 1, 201215 o Substantial changes will be put into place with an enrollment of 12,000 and $82 million in state funds One of three models will be employed – charter, private entity contracted school, or directly run by EAA 8‐hour school day, Sept‐August school year; increased autonomy and flexibility for principals, professional development & teacher evaluations as well as individualized instruction for students Teachers will be paid approximately $5,000 above the average salary in Detroit Detroit Fed of Teachers President Johnson said “this is a recipe for disaster” – citing that teachers won’t want to work there because they can’t participate in state retirement system, but will be offering a 401k plan ‐ Politicking o Recalled House Education Committee Chairman Paul Scott for supporting education reform initiatives – wasted taxpayer dollars MEA targeted him for “supporting laws weakening teacher tenure and cutting education funding” 16 “This was entrenched special interests wanting to preserve the status quo and putting politics ahead of reform”17 Scott played an instrumental role in teacher tenure reform passed by the Legislature in 2011 – took away security of seniority in favor of more effective teachers Resident said: “I kind of feel it’s ridiculous for the (Michigan Education Association) to target this to him alone,” he said. “The MEA would have been better off spending their money on helping the kids in the classroom.” 18 “Teachers union spent thousands of dollars and invested significant manpower to oust Scott, whose only error was supporting important education reforms. But when they put up one of their own against Republican Joseph Graves, they failed.”19 o Democratic Senator John Gleason proposed a bill that would limit language for a recall to be approved, requiring it to be stated “factually” in response to many recalls in his district o Democratic Representative Roy Schmidt introduced a constitutional amendment which would prohibit recall proposals based on voting records and would limit the reasons for recall to convictions of felonies or misdemeanors, court judgments or if the vote results in misuse of public funds – Rep Schmidt called the recalls against mainly Republican lawmakers for their votes on education reform “silly and sophomoric” 20 Filed in response to the recall against Rep. Scott Recalls cost municipalities thousands of taxpayer dollars 21 o MEA created an incentive program to reward its members based on how much they raise for the PAC 22 15 Detroit Free Press, 3/14/12 16 NECN.com, 11/9/11 17 Id. 18 Grand Blanc News, 11/13/11 19 Detroit News, 3/2/12 20 Livingston County Press, 11/2/11 21 Flint Journal 8/12/11 22 http://prezi.com/ewf‐s5tjad9y/real‐growth‐for‐students‐from‐improved‐teacher‐
evaluation/?auth_key=5cdee86b10ef48143120e982fc2eb4453d23da1c
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Struggling Students o Gov Snyder is proposing bold reforms to tackle still struggling student scores – following in his predecessor Governor Granholm’s footsteps23 Recommending funding based on student outcomes rather than just head counts Only 16% of Michigan’s students achieved ACT scores that would qualify them for college last spring 238 Michigan high schools failed to produce a single student deemed college‐ready in all subjects on college proficiency tests Erik Hanushek of Hoover Institution published a book in 2009 “Schoolhouses, Courthouses and Statehouses: Solving the Funding Achievement‐Puzzle in America’s Public Schools” – argues that “funding has ‘done little to improve student achievement’” and often rewards poor results and punishes good performance Will be opposed by teachers unions – who prefer the status quo Cyber Schools (SB619) o Thousands of children are on waiting lists for the state’s 2 virtual charters – there is currently a cap on the number of cyber charter schools These schools are held to the same standards as traditional public schools Shows a huge demand for them Bill still stale in the House as traditional public school leaders oppose • Yet some offer similar online programs through their schools – Parents across the state are standing up and sharing stories about how virtual charters have significantly helped their children, many who are gifted or are falling behind – whereas in traditional public schools their children were often helping other students in the class because they were farther advanced or they were falling far behind their peers and could not catch up o Passed by the Senate in October, no action in the House yet MEA and Michigan Board of Ed both oppose o “Cyber schools are one method that parents can choose to help students to succeed, depending on their learning style and learning needs…” 24 Pension & Budget Reform o Due to economic conditions, Michigan is looking to require public school employees contribute to their retirement costs This change would allow “more money in the classroom” if school districts have the flexibility to allow teachers to contribute – this will also allow the state to ensure that retirement money will actually be there when these teachers retire 25 The measure would wipe out $9 million of the unfunded future retirement costs 26 Teachers unions are arguing that this “is not very fair” despite the fact that a quarter of school district’s budgets now go to cover pension costs, which would climb 3 percent next year if nothing is done As of 2011, only 71% of future pension costs were covered 27
23 Detroit News, 1/20/12 24 Herald‐Palladium, 2/26/12 25 Associated Press, 3/31/12 26 Id. 27 Id.
