I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]
An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.
Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.
Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.
Robert Bobb, the emergency financial manager of the troubled Detroit Public Schools, appeared this weekend on the NBC political show “Meet the Press.” The show was a kick off of a week of conversations and reports about the state of education in the U.S.
Also appearing was Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Washington D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, and American Federation of Teachers union President Randi Weingarten.
During the discussion, Bobb talked about the struggles of reforming an ailing education system.
“Every major decision that I have made, I have been sued, either by local leaders or school board members,” Bobb said. “There is a sense of urgency in urban school districts. You cannot sit back and not take care of what’s needed for children.”
Duncan also noted that change was necessary:
“We need dramatic change,” Duncan said. ” What was going on in Washington D.C. was a disgrace for far too long. What’s been going on in Detroit is a disgrace. Those children in both cities have been desperately, desperately underserved. Change is hard and you’re going to have blowback, but we have to have the moral courage to do the right thing by children. Detroit is going in a much better direction thanks to Bobb’s leadership.”
Bobb noted the importance of Race to the Top reforms passed late last year in order to allow the state to compete for millions in federal education innovation dollars. The state lost out on both rounds of federal funding, but the reforms are moving forward.
On Sept. 23, Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed the 2010-2011 Education Department Budget. In a press release, the budget was explained:
The Department of Education will receive $127 million in funding for fiscal year 2011, including $21.9 million from the general fund. This is an increase of $14 million over the current year, largely due to increased federal funding.
This budget provides the funding needed to implement the state’s education reform package signed into law earlier this year, which will strengthen student achievement and accountability. In addition, funding is provided for oversight of the new Education Jobs Fund monies and for critical services for at-risk students, special education programs and teacher preparation services.
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