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The Michigan Messenger going forward

By Staff Report | 11.16.11

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 [...]

Colorado-based abstinence program provided false and misleading information to Michigan students

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By Todd A. Heywood | 11.16.11

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.

Class action lawsuit filed against MERS over unpaid taxes

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By Todd A. Heywood | 11.15.11

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.

Schuette fights important mercury regulations

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By Eartha Jane Melzer | 11.14.11

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.

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House bill would require schools to privatize services

By Eartha Jane Melzer | 03.02.11 | 11:17 am

Schools will be blocked from directly hiring people to provide food, custodial and transportation services under a bill scheduled for consideration by the House Education Committee today.

House Bill 4306, sponsored by Rep. Dave Agema (R-Grandville) would require school districts to finalize contracts to privatize these services by next June.

It’s unclear how the measure would effect school finances.

According to a bill analysis by the non-partisan House Fiscal Agency many districts have already moved to outsource services when savings are to be found.

“Some districts have found that maintaining district employees to perform these noninstructional services is less expensive than privatizing,” HFA wrote, “thus, the bill could increase costs under certain circumstances by mandating the privatization of certain non-instructional services.”

Teachers are rallying against the bill which they say will force schools to fire thousands of workers and hand their jobs over to out-of-state and foreign firms.

“They don’t see the value of these jobs to our students, our schools, and our communities,“ the Michigan Education Association said in a statement. “They don’t understand the local economic impact of outsourcing these important middle class jobs. They don’t recognize the safety and quality concerns involved when handing this important work over to for-profit corporations that put their bottom line ahead of the needs of students.”

Comments

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Sandy-Darling/1475426687 Sandy Darling

    What happened to the Republican idea of “keeping state government out of local affairs”? This is a simply another ploy to kill the public schools! Doesn’t sound like it will create all those local jobs they talk about either. More job loss here for Michiganders. Can’t you people see what is happening here????

  • DetroitTechnoFan

    This is sick. What way could there be for the taxpayers to pay even more than they already are and get less.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jrthecableguy Joshua Adam Robinson

    I thought community/public schools where supposed to support their communities? Instead of paying local people a fair wage, privatization allows districts to give money to businesses who in turn hire lower wage workers. How is this good for the economy? Make a business owner more money, but cut several people’s pay/their jobs.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VN32XNBA4YDIHFAETAKB4M2KMQ beau mann

    We all know how this is going to end. Lower wage jobs. No benefits. No retirement. Firing as employees age. But someone somewhere will get rich proving that it is the rich who let us serfs have jobs!

  • http://www.facebook.com/jrthecableguy Joshua Adam Robinson

    One more thing… This wont save the state as much money as one would think. Many of these privatized jobs pay such low wages, that the workers will have to end up on assistance, whether it be the bridge card, partial welfare, etc. unless these workers happened to be with someone who makes significantly more money. Another example of the government subsidizing business owners’ bottom line.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jrthecableguy Joshua Adam Robinson
  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Michael-Baker/100000324229538 Michael Baker

    enough is enough when will school districts do the work they are paid to do instead of outsourcing work IT’S NO WONDER OUR TAXES ARE SO HIGH and we are paying a year’s wage for a 9 and 1/2 work year or about a 180 days a year
    i wished when i was working i could work 180 days and get paid for 365

    • Anonymous

      Please clarify your opening sentence. Are you saying that out-sourcing increases the cost of schooling?

      More importantly, though, since I’m assuming you are making a statement about the hours and pay of a teacher, answer these questions: how much should a teacher be paid? Who should pay for the additional training/education that teachers are required to attain after being certified? How many hours do you consider to be a teacher work day and work week? What job is the private work force is equivalent to that of the teacher? And finally, how many students constitute a classroom?

    • http://www.facebook.com/jrthecableguy Joshua Adam Robinson

      This bill pertains to the support staff that is, at least in the districts that I have worked for, been an hourly rate. They do not get paid their hourly rate when school is not in session, so they are not being paid for hours that they do not work. Teacher’s on the other hand are on contract and only “work” 9 months out of the year. Having said that, the 9 months a teacher is working is more than a typical 8 hour day…After they are done working at the school (many stay after to assist with other functions) they have to grade papers and come up with lesson plans. During they months they are off, they are mandated to increase their education in order to stay certified and ultimately stay employed.

    • Anonymous

      You need to check things before you comment. Custodians work all year and bus drivers and food service are hourly employees and only get paid for the hours worked.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KHXUMOMQIX74BZPAGVGW56ZGCU Jim

    As a day custodian in an elementary, I do so much more than cleaning. I’m involved in many aspects of these kids lives. For many, I’m the only man role model they know. It’s not just about the money. We’re a community. This state is heading in the wrong direction. Our jobs need to stay in the community.

  • http://www.facebook.com/kathy.frost Kathy Frost

    I work in a school kitchen. This year all the custodians have been privatized, The school is going down hill fast.They have no concern of the children. They do a very bad job. We are due for a health inspection soon. I am sort of looking forward to seeing what they “write us up for”. They just sweep the dirt from the cafeteria in a pile and do not pick it up. It stays there until the following morning. We have ants inside now. The janitorial closet is filthy. They leave the garbage they drop outside the building and do not not pick it up for weeks. They do not clean our kitchen bathroom for us very well. They have no pride in our schools, because they do not live in the district. We have very high standards that we upkeep to keep our kitchen clean and safe to serve the most nutritious meals that we can with the limited funds we collect these days. I can not imagine what it will be like if they privatize the kitchen staff!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/kathy.frost Kathy Frost

    The state will not gain funds from getting rid of our jobs. The kitchen staff actually MAKES money for the district!! We are not even getting state funds for any of it!! We make own own revenue. It is because he wants to tell the districts WHO does what and HOW. It is so irritating!!

  • Anonymous

    I will say it again…..the administration staff, superintendants, principals, need to take pay cuts….in school districts as well as our government. Instead of cutting the little guy, taking away middle class jobs, START CUTTING AT THE TOP, lead by example. Our superintendant makes about $350K a year!!!! Really, and on top of that gets a car, insurance paid, free gas at the bus garage, huge deposit into his retirement fund, etc….if you are making that much I think you can give up some of the perks, especially now since school districts are in dire straits….they also need to start paying more for their health care. We need to get serious, look at other optons instead of privitizing support staff which are people who live in the communities where these schools are located..

  • Anonymous

    Dave Agema the person behind this bill is a poor example of a house rep. When I contacted him on the following statements on what would happen his response was immature and not proffessional.

    1. The school and community would loose control over hiring the people interacting with our children.

    2. Companies are in it for profit not to help your school. If you check First Student and Durham Trans. two of the biggest companies are from the UNITED KINGDOM NOT USA. Our Michigan money would not just be going out of State but out of Country. This would also effect local vendors that were doing business with the school.

    3. The state employee retirement system is declining and if you take the drivers, mechanics, secretaries, aides, maintenance, custodian and other workers 3 percent contribution out of their checks this will have a significant impact on the whole system.

    4. What about drivers being layed off in the summer working for a private company this would entitle them to unemployment or other types of assitance. Nice savings for the state.

    5. Schools have and are making adjustments to their budgets. I agree with the person earlier about to much at the top. My current school last year paid 2.6 million dollars for 13 employees all administrators. This is way out of line when compared to the private sector. I think looking at the ISD’s to consolidate the schools together, much like southern states is a more realistic idea, some counties in Michigan are already doing this and it is working.

    Dave Agema you need to WAKE UP not the people who voted for you. I would love to discuss any of the above issues with you, only you would address them and face the FACTS. Oh and by the way bus drivers are not second class citizens they have to work ten years of time to receive their retirement not only six like you.

    L. G. C.

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