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.
In a presention on his priorities for educational reform today Gov. Rick Snyder called for expanded use of privately-operated charter schools and he said that 23 school districts face possible takeover by Emergency Managers.
The Detroit News reports that Snyder’s special message on education was sent to the legislature and presented at a press conference this morning at the United Way Southeast Michigan.
“Charter schools play an important role by offering an alternative education option to parents and students, particularly in our struggling districts,” Snyder said. “We need to increase the number of charter schools in Michigan to help attract the top charter operators from across the nation.
“I am proposing that any caps limiting the number of charter schools in districts with at least one academically failing school be removed,” he said.
He also called for removal of restrictions that say a charter board can only oversee one building.
Further, the governor announced as many as 23 financially distressed school districts could be placed under emergency managers who have beefed-up powers to scrap collective bargaining agreements under controversial legislation he recently signed into law.
In Detroit, where the state has already taken over the school system, Emergency Manager Robert Bobb has announced that he will use his new Emergency Manager powers to convert 45 schools into charter schools.
Snyder’s budget proposal calls for cutting $900 million from K-12 education, a move that is expected to put 150 school districts into severe financial distress.
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