There’s some good news in regards to charter schools to report for both Grand Rapids and Detroit. For some quick background – state laws define a “first class” school district, which only Detroit Public Schools qualifies for. This special status allows Detroit’s school system some privileges in terms of funding, but also the state...
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Posted in Charter Schools, Detroit Schools, Education, Grand Rapids Public Schools, Michigan Government | 1 Comment »
The Detroit News has a short article today on the dropout rate of Detroit Public Schools students. The article states that a report from Education Week, a weekly education newspaper, has done a study showing that Detroit’s dropout rate is 75%. You can view the report’s web page by clicking here. However, the bureaucrats...
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Tags: east grand rapids, grand rapids public schools, wyoming
Posted in Charter Schools, Detroit Schools, Education, Grand Rapids Public Schools | 10 Comments »
Governor Granholm’s State of the State speech was a surprising call for expansion of government, even for our current governor. According to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, the governor called for 20 expansions of state government and only one reduction in state government. Apparently our governor has yet to take Economics 101. Michigan...
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Tags: governor granholm, income tax
Posted in Charter Schools, Education, Jennifer Granholm, Mackinac Center, Michigan Business, Michigan Government, Michigan Taxes, Right to Work, Single Business Tax | No Comments »
It’s funny to watch the Grand Rapids school board completely bungle everything they do. One has a hard time understanding exactly how they can bat 1000 when it comes to messing up the simplest task. The GRPS board is considering selling the now-unused Huff elementary school on the city’s north side. They got two...
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Tags: grand rapids public schools
Posted in Charter Schools, Grand Rapids Public Schools | No Comments »
The Grand Rapids Press reported today that the Grand Rapids Public Schools lost 1,100 students over last school year. They say this is the largest single-year student loss in a decade. The article (which is not available online) quotes a school board member who’s completely baffled by the loss. Well, gee, who knows, maybe...
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Tags: grand rapids public schools
Posted in Charter Schools, Education, Grand Rapids Public Schools, MEA | No Comments »
Michigan’s unemployment rate rose again in May, to 7.1%. In the mean time, the national unemployment rate continues to decline. It stands at 5.1%. And the legislature and governor continue to argue over how much more money the state should borrow to “invest” in creating jobs. It’s akin to trying to borrow money to...
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Tags: unemployment
Posted in Charter Schools, Education, Michigan Business, Michigan Economy, Michigan Government, Michigan Taxes | No Comments »
A recent report issued jointly by the National Governor’s Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures (hardly partisan hack groups) this month said that Michigan’s economy ranks dead last in the nation. Some highlights are: Personal income grew in Michigan by 3.29 percent between March 2003 and March 2004, placing Michigan second to...
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Tags: tax increase
Posted in Charter Schools, Education, Labor Unions (General), Michigan Economy, Michigan Government, Right to Work | No Comments »
Today we see that Michigan’s unemployment rate again increased. February’s rate is 7.5%, up from 7.1% in January. Meanwhile, the legislature and governor wrestle with a $400 million budget deficit for next year. The news just isn’t getting any better for Michigan. What is to be done to help this state? It seems we’re...
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Tags: unemployment
Posted in Charter Schools, Michigan Business, Michigan Economy, Michigan Government, Right to Work | No Comments »
In a nearly incomprehensible collapse of the Detroit School system, the Detroit Public Schools administration is projecting a loss of 40,000 students over the next three years. That’s in addition to the 30,000 that have been lost since 1998. The DPS enrollment stands at 140,000 this year. The DPS 2005 budget has nearly a...
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Tags: grand rapids public schools, tax increase
Posted in Charter Schools, Detroit Schools | No Comments »