Gov.'s Man says Public Education Like the Tobacco Industry, Hurting Consumers for Money

Well over 250 citizens braved some nasty driving weather to fill a banquet room at the Lansing Center today for The Center for Michigan's first (of three scheduled) meetings on School Reform (see program below).

The meetings follow The Center's release of a survey that showed most citizens are in favor of investing in early childhood education, supporting and training teachers in a more effective way, and holding teachers accountable. Very few, however, are in favor of more "choice" or "online" education, the centerpieces of Governor Snyder's plan to reform schools.

What to do, what to do, what to do.

To their political credit, some of the Governor's men showed up to listen to at least part of this "citizenry" that seems so deeply skeptical of their reform plan.

Peter Ruddell, co-architect of the finished but still  forthcoming rewrite of the school aid act, stole the show in the final minutes when -- after two or three critical comments from the audience -- gave into a bit of pique and said, "You [I think meaning educators or public education in general] are like the tobacco industry that refused to admit that what you are producing is hazardous."

Given that the dialogue had been civil throughout the comment drew a loud and disbelieving groan.

Does he, many whispered, realize he just said all involved in public education who resist his model of reform are as hazardous as the tobacco industry and in a kind of massive denial to protect their own business interests?

Yup.

In another moment that left jaws gaping, Ruddell explained that public education is already a private business because schools buy computers from Apple.

One really doesn't know how to respond to this sort of logic when this is the person crafting public education financing in your state.

Bill Rustem, the Governor's chief strategist had no interest in engaging in such intellectual abstractions about the relationship between public and private. Indeed, he began the session frustrated with all the "misinformation" put out about HB6004 last term, the bill designed to turn the EAA -- an interlocal agreement between Detroit and EMU -- into a state wide School District capable of gobbling up property in Oakland County and elsewhere. He just couldn't understand the fuss: The EAA is only interested in 15 schools in the bottom 5% and no more than 50 schools -- EVER.

One always admires chutzpah.

All 250 people in the room knew that the limited EAA bill Rustem described was  not the one that drew protest. Rustem described the EAA bill recrafted AFTER enormous political protest during lame duck had transformed the loaded EAA bill that popped out of the Lisa Posthumous Lyons's House Education Committee. 

Quite simply, Rustem wanted to pretend that transformation of the EAA Bill didn't happen, that the spectacular over reach on the part of Lyons and others was a figment of the imagination -- a figment forever lodged as a PDF.

To spit in one's eye and tell them its raining is one thing. It is quite another to glare at them and then say, "why are you all wet?"

But for those willing to work  to stop this reform movement there was, perhaps, a positive in this unnecessarily aggressive, clumsy gesture by the Governor's right hand man. If you listen to Rustem, the revised EAA is all the Governor now wants, the only part of school reform he is willing to send his top men to seek.

Once Rustem made his EAA point, he had to excuse himself and left representation of the Governor's office in the hands of a youngish aid. Alas, I had trouble making out anything he had to say beyond "EAA."

One hopes the Governor looks at this tape (call it on line learning) and has a few moments to think things through. Does he, for example, agree with Peter Ruddell about public educators in the state of Michigan?

I am prepared to say the PEFA draft never happened just like the EAA state wide District never happened. The whole "Districts" don't really exist like we have always thought they existed thing? We just move on??

What do you say, Governor? Come back to the land of reason and all may be well yet.

Snyder has done well in signing on Dean Deborah Ball, from the U. of Michigan College of Education. Her panel discussed reforming teacher preparation and she reminded the audience that teachers make up the largest labor force in the country -- over 3 million. Labor, labor, labor, can't live with em...

 Republicans and Democrats alike should give Roger Kahn (R-Saginaw) a medal for fighting for more funding for early childhood education, the topic of the early morning session where common sense and consensus and reason seemed to flow effortlessly together. Everyone agreed early childhood funding was good. Everyone agreed Snyder's plan for more social workers in at risk elementary schools was good.

And nobody felt compelled to use the words "market," "choice," or "competition."

The school social workers in at risk schools are not yet being challenged to "race to the top."

Smoke em if you got em.

Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013
7:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. (includes breakfast & lunch)
Lansing Center, 333 E. Michigan Ave. (Click for map)

Agenda:

7:30 a.m. – Breakfast
8:10 a.m. – Introduction
8:30-9:40 a.m. – Panel 1
9:50-11 a.m. – Panel 2
11:10-12:20 p.m. – Panel 3
12:20-1 p.m. – Working Lunch (Q&A and networking)

Panelists:

Panel 1 – The Case for Early Childhood Education

• Sen. Roger Kahn - R-Saginaw Township
• Paul Hillegonds – Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, DTE Energy
• Scott Menzel – Superintendent, Washtenaw Intermediate School District
• Susan Broman – Director, Office of Great Start, Michigan Department of Education
• Veronica Wolf – parent of Great Start Readiness Program participant

Moderator: Paula Cunningham

Panel 2 – Teacher Preparation, Support & Accountability

• Deborah Ball – Dean, University of Michigan School of Education; Chair, Michigan Council for Educator Effectiveness
• Amber Arellano – Executive Director, Education Trust-Midwest
• David Hecker – President, American Federation of Teachers – Michigan
• Venessa A. Keesler - Director, Michigan Department of Education’s Office of Evaluation, Strategic Research, and Accountability
• Brit Satchwell – Former President, Ann Arbor Education Association

Moderator: Michelle Herbon Richard, Public Sector Consultants

Panel 3 – Current Issues & Skepticism

• John Austin – President, State Board of Education
• Peter Ruddell – Attorney at Wiener Associates, PLC
• Jamey Fitzpatrick – President and CEO, Michigan Virtual University
• Bill Rustem - Director of Strategy, State of Michigan
• Vickie Markavitch - Superintendent, Oakland Schools

Moderator: Peter Pratt, Public Sector Consultants