State Board of Education Leaders to Visit Bloomfield Hills

Board President John Austin will join the Women Officials Network (WON) Breakfast at the Doyle Center for discussions with taxpayers, educators and other stakeholders.

  Local school leaders were among the most active and vocal during the flurry of controversial education-reform bills presented in the Michigan Legislature late last year. Do you have opinions about education reform and its impact on the Bloomfield Hills Schools and surrounding public school districts? You'll have an opportunity to let members of the Michigan State Board of Education know directly during one of four community forums coming to Bloomfield Hills on March 1 at 7:30 a.m. at the Doyle Center. The event coincides with the Women Officials Network (WON) Breakfast and State Board of Education President John Austin is expected to join State Board Vice President Casandra Ulbrich, WON President. and local leaders in education. Tickets …

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After Right-to-Work Vote, Focus Turns Back to Schools

Local districts, including the Bloomfield Hills Schools, continue to sound the alarm about education reform proposals taking shape in Lansing.

  With the controversial passage of Michigan's righ-to-work legislation Tuesday, focus in Lansing is again turning toward education reform as the 'lame-duck' session continues. Still this week, the Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan Senate will consider two plans that will have a significant impact on public education, according to an alert issued by the Bloomfield Hills Schools. First, lawmakers will consider a plan to eliminate the Personal Property Tax without full replacement of lost school revenue. SB 1065-1072, HB 6022- HB 6026 will supposedly cut services for students in special education and career and technical program, and force drastic cuts to sinking fund, enhancement and ISD operational millages. Second, Senate…

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Letter to the Editor

OPINION: Don’t Kill an Ant With a Cannon When it Comes to Public Education

This active mother in the Bloomfield Hills Schools asks Gov. Rick Snyder to slow down and develop a well-conceived, thoroughly-tested plan to reform the districts that need help the most.

Dear Governor, I will try to be brief, which at times, can be a challenge for me. I believe that all considerations to improve educational opportunities and achievements are well intentioned. I have read what I can on the issues including your letter of April 27, 2011. Some changes may have merit. But, I strongly believe, that this one, large program will not fix the numerous problems many school districts face. With all due respect, I believe your proposal is an example of “killing an ant with a cannon” and killing it quickly. I am a parent of a child in the Bloomfield Hills Schools District, and my child has benefited greatly from a wonderful educational and social experience. There are a variety of programs available to him from a …

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Best of Local Voices: Views on School Reform from Bloomfield Hills

Here's another look at what some of our bloggers and contributors had to say about pending legislation in Lansing.

  Editor's Note: All eyes of those concerned with public education in Michigan are watching Lansing very closely as the school-reform bills take shape in the Legislature. That includes many Bloomfield Patch bloggers that have concerns about what the changes would mean for the Bloomfield Hills Schools, and for children in districts statewide if the status quo remains. Here's a few of the most popular blogs and reader submissions in terms of website traffic and comments.   OPINION: Education Reform From This Retired Teacher's Perspective An urgent call to action from Superintendent Rob Glass Governor Snyder's Educational Shock Troops Standing Ready to Move In -- Alert HQ in Ada, MI. It is the "Educating" v. "Enrollment" District Distinction…

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Bloomfield Hills Represented at Lansing Event on School Reform

Several members of the Bloomfield Hills Schools Board of Education and local parents joined the coalition against sweeping reforms at the Capitol.

A coalition of educators, parents and public school officials filled a meeting room at the State Capitol in Lansing Monday to push back at sweeping reforms to public education currently under consideration. And the Bloomfield Hills Schools was well represented. School Board President Ingrid Day, Trustee Cynthia von Oeyen, trustee-elect Howard Baron and Superintendent Rob Glass joined four BHS parents in the standing-room-only crowd for a joint press conference by several groups opposed to the legislation. The coalition – called Michigan for Quality Schools – said Monday the state should step back from the proposed changes and instead study and implement what it calls proven, successful education policies adopted by top-performing states, …

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Jon Awbrey

7:38 pm on Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Here are a couple of Facebook pages that are good for keeping up with education issues on the Michigan front: Michigan Parents For Schools • http://www.facebook.com/groups/42913373442 Save Michigan's Public Schools • http://www.facebook.com/SaveMIPublicSchools   more ›

Letter to the Editor

OPINION: Education Reform From This Retired Teacher's Perspective

No easy or definitive answer for what the best solution is, but this veteran educator is confident that the Michigan Public Education Finance Act is not it.

  May I offer a retired public school teacher’s perspective? Up until now, I’ve been reluctant to chime in on any discussions related to HBs 6004 and 5923, and SBs 1358 and 620, primarily because I can’t offer a remedy to school funding disparities in Michigan. Former BHS Superintendent Gary Doyle said it best: Any jackass can kick down a barn door, but it takes a skilled craftsman to build something. Therefore, in the absence of having a better idea, people often acquiesce to proposals offered by leaders who purportedly care about achieving a fair, workable resolution. It eventually began to sink in that the reason I can’t think of a solution that government might provide to address this issue is that no singular one exists. Just like …

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Elizabeth

6:43 am on Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Thank you Mike, Actually, I did understand that it was sarcasm, I just didn't think it was necessary. We may have different views on this subject, but our discussions have been civil. Again, thank you for responding an apologizing. Accepted. Elizabeth   more ›

Proposed State Education Overhauls ‘Radical and Dangerous,' Superintendent Says

The Oakland Schools superintendent told a forum Tuesday that bills in Lansing would put students at risk with untested, untried forms of schooling.

Area superintendents, including Rob Glass of the Bloomfield Hills Schools, collectively expressed grave concerns Tuesday regarding a 300-page bill drafted for Gov. Rick Snyder that would overhaul how public education is administered in the state of Michigan. Calling Senate Bill 1358, House Bill 6004, and House Bill 5923 “radical and dangerous,” Oakland Schools Superintendent Dr. Vickie L. Markavitch told attendees at the Royal Oak Middle School gathering place “unbelievable things are happening in Lansing.” Superintendents from Royal Oak, Lamphere, Clawson and Southfield joined Glass and more than 350 people during the afternoon and evening sessions of what was billed as a “call to action.” “There is really important work that has to be …

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Bloomfield1876

8:59 am on Tuesday, December 11, 2012

If Lone Pine is the best building ( think you mean Pine Lake) why isn't it being used instead of shuttered? That is the better question. BHSD has been overcapaticized for some time.....someone has to do the job our board refuses to address. by the way what's so wrong with an empty building being used as another school anyway...better transitin empty.   more ›