jim's blog

SPECIAL REPORT: Pay for performance coming to Michigan schools

By The Center for Michigan - March 4, 2010

By John Foren

Nohemi Leake of Kalamazoo believes we should be sprinting in the Race to the Top. Maria Martinez of Wyoming, near Grand Rapids, wants to put a stop to this Race.

Think there's a consensus over President Barack Obama's Race to the Top education reform plan, which emphasizes performance-based pay for teachers and school officials?

Hardly. It's not just education experts and school employees who are all over the board in how they feel about it.

The same disparate views are echoed by everyday people whose lives don't revolve around the latest education theory. They just want to know that their kids are learning what they need to.

Members are demonstrating anxiety over new legislation dealing with yearly teacher observations, and, with good reason. The idea of linking job performance with job evaluation is a good one. But, as in most cases the position that is responsible to make it work it work is the building principal.

So, when we were call by MEA staff a month ago to jointly develop a framework to be taken to every bargaining table in Michigan we jumped at the chance. Today, we completed our work. Now the “process” begins. MEA has to have their attorneys review our work. MASSP has taken it to leadership of MASB, MASA, and the negotiators association to begin looking at it for consideration.

I just returned from the offices of the Illinois Principals Association in Springfield, IL. There MASSP joined in partnership with their association to provide to building principals a model policy guide for the development of student handbooks.

This model guide will:

-- Search for new handbook procedures that your school needs.

-- Compare your existing handbook procedures with model handbook procedures.

-- Update your handbook for the next school year.

-- Make sure your handbook has all procedures required by law.

Michigan principals will be able to have a Michigan version of this model policy handbook after May 1st. The yearly cost for a MASSP member will be $85. For non-MASSP members, $160. The guide is written to assist building leaders K-12.

Jim,

With the impending RTTT mandate of annual evaluations starting next fall, it seems there would be an advantage to sharing publicly what different districts are doing to prepare for the implementation of evaluations that are 60% dependent on data. There was a piece yesterday in the Michigan Education Digest on what Dearborn Crestwood is doing.
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Thanks for your note. I want to inform you and others of activities Diane and I are working on regarding the new requirement that when bargaining your next teacher contract provisions must be made to have as a significant part (to be defined at the individual bargaining table) performance with the evaluation process.

Learned this week that in the U.S.A., one out of two people unemployed, resides(ed) in Michigan.

Our podcast about the new proposed retirement plan we recorded and published last Friday afternoon has been downloaded 1,737 since then (7 days). The number continues to grow each day.

February 11, 2010

Members of the Senate Education Committee

Thank you for running the new, much improved, version of SB 757 by us before committee. From what you shared with us, I understand it to focus on Education Development Plans only. I shared this section with members of my Board of Directors. We have the following comments.

Tuesday I was invited to meet with the principals of Ingham County. It is always great to visit with them. We went through some of the recent reform legislation. I focused on those areas that impact the building principal right away. I was a little surprised, and pleased, at all the questions. I started with the changes to personal curriculum committee legislative language and then moved onto the Algebra II clarity language. I’m beginning to feel these two topics will be the focus of my career.

A great discussion was around the legislative language regarding performance and evaluation. As one principal said, “After reading the actual language this is a real paradigm shift.” He was right on target.

I recently sat with the Executive Director of the MEA, Lou Battaglieri, for some information sharing and friendship renewal. Lou wanted me to know what he, the MEA, was doing in regard to MOU issues. I wanted to listen and learn, and share with him what our association was saying.

The conversation took place during the closing hours of negotiation between MEA and the MI Department of Education regarding MI’s application for RTTT funds. The topic was the linking of student performance and teacher evaluation to be used in the application. “Significant” is the point of contention. Four pages of the application are required to explain the concept of this link.

Jim - Thank you for the opportunity to participate in the MASSP Board of Directors Mtg. I found it very meaningful, particularly the connecting beyond the meeting with other board members and our day at the Capitol. It was quite a learning experience for me.

Jim - I really enjoyed my two days in Lansing last week. Even with the many things to discuss on our agenda, I felt that we were able to define some important goals and direction for the association. Additionally, our day at the Capitol was truly a great experience and one that I will always remember. Thank you and your staff for making our board meeting such a valuable experience.

Jim - Wow, I really enjoyed last week, great meetings, the capitol experience was cool!

October 30, 2009

Today the Governor finished the budget process. And, here’s what is now certain. The Promise scholarship that principals supported so strongly is gone. Period. As a principal and parent you know how important this was, to so many. I hate to see it go.

Quick fixes to soften the cuts in school funding for 09-10? Not going to happen. The pain of the Michigan downsize has arrived for us all in the education community. We are left with doing nothing but cut, or, do what we do much more cost effective.

In the last nine years, Michigan has gone from one of the most prosperous states in the USA, to one of the poorest. Period.