Monday, January 14, 2013
With the state requiring computer-based assessments for the 2014-15 school year, the Dearborn Public School Board will need to debate how to meet new standards with few funding options.
Forget Scantrons and No. 2 pencils. Standardized testing will look very different for the Michigan students of 2014 and beyond. That’s because the Michigan Department of Education is replacing the traditional, standardized Michigan Education Assessment Program, or MEAP, exams with new, electronic assessments that will assess students in math, reading and writing. But the change is going to be an expensive proposition for Dearborn Public Schools. The Dearborn Board of Education, which steers policy for the 19,000-student district, will have to make a decision about how to pay for the unfunded mandate in the cash-strapped district—which could include asking voters to approve a bond, or a sinking fund, to help pay for needed technological …
Monday, December 17, 2012
The Dearborn Board of Education approved a measure that would mandate teachers change the grade of students in advanced placements courses if they master the test.
Students attending advanced placement classes at the Dearborn Public Schools’ three high schools will now be able to effectively erase a grade if they can achieve a high score on the advanced placement test. The Dearborn Board of Education approved a measure this month that will allow teachers to change the grades of students that score a 5, 4, or 3, to an A, B, or C, even if they have not successfully completed the work in the class. For example, a student that earns a D based on his or her coursework could earn an A if they receive a score of 5 on the exam, effectively negating their classroom performance. The advanced placement test is voluntary; it allows students in AP classes to be able to “test out” of subjects for college credit. …
Thursday, December 13, 2012
District finances, future funding requests, the needs of students and real estate values will figure into the decision to sell Howe School and move district offices.
For the members of the Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education and the district administration, selling Howe Elementary School and moving its programs to the current Ten Eyck headquarters, then moving its central office to the new city hall is a complex issue dependent on several factors. The city, which is planning to move its City Hall facilities to a new location, had hoped to get the school on board with applying for a joint services grant through the state that could have awarded them up to $800,000 for combining their services. The board last month determined that they were not, at this time, ready to move forward with that plan. But beyond that, other issues play into the decision to sell Howe and shuffle around their buildings—…
Monday, December 10, 2012
As funding continues to tighten for schools Dearborn Public Schools implement provisions to help make education more accessible to special needs students.
Special education services at Dearborn Public Schools are moving forward as expected this year after a plethora of administrative and services designed to save money and streamline programs were put into place. “We have focused a lot of time and energy into what’s going on in the classrooms,” Michael Shelton, the district’s director of special education, told the Board of Education at a recent meeting. Special education services in Dearborn cover students with varying degrees of ability; many attend special programs exclusively, while others attend conventional classes for part, or all, of the day. Currently, DPS educates about 2,000 special education students. A place, not just a service Last year, because of a desire to streamline and …
Monday, December 3, 2012
The foundation provides $110,000 in teacher grants that support classroom projects and technological needs.
The Dearborn Education Foundation’s efforts to generate funds for special projects and teacher grants for the 19,000-student Dearborn Public Schools yielded positive results in 2012, according to Eddie Fakhoury, the foundation’s executive director. In a presentation before the Dearborn Board of Education last week, Fakhoury announced that the foundation has raised nearly $200,000 this year to benefit students. “Our success is a reflection of our Board of Directors, our community at large, our mayor and our superintendent and all of the work they do to support us as well as the board and our students and teachers,” he said. “So it is our story, but it really is the story of the entire district.” Although the 2012 fiscal year final numbers …
Friday, November 30, 2012
The district will implement a number of fixes, including enrolling a minimal number of students that live outside of Dearborn, to rectify a $4.4 million mid-year shortfall.
Facing a $4.4 million shortfall, Dearborn Public Schools announced this week that administration will have to make mid-year cuts of $1.5 million from the district's $170 million 2012-13 budget. The comprehensive plan will include mid-year layoffs, introducing the state’s “Schools of Choice” program for the semester beginning in January, extracting money from the district’s fund balance, and creating a six-month instead of a 12-month projection to allow for the resolution of a legal fight regarding teacher pension contributions. “It’s unfortunate to have to cut in the middle of the year, but there was no way to avoid it,” said Supt. Brian Whiston. “You hate to have to let staff go. We’re not sure how many people will be laid off, but I …
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
After a draft bill that if approved would bring sweeping education in 2013 was unveiled, Dearborn Public Schools’ superintendent and board members spoke out about how those changes could affect programs and students.
A 300-page education reform bill drafted for Gov. Rick Snyder that would overhaul how public education is administered in the State of Michigan was universally renounced by the superintendent of Dearborn Public Schools and members of the Dearborn Board of Education Monday night. The bill would drastically change the state's public school system, including the following changes: “I think this bill is appalling,” said DPS Trustee Aimee Blackburn at the board's Monday night meeting. “There are too many people in Lansing that are trying to take control over what should be a local decision.” Supt. Brian Whiston said before Monday’s meeting that the new program would be an unmitigated disaster that destroys the construct of local school …
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Aimee Blackburn and Mary Lane will continue another term as trustees of the Dearborn Public Schools and Henry Ford Community College Boards of Education.
Come Jan. 1, Aimee Blackburn and Mary Lane will both begin their fourth term as trustee for the Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education. Blackburn and Lane emerged as the winners of two seats on the board in Tuesday's general election. They gained 17,868 and 15,678 votes, respectively. Former board member Mary Petlichkoff, who lost her seat in 2011 to board newcomer Roxanne McDonald, was unsuccessful in her campaign to return to the board. Petlichkoff received 12,863 votes. More: Find more results and election day stories on Dearborn Patch. In a statement released Wednesday, DPS congratulated the candidates on their campaigns. "The district looks forward to working with Ms. Blackburn and Ms. Lane as we all continue our efforts to …
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Dearborn Public Schools Supt. Brian Whiston said he expects Edsel Ford High School to be the "safest place in America" during Wednesday's protest by the anti-Islam pastor.
Dearborn Public Schools officials responded Monday night to concerns over an upcoming protest at Edsel Ford High School by anti-Islam Florida pastor Terry Jones. Supt. Brian Whiston shared that the district has made provisions with local and state law enforcement agencies and others concerned about the protest, including assembling 50 volunteers monitoring goings-on at the high school, to ensure schools takes place without interruption. “We have brought together law enforcement—we can’t outline the plans because that’s not what law enforcement does—to make sure students are safe,” said Whiston. “It’s probably going to be the safest place in America,” he added. Whiston on Monday attended a parent meeting at Edsel Ford aimed at quelling …
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Two incumbents and one familiar face made their case for election to the Dearborn Board of Education at a forum this week sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Dearborn/Dearborn Heights.
The three candidates that are hoping to be elected to two available seats on the Dearborn Board of Education participates in a moderated event Tuesday night at Dearborn City Hall in an effort to showcase their point of view about education policy in the city. Mary Lane, the current president of the 7-member school board; Aimee Blackburn, a long-time school board trustee; and Mary Petlichkoff, a past board trustee; are seeking a 6-year term on the board. During the forum, which was organized by the non-partisan League of Women Voters of Dearborn/Dearborn Heights, the candidates fielded questions about test scores, teacher evaluations, school funding, the board’s dual role as Henry Ford Community College trustees, and the future of the 19,…
Lee Jacobsen
2:33 am on Tuesday, January 15, 2013
It appears, after reading the article , that the school system infrastructure is adequate, just that the computers are somewhat dated. Here is a thought that may work. Make known the minimum computer requirements, memory, capacity, windows 7 , etc, and have the students buy their own computers. Have the cost of the computer, via a receipt etc, be 25% deductible from the resident's school tax bill… more ›