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Charters urged to sign "Memo of Understanding" by Thursday, January 7 deadline
Michigan will be applying for $400- $600 million in the “Race to the Top” federal incentive program later this month. 50% of any R2T funds coming to Michigan must be distributed to every school district in the state, yet the U.S. Department of Education (USED) requires every participating local school district have a signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with the Michigan Department of Education in order to receive these funds.
Public school district participants must check “YES” to ALL areas of the plan in order to participate, and the MOU must be signed by your school leader, board president and teacher union leadership (if applicable). The due date to submit this signed MOU is January 7, 2010. Districts that do not submit a MOU will not be eligible to receive federal R2T funds. MOU's should be sent to your ISD or to MAPSA (attn: Gary Naeyaert).
The state’s education reform plan will include all of the key issues identified in the “Race to the Top” policy guidelines. Unfortunately, more specific details of the state’s education plan won’t be finalized until the Department interprets the impact of education reform legislation recently passed in Lansing. LEA obligations within the MOU are contingent upon Michigan receiving "Race to the Top" funds. It is important to note that Superintendent Flanagan will allow a district to terminate their MOU if they believe adherence to the state's final "education reform plan" is not in the best interest of their district.
MAPSA has reviewed all of the R2T bills which passed a few weeks ago, and we believe there will be no features in the state's education reform plan that are inconsistent with the interests of our members schools, and therefore we strongly recommend that all charter schools sign the MOU.
- Please click here for the model “Memo of Understanding” for School District
- Please click here for the “MOU Questions & Answers” document from MDE
- Please click here for the MDE's "Draft Education Reform Plan" (drafted prior to final passage of all R2T legislation)
- Please click here for a draft resolution for use by your PSA Board of Directors (please note legal disclaimer re: Thrun Law Firm)
Again, your signed MOU can be sent to your ISD or to MAPSA.
Governor Granholm signs "Race to the Top" Legislation into law today
Today Governor Granholm will sign the five bill package of education reform legislation intended to help Michigan compete in the federal "Race to the Top" federal incentive program. These bills will implement the following sweeping reforms:
- High-quality charter schools will have the opportunity to be re-classified as "Schools of Excellence", thereby allowing additional public charter schools to open
- Any traditional and charter public schools defined as "persistently lowest-achieving" -- based on new federal guidelines -- will have some level of state intervention
- School administrators will be required to be certified and alternative routes to teacher certification will be recognized in the state
- Teachers and school leaders will be evaluated, in part, based on the academic achievement of their students
Please click here for additional information on these education reforms.
Please click here to download a copy of SB 981, the "School of Excellence" charter expansion bill.
NCLC opportunity to become a "Learn and Serve School of Success"
The National Center for Learning and Citizenship (NCLC) at the Education Commission of the States has announced the release of the Request for Proposals for Learn and Serve Schools of Success: A National Network of Service-Learning Schools. Click here for the RFP.
Middle schools serving grades 6-9 are invited to apply for the Schools of Success Awards. With funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service's Learn and Serve America program, NCLC will select 10 schools with extensive service-learning experience that wish to promote high-quality service-learning to address STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) objectives in middle schools with large populations of youth from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Schools interested in submitting an application to participate in this Service-Learning Schools of Success Network must:
- Be a middle school (grades 6-9) with at least 50% of their students receiving free or reduced price lunch
- Agree to serve a minimum of 100 students per school annually in STEM service-learning projects.
Selected schools will receive a $5,000 award annually for three years, in addition to training and technical assistance. If you have any questions about eligibility or RFP details, please contact Ann Rautio, arautio@ecs.org or 303-299-3606. Please note that Intents to Apply are due January 8, 2010. | 
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