Mark Maynard

Monday night’s fight to protect what’s left of public education in Ypsilanti

By Mark | May 6, 2012

It would appear that the financial situation at Ypsi Public Schools is even more dire than we’d been led to believe, and the State is demanding that immediate, drastic action be taken. The following comes from AnnArbor.com:

…Ypsilanti was anticipated to have a combined two-year $6.38 million deficit at the end of 2011-12. However, in March, school officials said Ypsilanti faced a deficit of about $9.4 million, including the district’s original $4.9 million from 2010-11…
The problems stemmed from figures provided by the former chief financial officer, David Houle. The board voted not to renew Houle’s contract in November.
“We had to recast the entire budget… When we figured out it wasn’t a couple hundred thousand dollars (short), we self-reported the problem to the state,” (Superintendent Dedrick) Martin said, adding that Michigan officials were willing to work with the district to set the May 8 deadline for remediation.
However, district business manager Kelli Glenn said the state’s patience with YPS is wearing thin. She added school officials were told there could be no more delaying of the DEP as Ypsilanti has done in the past.
She said the consequences of not submitting a plan would be the state withholding Ypsilanti’s state aid, in which case the district could not issue payroll due to its lack of funds…
Local control and employee paychecks could be at stake if the Ypsilanti Board of Education fails to approve a new deficit elimination plan (DEP) by May 8.
Ypsilanti Public Schools has until Tuesday to overhaul its DEP and submit it to the state, after botched figures and projections voided the plan the board passed in December…

The preceding story was written last Wednesday night, after an emergency meeting of the Ypsilanti Board of Education. My friend Maria, who has written here in the past on school-related issues, attended the meeting, and just sent the following report, in hopes that it might encourage others to show up tomorrow (Monday) night, and speak out on behalf of Ypsilanti students, who are clearly going to be adversely affected if the Deficit Elimination Plan (DEP) being considered, which calls for closing three more schools, and firing as many as 93 educators and support staff, is passed… Here’s Maria’s letter:

Last Monday, our Board of Education representatives attended a budget presentation that focused on the Administration’s recommendations for the revised Deficit Elimination Plan. As you know, because of accounting “anomalies,” the deficit that we thought we had ballooned into a much larger number (from $4 million to over $9 million projected).
Apparently, at last Monday’s meeting, the board was not given materials in advance, so they had very little idea of what to expect, and they could not adequately discuss the DEP without additional materials, which they received a few hours before a second meeting on Wednesday. At that meeting the administration presented a DEP that can only be described as draconian. It called for the closure of Adams, Erickson, and New Tech high school, and the creation of a system that retained Perry as a K-2, created one elementary school (K-6) and one 7-12 high school.
It also called for closing Estabrook pool, as well as major reductions in staffing — 11 elementary and high school teachers, 50 + para pros (counselors, psychologists, nurses, special ed, etc) — transportation, and athletics.
What followed was a ridiculous exercise in which Board of Ed members who resisted further building closures (Fanta, Berman, Champagne, Devany) were asked to come up with cuts in other areas of the budget. I say ridiculous because the administration was essentially asking the Board to do (on the fly, after just receiving the new DEP) WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE DONE over the last 6 months. The Board, realizing (after 3 hours!!) that it was being asked to do the impossible, recommended some substantive changes and requested that the administration go back to the drawing board and come up with a new DEP that preserved our core mission (educating kids in a safe environment), and found efficiencies elsewhere. The administration will present this revised DEP this coming Monday (tomorrow) at 7:30 at the High School (on Packard).
There is no way this District can survive additional closures – even one closure would be damaging to our reputation, and our ability to continue to provide high-quality education to Ypsi’s children. I feel very strongly that we should be at this meeting in force to represent the district’s key stakeholders: families.
What are the implications of more school closures for the overall health of the district? How do these plans for our DEP interface with the plans to consolidate with Willow Run? I am really, really tired of dealing with an administration that constantly operates in a reactive mode, and that accepts everything that the State says. Our Board President, David Bates actually said that he was told by the State Board of Education that if he and other board members didn’t accept the DEP, he could be arrested. I broke decorum and stated from the audience that it was the State legislators who should be arrested for what they are doing to our children. It truly is a crime. We need to be there and to voice ourconcerns about the future of our district, and we may even need to break therules regarding “community input” time. The meeting is tomorrow (Monday) at 7:30 pm in the High School. I will be there.

I’m not sure what can be done at this point. According to AnnArbor.com, if the DEP isn’t approved, school employees won’t be paid, and an Emergency Manager will be appointed by the Snyder administration to take control from our democratically elected School Board. And, as David Bates apparently noted, members of the School Board run the risk of being arrested if they choose to stand up and fight on behalf of the families that they were elected to represent.

I have other things that I need to attend to this evening, but, before I go, here’s one last thought. This comes from something I wrote a little while ago, upon hearing that the Philadelphia School District was being forced to disband. I think it’s relevant here as well.

…I don’t want to go off on a conspiratorial tangent, but I think it’s worth considering that none of this is an accident. It’s quite possible, I think, that the Bush tax cuts, which were extended under the Obama administration, were never solely about allowing those with the most power in America to keep an unprecedented amount of their accumulated wealth. I think an argument could be made that these tax cuts were more about, in the words of conservative operative Grover Norquist, “starving” the U.S. government to the point that social programs, like public education, would be forced to collapse. Norquist, as you’ll recall, was quoted once as saying that he wanted to shrink government, “down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub.” (I also like this quote, “My ideal citizen is the self-employed, homeschooling, IRA-owning guy with a concealed-carry permit. Because that person doesn’t need the goddamn government for anything,” but we’ll have to save that for another day.) And, I think that’s what we’re seeing play out right now in Philadelphia. We’re standing by, passively watching, as public education being drowned in the bathtub…
So, we’ll all stand by and watch this happen. We’ll all watch as teaching ceases to be profession that can support a family, a generation of kids loses the chance at a better life that education provides, and for-profit companies, who are accountable only to their shareholders, swoop in to extract what little money there is left. It may not be registering in your brain yet, but we’re watching the country that our ancestors gave their lives for be dragged to the bathtub and killed. And we’re all complicit.

Here’s hoping that, if the adults don’t stand up for them, the kids of Ypsilanti rise up and start fighting back themselves, demanding the educations that they deserve as American citizens, like the young people currently gathering in Detroit’s Clark Park… I’m not one to instigate, but, if any Ypsi high school students are reading this, I think that Water Street would make a great, very visible, campus for a Freedom School.

Posted in Civil Liberties, Education, Uncategorized | Tagged Adams Elementary, Clark Park, David Bates, David Houle, Dedrick Martin, Deficit Elimination Plan, dismantling of public education, Emergency Financial Manager, Erickson, Grover Norquist, Kelli Glenn, Maria Cotera, New Tech HIgh School, public education, Southwest Detroit Freedom School, taking back our schools, Water Street, Ypsilanti Board of Education, Ypsilanti Public School Alliance, Ypsilanti Public Schools | 36 Comments

Ann Arbor/Ypsi Chamber of Commerce asks Ypsilanti citizens to keep the interests of business owners in mind when voting on May 8

By Mark | May 5, 2012

It wasn’t really much of a surprise, seeing as how the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Chamber of Commerce is currently being led by Michigan Ladder’s Tom Harrison, a vocal opponent of Ypsilanti’s income tax initiative, but the organization just issued a formal statement encouraging the people of Ypsilanti to vote against the proposed legislation. Here’s their argument.

The City of Ypsilanti has proposed two ballot initiatives for the May 2012 election. These are the adoption of an annual rate of tax on corporations and resident individuals of 1%, and on non-resident individuals of .5%; and a Water Street Debt Millage to meet the bond payments due to investors in the Water Street Project. The City of Ypsilanti faces serious fiscal challenges ahead. These challenges are compounded by the facts that Ypsilanti is small in area and roughly 35 percent of its land is owned by the State of Michigan, thus it is not taxable by the City. Ypsilanti has also lost many of its largest corporate tax payers in the last fifteen years. In response to these and other challenges, the City Council has placed these two items on the May ballot as a possible solution to address its fiscal challenges.
The Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber agrees that a solution is needed, but it does not believe the income tax is that solution. An income tax would place too much burden on residents and employees of Ypsilanti businesses who already face an already high property tax level. An income tax is also too broad and permanent in terms of tax policy at a time when there are many uncertainties about the City’s fiscal situation and tax changes, such as repeal of the Personal Property Tax, at the State level. The City and its leadership are absolutely right that it needs more revenues, but the Chamber believes an income tax is the wrong way to get those revenues.
To its credit, the City Council has proposed an idea for addressing the City’s fiscal challenges. It has also provided for drastic reductions in its workforce over the last five years. The Chamber advocates for Ypsilanti to enter into increased cooperative agreements with other units of government, such as surrounding cities and townships, along with Washtenaw County, to meet its service needs and provide fiscal relief, such formation of joint authorities. The City has explored some of these options and we hope it continues to do so. In addition to these efforts the City should continue to work with Eastern Michigan University on any and all efforts to retain graduates once they have completed school. A program about to be launched would create incentives for EMU employees to buy homes within the City, and the Chamber and the community as a whole should actively support it. Finally, Ypsilanti should actively seek to benefit from its relationship with the City of Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan, and its proximity to vital transportation networks such as I-94, US-23 and Wayne County Metropolitan Airport. Ypsilanti is a special place unto itself, but it can enhance its chances for growth by marketing itself as fully connected to a broader community that is both unique and vibrant.
The City has also proposed a solution for meeting the bond payments due on the Water Street Project. The Chamber opposes this millage because it has too much uncertainty. It allows for future decision makers to control the amount levied and it provides too broad a definition for what can fall under the budget area of “Water Street.” Voters will not know exactly what they are getting if they vote for this millage. With further clarification such a millage should be discussed.
Although the Chamber disagrees with the City’s proposed solutions, we want to recognize the fact that the City’s leadership have at least proposed them. Critics of the income tax and Water Street Millage need to do more than just criticize this plan. That means providing their own solutions, building organic support for them from all segments of the public, and advocating them in a way that is both practically feasible and politically realistic. So far they have failed to do this. The Chamber will seek to provide assistance in that effort. The Chamber recognizes the City’s fiscal challenges and applauds the City for putting forward a plan to address them. Though we disagree with the plan, we urge all parties to meet after the election to discuss new ways forward and we stand ready to serve as the organization to facilitate such a meeting.

Interestingly, the Chamber, at the very same time, suggested that Ann Arbor voters support an Ann Arbor Public Schools Technology Bond on the ballot this May, saying, “The Chamber supports and advocates for the necessary technology infrastructure to educate our students.” It would seem that some things, like the education of Ann Arbor’s privileged youth, are worth taxation, while others, like the funding of fire fighters to protect the lives of Ypsilanti’s young people, are not.

Those of you who are new to this, I’d encourage you to check out the cyber debate we held here on the site a few weeks ago, when it became evident that the leaders of the anti-tax initiative had no intention to debate in public, where they’d have to respond to specific questions concerning what would happen if the income tax didn’t pass on May 8.

update: And here’s Demetrius with the rebuttal to the Chamber:

This “statement” from the Chamber is riddled with falsehoods and misinformation — much of it lifted directly from the “No” campaign’s website.
Ypsilanti’s taxable values have dropped an average of 33% over the past five years, and are projected to continue dropping for at least the next few years. For the leaders of the “No” campaign — many of whom are among Ypsilanti’s wealthiest citizens and largest property owners — this represents a huge tax savings. So, is it really any surprise that these folks want to maintain the status quo?
Besides, once Ypsilanti is TOTALLY broke — and we can no longer afford to maintain planning, zoning, combating blight or even to perform basic building inspections — these folks will not only enjoy much lower taxes, they’ll also be free of all those pesky government regulations that cut into their profits.
Of course, by then, we also won’t be able to afford basic services like Police, Fire, or parks maintenance — but, hey, at least Ypsilanti will be finally be considered “business friendly.”

Posted in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti | Tagged Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber of Commerce, consolidation of services, hypocrisy, local income tax, Michigan Ladder, Stop City Income Tax, Tom Harrison, Water Street debt reduction millage | 43 Comments

EMU offers financial incentives to employs who choose to purchase homes in Ypsilanti

By Mark | May 4, 2012

A lot of us have been pushing for a long time for EMU to get more aggressive about incentivizing its faculty and staff to live in Ypsilanti. And, happily, it looks like there’s finally some positive movenent in that direction. The following clip comes by way of AnnArbor.com.

Eastern Michigan University plans to offer employees up to $10,000 to purchase homes in Ypsilanti.
The Live Ypsi program, which is currently being finalized and will likely be announced later this month, will use EMU, Washtenaw County government and DTE Foundation resources to offer forgivable loans to full-time faculty and staff who purchase a home in the Ypsilanti area.
Officials say loans will likely range from $5,000 to $10,000 per individual. For each year that the homeowner lives in the Ypsilanti area and maintains employment at EMU, 20 percent of the loan will be forgiven. After five years, the loan will be completely forgiven.
The program has $60,000 secured for its pilot launch and a possible partnership with a state entity could mean more cash, said Anthony VanDerworp, director of Washtenaw County Economic Development.
“The program will begin small. It’s designed to be a pilot,” said EMU Director of Government Relations Leigh Greden, who began brainstorming about the program with Washtenaw County more than a year ago.
Live Ypsi, he says, is based of the Live Midtown program in Detroit, a larger but similar partnership between government and business entities to incentivize residential life…

For what it’s worth, I never suggested that EMU give people money outright to live in the city. For the most part, from what I recall, I suggested that they look into offering zero-percent interest loans for employees placing down-payments on homes in the City. (I believe I also suggested that they form partnerships with local real estate professionals, so that, when new hires were brought on-board, they could be given up-to-date information on Ypsilanti neighborhoods, and properties currently available. (As we’ve been told in the past, at no point during the hiring process, up until now, was it even suggested to new EMU employees that they should consider living in the City.) And, there’s also been talk, of course, about getting EMU more actively engaged in the turn around of Ypsi public schools, which, as we all know, is one of the main reasons that new EMU employees choose to live elsewhere… So, while I probably would have done it a little differently, I find it incredibly encouraging that EMU has chosen to undertake this initiative. It signals to me that, after years of pulling away from the City, they’re finally coming to the realization that they’ll never be truly successful as an institution until Ypsilanti is stable and thriving… Now let’s see how aggressively they push it, and how many of their employees take advantage of the program.

[note: Speaking of getting more people to live in the City, we've also discussed the possiblity of residency requirements for municipal employees. You'll find our most recent conversation on that subject here.]

Posted in Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Tagged Anthony VanDerworp, DTE Foundation, Eastern Michigan University, economic development, EMU, getting people to move to Ypsilanti, incentives, Live Ypsi, Washtenaw County Economic Development, what Ypsi needs, Ypsilanti critical mass, Ypsilanti housing, Ypsilanti real estate | 16 Comments

No post tonight… working on judging this year’s Shadow Art Fair applicants

By Mark | May 3, 2012

There’s a lot of stuff that I’d like to share with you tonight, but there’s no time. And, even if there were, I don’t think I’d have the energy. Right now, we’re about three hours into the judging of this year’s Shadow Art Fair applicants, with no end in sight. We have, however, picked a winner in our poster competition. The victorious design (seen above) was created by the incredibly talented Dustin Krcatovich.

See you on July 21.

Posted in Shadow Art Fair, Uncategorized | Tagged dogs, Dustin Krcatovich, poster art, poster competition | 3 Comments

On embracing a future without police and fire personnel

By Mark | May 2, 2012

I’ll admit that I was concerned when I first heard the news that we’d be laying off unprecedented numbers of police officers and fire fighters across the state. I understood, of course, that it was vitally important that our most wealthy citizens be allowed to stop contributing toward the greater good, but, being the Nervous Nelly that I am, I worried that there might be a down side. I couldn’t help but think that there might be negative ramifications for those of us who live in Michigan’s aging cities, as our communities were given less and less money to fund our schools, keep our streetlights lit, and pay the salaries of public safety professionals. Those of us who were unable to find our ways into gated communities, I feared, might find our quality of life severely diminished, if not our lifespans themselves. I hadn’t taken into account, though, the incredible resourcefulness and creativity of my fellow Michiganders, who have really stepped up as of late to fill the gap. In Detroit, for instance, they’re piloting an innovative, new “Just Let Buildings Burn” program that requires significantly fewer fire fighters to be on duty. And, across the state, armed, masked vigilantes are heroically stepping in to pick up the slack for overburdened police forces. Here’s the story of one such hero, who calls himself Bee Sting.

Local “Super Hero” Busted by Police: MyFoxDETROIT.com

I, for one, welcome the democratization of law enforcement. I like that, in this newly reinvented Michigan, I no longer have to wait for a cop to show up and fire his service revolver at a man whose motorcycle is idling too loudly. Now, that job can be done by anyone with a brightly-colord pair of leotards, a ski mask, and a concealed firearm. I know I was slow to come to this realization, but, now that I have, I can tell you that it’s incredibly empowering. And I’d like to thank the folks at the Mackinac Center for working so tirelessly to bring this vision of Michigan to reality, and giving us all the opportunity to live like real, rugged individuals, taking control of our own short, violent, uneducated lives, and living them to the fullest. Here’s hoping that, some day soon, everyone across the country has an opportunity to experience the pride that comes with putting out a house fire by oneself, and a shooting person dead who looked as though he could possibly have been a potential intruder.