* The Mackinac Center created a searchable database of public school superintendent compensation – a potentially useful tool for parents and patrons to compare their local leader to other districts. Of course, the unanswered question in all this is: How much should a superintendent make? * Speaking of databases, the Michigan Municipal League has a new […]
Derek Melot
Derek Melot is a former assistant editorial page editor, columnist and reporter at the Lansing State Journal, where he covered state and local issues extensively, earning awards from the Associated Press and Michigan Press Association. The Oklahoma native moved to Michigan in 1999, and served as Bridge editor through mid-2013.
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
* Michigan electric generators are on track to reach the 10 percent renewable energy standard set forth in state law, says the Public Service Commission. And under provisions of that law, Michigan will have established a floor of no less than 10 percent renewable power for the future, though the PSC thinks the figure will […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
* “Looking solely at the federal budget, an elderly person receives close to seven federal dollars for every dollar received by a child.” I’ll repeat that: For every $7 the federal budget spends on an elderly person, it spends $1 on a child.” Discuss amongst yourselves. * David Eggert of AP’s Lansing bureau reports on the […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
* Michigan State University professor David Arsen whips out the v-word in an open letter to Gov. Rick Snyder about his school ideas: “The Oxford funding proposal and HB 5923 represent a truly dramatic strategy to shift the provision of Michigan’s educational services outside locally-governed school districts. They would establish the closest approximation to a universal […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
* We are letting thousands of our best teachers walk out the door each year, says a new report: “So who are the Irreplaceables? They are, by any measure, our very best teachers. Across the districts we studied, about 20 percent of teachers fell into the category. On average, each year they help students learn […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
* So much for Michigan’s fracking boom. Remember when media outlets – including this one — were full of references to the Antrim shale formation and how the natural gas there would be a big deal. Well, not so much, according to these charts from ProPublica. The wellhead price of gas has dropped by half since […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Snyder ‘excited’ to double preschool spending; predicts ‘dramatic’ impact
Gov. Rick Snyder formally called for an additional $130 million for state preschool classes Thursday, a move long hinted at by administration officials – and long sought by advocates for early childhood education. “One of the things I’m most excited about (in the budget) is we are making a large investment in early childhood funding,” […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan's current fuel taxes place it in the national top 10
Michigan last raised its fuel taxes in 1997, moving it from 15 cents to 19 cents (technically 18.715) for gasoline. In the interim, the buying power of those 19 cents — for asphalt, steel and the other elements of road construction and repair — has eroded. The nonpartisan Citizens Research Council noted in a 2011 […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
* The Capitol news service MIRS is paywall protected, but I wanted to share some basic data it collected on salaries for top political appointees in Michigan. “Salaries of the department directors as of Jan. 10, 2013: – John Nixon, Department of Technology, Management and Budget: $250,000 – Mike Flanagan, Department of Education: $189,515 – Andy Dillon, […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
* Another hospital in Michigan says it won’t hire smokers. McLaren Greater Lansing calls the policy change a “‘no-brainer’ given McLaren’s mission to promote healthy lifestyles and save lives.” And, dear smoker, lest you think you’ll just go work for yourself and get your own insurance plan, comes the news that, “The Affordable Care Act — […]