GRPS board meeting, May 4, 2009.

A team of Grand Rapids Public Schools students took top honors in nationwide math and language competitions at the National Academic Games tournament in Tennessee.

GRPS’ “senior team” — Kierstdea Furey, Theodore Petzold, Terrance Carrothers, David Casaletto and Michael Myckowiak — took first place in “equations” and “linguishtik” at the competition, held in April in Knoxville, Tenn. and billed as the largest such tournament in the country.  Myckowiak and Petzold earned perfect scores in the two competitions.  Furey earned a perfect score for “linguishtik.”

 The district’s junior team took third place in “equations” and the elementary team took third in “on-sets” and fourth in “linguishtik.”

Two from the elementary team — Jack Culp and Adrian Bonilla — earned perfect scores in “equations.”

The students were honored at Monday’s GRPS board meeting.

- The theme schools are sixth-grade programs — now connected to City Middle/High School — at Blandford Nature Center (now City @ Blandford), the John Ball Zoo (City @ Zoo) and the Center for Economicology (City @ Riverside).  Applications are due March 2.

- The Central High School campus has a School of Health Science and Technology, partnered with Spectrum Health and others.  Union hosts the Academy for Design and Construction, featuring a new public-private partnership with area construction companies such as Christman and Rockford.  GRAPCEP/Engineering and Biomedical School is now open to ninth-graders at the Creston campus.  Ninth-graders are also now welcome at the School of Business at both Ottawa Hills and Creston.  Applications are due Feb. 5.

- GRUPA is now accepting sixth- through eighth-grade students.  Applications for the GPRS school, modeled after a charter program in Detroit, are due March 2.

- City Middle/High School offers a college preparatory curriculum.  The district often notes the high school is the region’s top-performing school on state standardized tests.  City Middle/High is in the process of finalizing its use of the rigorous International Baccalaureate curriculum.  Applications for City Middle/High School are due Jan. 31.

The open houses feature information on all the specialty programs for all grades, but are split between the high schools and the City building.

Here are the dates and times, per GRPS:

9 – 12 Grade School Choice Open Houses
Tuesday, January 13 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm @ Creston High School
Wednesday, January 14 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm @ Union High School
Wednesday, January 21, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm @ Ottawa Hills High School                                               
Thursday, January 22, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm @ Central High Campus / Montessori Building

6 – 8 Grade School Choice Open House
Saturday, January 31 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm @ City High/Middle School

Her basic premise? Tenure protects bad teachers by making it more difficult for districts to fire them.

Washington Superintendent Michelle Rhee’s plan isn’t brand new. It has been featured in Newsweek. I caught a report on it yesterday on ABC World News Sunday and this morning, Rhee’s ideas were featured in the Grand Rapids Press, which just published a series on tenure issues in West Michigan.

Here are some of the details from Newsweek:

“Current teachers would actually have a choice. If they are willing to go on “probation” for a year—giving up their job security—and can successfully prove their talent, they can earn more than $100,000 a year and as much as $130,000, a huge salary for a teacher, after five years. If not, they still get a generous 28 percent raise over five years and keep their tenure. (All new teachers must sign up for the first option and go on probation for four years.) Rhee predicts that about half the teachers will choose to take their chances on accountability for higher pay, and that within five years the rest will follow, giving up tenure for the shot at merit pay hikes.”

ABC reports that Rhee thought she’d be seen as a hero but instead the idea “triggered a major labor dispute and stalled contract negotiations with the teachers’ union.” Union leaders have told reporters tenure is critical to protect teachers from being fired for no reason.

Money is of course an issue — Newsweek says Rhee is “tapping” Mayor Adrian Fenty and private philanthropists.

Is this a good idea? Could it work here?

Curious to hear your thoughts.
Tony

FHPS is inviting any Ada Township resident who isn’t registered to vote to come to the drive at Forest Hills Eastern on Tuesday, September 16 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

October 6 is the state’s registration deadline for the November 4 election.

If you’re not sure if you’re registered to vote in Michigan, head to the Secretary of State’s voter information website.

The state also offers a list of all candidates registered across Michigan.