Speaking of Leading

“I predict that we will have a number of positions that will be difficult to fill and certainly I predict that the pool of candidates for each position will be smaller.”

-William Mayes, MASA Executive Director, in the Lansing State Journal 6.7.10, regarding the rising number of administrators taking advantage of the state’s retirement incentives.

“For the Legislature to do nothing is not an option.…We have a structural problem in the funding of education in Michigan. We have a structural problem in the funding of all programs in Michigan. The fact is, until the Legislature has the courage to step up and do something about it, we are going to flounder.”

–William Mayes, executive director of the Michigan Association of School Administrators, in a Detroit Free Press op-ed posted online 6.1.10.

Obama addresses Kalamazoo Central High School grads
The school beat out more than 1,000 others that sought to have Obama to speak at their graduations. Here are some excerpts from Obama’s 24-minute speech... more>

PTOs and Politics
A primer on the campaign finance and tax laws for PTOs and other school supporters who want to engage in the political process more>

MGTV offers districts access to National Student Parent Mock Election
Michigan School Districts are invited to participate more>

Inside the First Amendment
Separation of church and state: fact or fiction?
Consider the current fight over the social studies curriculum in Texas. For months now the Democratic minority on the State Board of Education has been sparring with the Republican majority over what to teach students about the establishment clause of the First Amendment. more>

CRC's Con-Con series analyzes Article V - Executive Branch
At the same time that Michigan voters will be asked whether or not to call a constitutional convention, voters will be asked to elect a new chief executive for state government. more>

MDE Guidelines for Budget and Salary/ Compensation Transparency Reporting
These guidelines were developed with input from the House and Senate Fiscal Agencies, the State Budget Office, and representatives from the Michigan School Business Officials. more>

Energy savings program opportunity
The program is designed to save Michigan’s K-12 schools energy and money, enhance educational opportunities for students, and create green collar jobs modernizing our schools. more>

Connect Michigan releases the first complete maps for the Statewide Broadband Initiative
The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) announced in May the completion of the broadband maps aimed at promoting technology development and increasing high-speed Internet throughout the state. more>

• MASA Executive Director attends Kalamazoo Central HS graduation
  Read his reflections on the President’s visit more>

• Superintendent of the Year 2011
  Region presidents are now welcoming nominations for regional 2011 more>

• SOS Updates
  -New Candidate Forum Toolkit available more>
  -Summer messaging more>
  
• Highlighted Services
  Welcome, new superintendents
  This year, MASA has sent welcome letters to about 50 new superintendents… and counting!  We offer new superintendents a range of induction services, including:
  • Welcome packets
  • 90-Days-To-Success Kits, containing 2 90-minute CDs and 90-day tear off calendar
  • Phone calls and visits from MASA executive and associates
  • Matching with regional “On-Call Colleagues” who will lend a listening ear, offer advice when asked, and offer context and information as needed.
  • more>
• Winners' Circle
  Dan DeGrow, St. Clair County RESA
  21st Century Learning Symposium more>
  
  

• New on AASA Radio: Julie Mathiesen, the director at Technology & Innovation in Education, talks to Dan Domenech about technology and 21st-century learning. Listen at www.aasa.org/radio.aspx.

• Make Plans for Denver:
  On July 1, registration and housing for the 2011 National Conference on Education opens for AASA members. Early-birds get the lowest rates and have first access to hotel blocks, so don’t delay!

  The president of AASA's Pennsylvania affiliate explains why he's excited about the conference on page 6 of the PASA Flyer. See http://www.pasa-net.org/PFMay10.pdf.

• June 1 Leader’s Edge
  In this issue…
  -The nation refocuses on college and career preparations in The School Administrator.
  -4 Things To Stop Doing Now to avoid stealing effort and energy away from improving instruction
  -6 Strategies To Build an Effective Administrative Team
  -Guiding principles from AASA, the National Education Association and the National School Boards Association on the Teacher Incentive Fund program
  -Apply for the 2011 Shirley Cooper & Walter Taylor Educational Design Awards by Sept. 30.
  -Read the complete issue at http://resources.aasa.org/LeadersEdge/June01-10.html.

  
  
  

• Retirement deal entices top leaders at schools
  Coverage of the retirement brain-drain and the difficulties waiting new superintendents more>

• Not a good time to be super
  Who's next? Thoughts on districts affected by retirements more>
  
• High court won't take up No Child Left Behind case more>
  
• Young professionals bring new ideas, social media to nonprofit fundraising more>

• Fall 2010 MEAP assessment schedule
  The schedule has been adjusted to allow for the new operational writing test to take place over two days. more>

• MEAP-Access delayed one year
  The decision has been made to delay the next operational administration of MEAP-Access until Fall of 2011. more>
  
  
• ARRA Section 1512 Report Due July 5
  The next ARRA Section 1512 quarterly report is due July 5, 2010. Section 1512 reporting must be completed quarterly in the Michigan Electronic Grants System (MEGS) for each ARRA grant award received. more>

• FOCUS on Results Available Online
  The latest issue of FOCUS on Results is now available on the Center for Educational Networking Web site. more>
  
• Meeting the Michigan Merit Curriculum: A Teacher Supply and Demand Formula
  Webinar from REL is now available online. more>
  
• FREE School Crisis Management Training - DHS approved
  The Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium (RDPC), has developed a federally approved one-day training course titled, “Crisis Management for School-Based Incidents – Partnering Rural Law Enforcement and the Local School Systems.” more>
  

• Mackinac Center reports “debunk” MEA “myths”
  
  - Report 1: Average teacher salaries in Michigan highest in the nation when compared to relative state wealth more>
  
  - Report 2:  Claims of ‘concessions’ and doing ‘more with less’ are unsupported, misleading or false more>

• Early Warning! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters
  Michigan has a long way to go to make sure children have the reading skills they need by the end of third grade. more>
• Central Office Transformation for District-Wide Teaching and Learning Improvement 
  Report shows how central office administrators improve teaching and learning more>
  
• America After 3PM, Special Report on Summer Learning Programs
  An estimated 725,000 Michigan kids would likely participate in a summer learning program, based on parent interest more>

• MI-LIFE Cohort 4
  Professional learning opportunity for over 550 school administrators in Michigan
  August 2010 through March 2011. 
  more>
  
• 2010 MITS Summer Institute
  Sessions including Universal design for learning (UDL), assistive technology (AT), augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and accessible instructional materials (AIM) focused on improving access and achievement for all students.
  June 21-22, Traverse City more>
  
• MACUL Educational Terchnology Leadership Conference
  Keynote presentations by Karen Cator, United States Department of Education Director of Technology, Jaime Casap of Google, and Liz Kolb of U of M and Madonna University, sponsored by Sprint the Now Network.
  June 21-22, South Redford more>
  
• National Academy for Superintendents
  Leadership and Schools of the Future: An examination of how research, technologies and demographics are impacting instruction, planning and governance
  July 13-15, 2010, Ohio State University
  more>

MASA Fall Conference
Integrated Technology: District Leaders Making it Happen

Registration now open for members and exhibitors. Visit gomasa.org today.

Michigan Association of School Administrators
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Lansing, MI 48917
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