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Michigan schools Superintendent Mike Flanagan

In an interview this week with Michigan Superintendent Michael Flanagan, the schools’ chief said that he thought a statewide pay schedule for teachers would “serve the state well.”

An excerpt from the story posted Friday:

“In an ideal world, all teachers would make $100,000,” he said. “I’m all for paying all we can afford.”

The real problem with Michigan teacher pay, he said, is the disparity between districts.

“You have districts outside of Detroit where you can make $90,000 with 10 years” of experience, he said, “than you’ve got districts in the Upper Peninsula where people teaching for 25 years are making in the $40,000s.”

He likes the idea of creating a statewide pay scale for teachers, one that would take into account differences in cost of living across the state and perhaps pay a premium for those who work in high-poverty schools.

“I think a statewide salary schedule would serve us well,” he said.

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Everybody seems to have an opinion on the GHSAs new reclassification plan. Here are excerpts of a recent column by one of our colleagues, Adam Krohn of the Gainesville Times. (Youll need to go here to read the full article and then come back and comment). We at the AJC dont endorse or oppose Mr. Krohns views, but we certainly think the reclassification is worth talking about a few more times:

There’s a civil war going on in Georgia, and once again, it’s the North that’s winning — for now

The six-classification plan earned the 26 votes required for a majority vote thanks to the 17 metro Atlanta schools, which voted 17-0 in favor of the six-class plan. The onl

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If you are involved in K-12 computer science education you really owe it to yourself to join the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) And if you are a member of CSTA than you received this announcement in the last week or so. But just in case you are not a CSTA member (yet right?) I thought I should post this CSTA Blast for your information.

ACM’s SIGCSE (Special Interest Group for Computer Science Education) has a small grants program (up to $5000) for member projects in CS education, and that this is a good time to think about it.

Almost any material development, study, or other work likely to be of interest to the SIGCSE community is eligible for consideration.

You can see examples of past projects, as well as details of the proposal process, at

The next round of proposal reviews is slated for mid-August, so if you have something in mind this is the time to start fleshing out a proposal (on your way home from ITiCSE, but before you start writing your Symposium papers .

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GRAND RAPIDS – Next week, more than a dozen West Michigan teachers are joining local businesses for a hands-on experience in the workplace.

The fourth annual Educator in the Workplace program begins Monday. It is a partnership between the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce and Kent Intermediate School District. Participants say teaming up educators and businesses can help develop relationships that will lead to a stronger workforce.

Organizers of the five-day program say teachers will get first-hand knowledge of how hard skills like math and science, and soft-skills like group work, are used in the workplace. They can share their learning experience with students to generate interest and an understanding of what skills are necessary for the workforce.

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