News Story

Union President Attacks School Board While They Pay Her Not to Teach

Ann Arbor teachers union president gets full-time release, mostly paid for by taxpayers

While Ann Arbor Public Schools teachers union president Linda Carter has claimed the superintendent and school board were trying to "destroy" the school district, that same school board has spent $250,000-plus allowing union officials to work on union activities during school hours instead of teaching.

Called "release time," this special arrangement allows union president Carter to teach no classes yet collect a full-time teacher's salary of $77,502, for which the district pays half and the union pays half. However, the school district covers the entire cost of Carter's health care and pension benefits, at an annual cost estimated to be around $40,000.

The district also has an arrangement with Frederick Klein, the union local's vice president. Klein is considered “halftime release,” which means he spends half his time as an elementary school teacher and the other half working on union business. Under the contract's details the district pays for half of Klein’s $77,502 salary and around $30,000 for his health care and pension benefits.

In both instances, the district also incurs the additional expense of hiring teachers to take the place of these union officials who aren't in the classroom. The average teacher salary in Ann Arbor was $72,500 in 2013-14, according to the Michigan Department of Education. When all costs are tabulated, the district spends about $250,000 to pay union officials to do union business during school hours.

The Ann Arbor Public Schools and the Ann Arbor Education Association are in the news this month as both have filed unfair labor practices against each other, according to MLive. On July 9, the school district and union entered mediation.

What isn't disputed by both sides is that top union officials should not be burdened by classroom responsibilities while working on union matters during school hours.

“Each dollar these school districts spend on union lobbyists is a dollar taken from classrooms,” said Sen. Marty Knollenberg, R-Troy, vice chairman of the Senate Education Committee, in a news release. “The last thing parents and taxpayers should have to worry about is whether money is being siphoned out of classrooms to pay for lobbyists.”

Knollenberg is the sponsor of Senate Bill 280, which would ban taxpayer-funded "release time" deals in most government employee union contracts (unions could still pay for release time themselves).

John Ellsworth, a Michigan Education Association member and teacher in the Grand Ledge Public Schools, is in favor of school districts covering some of the costs for union release time.

“Teacher union business is the business of improving public education, so I think it is wise for school districts to pay salaries for local union leaders who are doing union business,” Ellsworth said in an email. “Maximizing the taxpayer investment in public education requires both administrators and teachers — each group with its own perspective and priorities for public education — to be a part of local decision-making. Giving teacher union leaders the ability to focus on improving the school district is good for students and the community.”

The information on the Ann Arbor Public Schools' costs were obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request. A 2011 investigation by Michigan Capitol Confidential found that school districts in Michigan spend millions on release time across the state. That number is being updated and, once again, dozens of districts have been found to have similar special union release time deals.

Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.

News Story

That's a Wrap! Film Subsidies Terminated

Bill ending program now a law

On Friday, Gov. Rick Snyder signed House Bill 4122, legislation that phases out Michigan’s film subsidy program.

The measure, which is now officially Public Act 117 of 2015, prohibits the state film office and the relevant agencies from entering into any new film subsidy agreements or adding to existing ones. Money left over after the last subsidy deal is satisfied will revert to the state’s General Fund.

“It’s important that we support creativity and innovation in our state, and we’ll continue to have a Michigan Film Office to assist moviemakers and production staff,” Snyder said. “Michigan has much to offer the movie industry, including top-notch talent and beautiful backdrops that will continue to draw filmmakers to Michigan even without taxpayer-funded incentives.”

For Michigan taxpayers, the program, which launched in 2008, has been a colossal flop. After delivering hundreds of millions of Michigan taxpayer dollars to film studios, there were 102 fewer film industry jobs in this state, according to federal employment statistics. Other states' film incentive programs have also been shown to be a waste.

"Scholars across the spectrum agree that subsidizing filmmaking is a waste of taxpayer dollars,” said James Hohman, the assistant director of fiscal policy with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. “We applaud Michigan legislators and the governor for eliminating this program."

Ultimately, the Legislature’s and the governor’s decision to pull the plug mirrors popular sentiment. Polling results released by the Mackinac Center and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce in May showed that 66 percent of voters favored diverting film subsidy money to road repairs.

The final scenes of the film subsidy drama included several plot twists and turns. Last December, the Legislature passed a bill to extend the expiring program, set to close with 2014.

But just weeks later, Rep. Dan Lauwers, R-Brockway, introduced House Bill 4122 to take another shot at ending the subsidies. The House quickly passed the bill but then comments from Snyder and Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof, R-West Olive, created the impression it might go no further.

Nonetheless, three months later the Senate passed the bill and sent it to the governor, who has now signed it.

Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.