That City Public School 'excellence'-is It Real?

On June 9, Jum Arbor School District voters will be asked to maintainthe "tradition of excellence" of its schools by approving 6.67 milis for operations plus a $4.9 million bond issue for construction of a fifth junior high school. That Ann Arbor's schools are excellent seems to be taken for granted by most of the Ann Arbor Board of Education, by School Supt. W. Scott Westerman Jr., and by many educators. In a preliminary budget message March 12 to the school board, for example, Westerman told the trustees that "the current level of investment will not continue the tradition of quality iwhich is this school's district's heritage. No tradition of excellence will be maintained without a greater commitment to its contemporary requirements." How is is determined that a certain school system is "excellent" ? Does Ann Arbor measure up to the standards generally established by educators for an excellent school system? The answer appears to be "yes" in most areas, though certain parents presently disen chanted with the school system may disagree. The excellence of a school system may be measured in a number of ways. These measurements can include general statistical data- such as pupilteacher ratio, professional staffupil ratio, investment per pupil, teacher salaries, and the amount o f state equalized valuation backing each child. The amount of millage levied by the school district also may be an indicator. O t h e r measurements are pupil performance, teacher quality and performance, and program innovations. (All of the following statistical data is from "Michigan Public School Data, 1968-69," published by the Michigan Education Association). In comparing Ann Arbor in 1968-69 with the 33 other Michigan school districts which have 10,000 or more students (Ann Arbor has 19,179), the following f acts are revealed: (1)- Only one other district - Birmingham - has a lower pupil-teacher ratio than Ann Arbor's 19.4-to-l. Birmingham's ratio is 17.3-to-l. Statewide, only 26 of the 538 Michigan school districts have a pupilteacher ratio lower than or equal to Ann Arbor's. (2)- Birmingham again is the only school district with 10,000 or more students which has a lower professional staff-pupi ratio than Ann Arbor. (Profes sional staff includes all school professionals, not just teach Iers). Ann Arbor's ratio is 16.7 to-1. Birmingham's is 15.7-to-l. Statewide, 17 of 538 districts ïave a professional staff-pupil ratio lower than or equal to Ann Arbor's. (3)- Operational investment per pupil in Ann Arbor is $927 ihis year, placing the district in the top 2 per cent of the state. (No comparative statistics here were available). (4) Only three Michigan districts with 10,000 or more pupils have a state equalized valuation per pupil higher than Ann Arbor's $23,637. These districts are Dearborn, Grosse Pointe and Midland. Statewide, 40 out of 538 districts have SEVs equal to or higher than Ann Arbor. (5) Ten Michigan school districts with 10,000 or more pupils have a total millage (operational plus debt service) equal to or greater than Ann Arbor's 32.58 milis for 1968-69. These are Wayne, Farmington, Garden1 City, Livonia, Taylor, Birmingham, Utica, Warren, Waterford and Roseville. Wayne is at the top, with 44.57 milis. In Washtenaw County, Willow Run presently is the only district with a higher total millage levy than Ann Arbor. This is the result of a 17.5-mill package (6.5 milis was additional lage, the rest renewal) recently approved by the voters. Willow Run's total millage now is 33.73 milis, 1.15 milis higher than Ann Arbor. In 1968-69, a total of 32.58 milis for operations and debt service were levied on Ann Arbor School District residents. If the June 9 millage and bonding issues are approved, a total of 36.28 milis will be levied in 1969-70. Teachers' salaries seem to be the only area in which Ann Arbor is not near the very top. The 1968-69 wages are considered "competitive" with other similar-sized school districts by the Ann Arbor Board of tion, when pupil-teacher ratios and other working conditions in Ann Arbor are figured in. Many Ann Arbor teachers, however, do not agree their salaries are competitive. Teachers in the highest-paid districts receive from $850 to $1,000 more per year than Ann Arbor teachers. Ann Arbor's minimum and maximum salaries for bachelor's and master's degrees rank 27th (a tie with several other districts), 21st, 26th and 25th, respectively, among the 33 Michigan districts with 10,000 or more pupils. Only one district of the 33, Grand Rapids, has a lower BA ing salary ($8,400). These rankings do not include the longevity payments in Ann Arbor of $600 made this year during the 13th and 16th years of teaching in all categories of the salary schedule. If these payments were included, Au i Arbor would be higher in rank. In 1968-69, Ann Arbor teachers with a bachelor's degree received $6,500 as a startin salary. Maximum salary for i BA was $10,700. Starting salar, n with a master's degree was $7,100 this year; maximum MA salary was $12,000. In the Birmingham Schoo L district, by comparison, thesi i salaries in 1968-69 were $6,900: f11,0501; $7,425, and $12,550. In Dearborn, these salary figures this year were $7,300; $10,875; $8,000 and $12,475, respectively. Both districts are comparable in size to Ann Arbor. In 1969-70, Ann Arbor teachers will receive a starting salary of $7,000 for a BA degree, and a maximum BA salary of $11,235. The minimum MA salary will be raised to $7,630, while the maximum MA salary will be $12,600. Longevity payments will be paid during the llth and 16th years of teaching. A two-year contract for 1968-70 was negotiated last summer by the Ann Arbor Education Association and the school board. ;.. ;;;::■: v;v.v.v.v.v.v.v..'.v.v.v.v.v.v.-év. ...-.-.-.-.. School Stories By Education Reporter JánStucker