Wednesday, May 19, 2010

“Hoekstra: People can turn state's economy around (with video)” plus 1 more

“Hoekstra: People can turn state's economy around (with video)” plus 1 more

Hoekstra: People can turn state's economy around (with video)

Posted: 19 May 2010 02:11 AM PDT

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"Those are the kinds of bold ideas we need to be talking about," he said.

"I promise we will not have meatless Saturdays and dairyless Saturdays," Hoekstra added, referring to the recent Michigan Meatout Day, in which Gov. Jennifer Granholm urged Michiganders not to eat meat for one day for health reasons.

He said he's also concerned about losing commerce across state lines, and the potential loss of state sales-tax revenue from Internet purchases.

Hoekstra said Michigan's tax code is also hurting one of its top tax revenue producers — tourism.

He said the nonhomestead property tax, which is applied to homes owned by people with primary residence in other states, is discouraging investment in seasonal homes.

During a question-and-answer period, Hoekstra said it would be a losing battle for the next governor to push for making Michigan a right-to-work state, or one that prohibits companies from requiring workers to join unions.

He said fighting for right-to-work status would create a tremendous rift among the state, unions and employers, as well as an air of uncertainty that could repel businesses. Jobs, instead, should be the top priority in the new administration, Hoekstra added.

During his presentation, he said he supports greater local control of K-12 education, and called the federal No Child Left Behind law a "disaster" that put the government in control of the classroom. According to his Web site, he voted against No Child Left Behind in 2001.

He said the state needs to support parents' right to chose public, parochial and homeschooling options. Parents should be able to invest their tax dollars into any system they wish, rather than just public schools, Hoekstra added.

"It's a bold idea: Let parents take care of their own kids," he said.

Prior to his presentation, Hoekstra said he supports a proposal in the state Legislature that would give local law enforcement the authority to arrest people determined to be illegal immigrants.

He said similar efforts in Oklahoma and Texas, and a controversial new law in Arizona, could pressure federal authorities to better monitor immigration. Hoekstra said the federal government should take ownership of the issue, however, so immigration laws don't need to be passed in all 50 states.

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Virtual Schools Make Education Just A Click Away

Posted: 18 May 2010 04:42 PM PDT

BASEHOR, Kan. -- Imagine a classroom without walls where students can attend classes 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

It's happening in Kansas and the idea is growing.

Virtually thousands of Kansas students attend classes by opening their laptops and signing in with a username and password. It's an alternative way of learning that's catching on in Kansas, which was one of the first states to pioneer the system 10 years ago.

Ted Pauley comes to Basehor-Linwood High School every day, but he can seldom be found in a classroom with other students. Pauley spends his day in the virtual school center where he's finishing high school after trying three different school districts.

"I'm in a virtual school because I didn't do too great in my old district," he said. "And this was the better of the other options."

Pauley lives in Kansas City, Kan., where he said he wasn't getting the attention he needed at school. He soon learned about the Basehor-Linwood's virtual school program that offers kindergarten through 12th grade classes online. It's much like a homeschooling program that some districts fully fund.

"It's pretty flexible," said Pauley. "I get help -- get tutored -- especially in math and English."

"I have 39 teachers who work fulltime in the district, and what they are doing is using the same curriculum they are using in the classroom and they're developing online websites that will go along with their lessons in the classroom," said Brenda DeGroot, who led the district's virtual school program a decade ago when the country only had a handful of virtual programs.

DeGroot now sets a standard for other districts to develop Web-based learning.

"Our goal is not to pull kids out of public education, but to provide an education for them that they choose to exit traditional school for whatever their reason might be," she said.

The reasons for attending virtual schools vary from student to student. For brothers Truston and Auston Ruban, bad allergies to school pets took them from the traditional classroom to their computers. Both plan to graduate high school virtually.

"I give them the choice every year, do you want to re-enroll or do you want to go back to school?" said their mother, Stephanie Urban.

"My allergy with dogs are gone now, but I'm still in this program," said Truston.

Basehor-Linwood is one of 11 complete virtual schools in Kansas. Thirty-three districts have part-time programs, offering a few online classes. The programs serve 4,400 students in Kansas.

"I just think it's another avenue for students to get their education," DeGroot said. "I don't think it's going to be the only way to go to school. I think there will always be a need for traditional schools."

Summer school students at Basehor-Linwood will be attending classes through the virtual program. The district eliminated all campus classes, saving the district $35,000 in teachers' salaries.


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