Meaningful Education Reform

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#0000BF" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="044005a0exvipq.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFCC33" FACE="Copperplate Gothic Bold" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Eastside Republican Club"><U><B>Home</B></U></A><B>  </B><B> </B></FONT><B>  | </B><B> </B><B> </B><B>  </B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Copperplate Gothic Bold" ><B>Eastside Republican Club</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="erc_meeting_dates.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Events"><U><B>Events</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="eastside_republican_review_summary.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ERC Review"><U><B>ERC Review</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="michigan_s_13th_district.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Congressional District News"><U><B>Congressional District News</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="civic___governmental_links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="erc_officers.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Us"><U><B>About Us</B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Meaningful Education Reform</B></div> <div> <A HREF="link_to_michigan_gop.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Michigan Republicans"><U><B><IMG SRC="05358580.gif" border=0 width="88" height="88" ALT="Michigan GOP" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="pledge.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grosse Pointes Role in Pledge Controvers"><U><I><B>Pte's Role in Pledge Flap</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <I><B>Get Your </B></I><A HREF="greg_brock_points_to_value_of__choice__m.htm#chrumka" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Meaningful Education Reform"><U><I><B>Patriotic Yard Sign</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="erc_testimonials.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="What Theyre Saying About Us"><U><I><B>Read what they've said about us</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="erc_meeting_dates.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Events"><U><B><IMG SRC="81b871f0.gif" border=0 width="135" height="31" ALT=">>Events" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <A NAME="top_of_page"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></div> <div> <U>GLEP Director Speaks Out on Behalf of Kids Trapped in Failing Schools</U></div> <div> <B>Greg Brock Points to Value of "Choice"</B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><U><IMG SRC="8c3dc310.jpg" border=0 width="220" height="305" ALT="ERC board member, Thomas McCleary, Jr., greets Greg Brock, director of GLEP" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="6" VSPACE="2"></U></FONT></div> <div> <B>In Meaningful Education Reform</B></div> <div> Asserting, “Old solutions have not worked,” Greg Brock of the <A HREF="http://www.glep.org/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.glep.org/"><U>Great Lakes Education Project</U></A> addressed the issue of education reform during the March ERC forum at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial in Grosse Pointe Farms.</div> <bR> <div> Brock is former executive director of the Michigan Republican Party. He has been involved in school choice in Michigan for many years, having served as campaign director for the "Kid's First! Yes” ballot proposal.</div> <bR> <div> He was subsequently named executive director of GLEP, a Grand Rapids-based political action committee that seeks to effect changes in education on behalf of Michigan's kids. In addition, he is executive director of the American Dream, a group that supports candidates for federal office.</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.glep.org/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.glep.org/"><U><IMG SRC="8c1706e0.jpg" border=0 width="112" height="110" ALT="Link to Great Lakes Education Project" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="4" VSPACE="2"></U></A><B>Challenge Public Schools</B></div> <div> Brock explained that in some communities, present educational options available to parents for their children do not sufficiently challenge public schools to rise above the status quo. Consequently, Brock said, “Kid's hopes and dreams are dying because there has been no reform in their district.”</div> <bR> <div> According to Brock, the GLEP goal is to see the State provide “equal opportunity for a quality education to all pupils, regardless of their parent's means.” And so that every parent can have a choice, he said GLEP backs an initiative to lift the State-mandated cap on the number of charter schools from the present level of 150.</div> <bR> <div> “In most cases,” Brock said, “charter schools are a resounding success.” He recognized, however, “There is no substitute for parental involvement.”</div> <bR> <div> <B>Education Project Initiatives</B></div> <div> Other initiatives of interest to GLEP are preservation of Proposal A, improved voter turnout through consolidation of school elections with other elections, and increased fiscal accountability for Michigan's Intermediate Schools Districts.</div> <bR> <div> In view of existing state and local budget concerns, public education financing currently is receiving widespread attention.</div> <bR> <div> Brock noted that education funding has received added attention with the recent rejection by lawmakers and some educators of the $300 million in urban education assistance offered by entrepreneur Bob Thompson. <A NAME="chrumka"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="8f2c8b50.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="181" ALT="Sign designer Mike Chrumka, right, talks with W-W-J Newsradio 950 reporter Mike Payne during sign distribution in St. Clair Shores" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="6" VSPACE="4"> A February <A HREF="http://www.detnews.com/2003/editorial/0302/24/a08-92121.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.detnews.com/2003/editorial/03"><U><I>Detroit News</I></U></A><A HREF="http://www.detnews.com/2003/editorial/0302/24/a08-92121.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.detnews.com/2003/editorial/03"><U> editorial</U></A> focused on this and the $200 million which entrepreneur Tom Monaghan had offered to invest in a new Washtenaw County university campus.</div> <bR> <div> <B>In Support of My Country</B></div> <div> <IMG SRC="8ed74b50.jpg" border=0 width="116" height="181" ALT="Mike Smith at 'work' distributing another patriotic sign" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="8" VSPACE="2"><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Also appearing at the Club's March meeting was Mike Smith of Grosse Pointe Park to explain his efforts along with Mike Chrumka in designing, producing, and distributing a pro-USA lawn sign for local distribution.</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Now in a third printing, the patriotic signs read, “I Support My Country & Our Troops.”</div> <bR> <div> To order the pictured sign, <A HREF="mailto:jhacklem@eastside-republican-club.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:"><U>contact the ERC</U></A>. >><I>Read </I><A HREF="http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7463185&BRD=988&PAG=461&dept_id=141265&rfi=6" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsi"><U><I>Macomb Daily</I></U></A><I> story</I>.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="#top_of_page" TITLE="Meaningful Education Reform"><U>back to top</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>