Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. cruised to an easy win.

The Dearborn City Council will have two new faces, including a new council president.

Susan Dabaja was the top vote getter, beating Tommy Tafelski, the current council president, by a slim margin. Dabaja spent a lot on her campaign and put a lot of effort in going door-to-door and her hard work paid off.

The other new face on the council will be Mike Sareini, the son of former councilwoman Suzanne Sareini, who did not run for office.

The vote totals for the City Council look like this:

Susan A. Dabaja . . . . . . . . 9,398

Thomas Patrick Tafelski. . . . . . 9,366

Mike T. Sareini . . . . . . . . 8,723

Brian C. O’Donnell . . . . . . . 7,929

David W. Bazzy. . . . . . . . . 7,809

Robert Alex Abraham . . . . . . . 7,477

Mark C. Shooshanian . . . . . . . 7,407

Here are the rest of the results for the others who were unsuccessful in this year’s council race:

Patrick A Melton . . . . . . . . 7,021

Tarek M. Baydoun . . . . . . . . 6,280

Sharon Dulmage. . . . . . . . . 5,601

Kristyn Taylor. . . . . . . . . 5,315

Jane Ahern . . . . . . . . . . 5,225

Colette Richards . . . . . . . . 4,231

Stephen S. Dobkowski, Jr. . . . . . 3,551

One of the most important is the Dearborn Public Schools’ $76 million S.M.A.R.T. School Bond, which will NOT increase the millage rate taxpayers currently pay. Homeowners are currently paying 5.35 mills, and that is what will continue if the bond is passed again.

The bond will be used to fund security, modifications, additions to buildings, renovations, technology and transportation in Dearborn Schools.

Voter approval of the bond is sorely needed to fill gaps created by state funding cuts, and decreasing property values even as costs for the district have continued to climb.

Over the past five years, the district has experienced an 8.1% reduction in funding from the state and an increase in the demands placed on its buildings. The S.M.A.R.T. School Bond will provide the funding to address security, aging inventory of buildings, computers, and an aging bus fleet.

In addition, safety and security will be integrated into the very fabric of every school with upgraded surveillance cameras, auto-lock doors, and a buzzer access system.

The average age of Dearborn Public School’s facilities is 58 years, with 21 of those facilities over 50 years old. Modifications to facilities are necessary in such areas as roofs, site, windows, furniture and equipment, lockers and flooring. Dearborn school officials say that every facility will receive modifications to ensure “the safety, accessibility, health and suitability of all learning environments for students and maximize the useful life of buildings.”

Additions are necessary at several schools to accommodate student enrollment growth of 2,060 students since 2000 and to allow curriculum flexibility.

If Dearborn students are going to compete in a global environment, it is critical for them to have the up-to-date technology tools to facilitate learning. In addition, on-line testing requirements by the State, impact the school district’s goals and needs for technology in the future.

So please remember to look for the Dearborn Public Schools S.M.A.R.T School Bond on the ballot today and vote YES!

If you haven’t yet read the article about the book on politico.com, it is worth a read.

Ravitch argues that “corporate reformers” and “privatizers” have a vested interest in making it sound like teachers and schools are failing so they’ll be invited to run their own schools or sell educational technology at a profit.

It is an interesting thesis.  Here is the story on politico.com:

Do American public schools really stink? Maybe not

The drumbeat is hard to miss: Our schools are failing. Public education is in crisis. Our students are falling further and further behind.

The rhetoric comes from the left and right, from educators and politicians and lobbyists and CEOs and even Education Secretary Arne Duncan. The deep dysfunction of our public schools is said to threaten not only America’s economy but also its national security.

Read the rest of the story HERE.

Anyone interested in sharing their opinion can take part in a quick and easy survey by visiting the district website, www.dearbornschools.org, and clicking on the link located on the home page. No personal information will be collected by the survey.

“Although this is a non-scientific poll it will provide the Board with one more way of gathering input from the community about the two election dates,” said Dearborn schools spokesman David Mustonen.

At the March 11, 2013 Board of Education meeting the administration presented a proposal for a $76 million bond that would provide funding for Security, Modifications, Additions, Remodeling, Technology, and Transportation. The bond is being called the S.M.A.R.T. Bond, an acronym for the projects included in the proposal.

The district has 19,100 students with more than 6,200 of them added during the last 26 consecutive years of enrollment gains. A need to provide additional security, increased student numbers, an aging inventory of buildings (35 total with 23 ranging from 50 to 90 years old), state required on-line testing, an aging fleet of buses, and an 8.1 percent decline in funding from the state over the last five years have all contributed to the need for the district to seek a voter approved bond.

Community members can find out more information, leave comments, ask questions, and engage in a constructive dialogue at a special website dedicated to providing information only on the 2013 S.M.A.R.T. Bond, by clicking HERE. 

A voter approved bond project would not increase the current 5.81 mill rate taxpayers are currently paying due to the retirement of existing bond debt.

The new on-line entry form can be found by clicking HERE. Forms can also be downloaded at the same website or can be picked up at any Dearborn public school and the district’s Administration Office, 18700 Audette.

“We want to make the nomination process as simple as possible because we want to encourage all students to nominate their favorite teachers,” said Chamber Education Committee Chair Stefanie Stover.

The deadline for submitting nominations, either on-line or hard-copy, is Friday, April 12, 2013. Hard-copy nomination forms can be mailed to the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce, 22100 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, MI 48124, or fax to (313) 584-9818. Adults may assist students when necessary but no more than two teachers can be nominated per student.

Students can nominate new or veteran teachers whom they feel have made outstanding contributions to the teaching profession. Preschool through fifth-grade students are asked to describe how their teacher has created a classroom where learning is positive and fun. Middle school students (grades 6-8) will need to explain how their teacher connects classroom learning with everyday life. Students in high school must describe how their teacher is preparing them to be successful beyond high school. Applications will be assessed on quality of the nomination, not on the number received. Award judges are members of the Dearborn Chamber Education Committee and are not provided with the teachers’ names.

One winner from elementary, middle and high school will be announced at a special ceremony, Wednesday, May 15, 2013, at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center.

Teachers selected to receive the Teacher of Year Award are being recognized as positive role models who consistently provide unique, productive, positive classroom experiences. Teachers selected receive a $1,000 cash prize, a plaque commemorating their achievement, and will be part of a select group of Dearborn teachers who have been recognized by the community for their dedication and passion for teaching.

“The teachers in our classrooms are true professionals, dedicated to their craft and to the academic success of their students. This award is a great way for our student to honor and thank their teachers,” commented Dearborn Public Schools Supt. Brian Whiston.

Fatima Shareef, a senior at Edsel Ford High School, penned the column below and makes a pretty compelling, commonsense argument regarding the sleep time needs of people between the ages of 11 – 22.

Opinions vary but early school start times are a medically proven detriment to health and education. We wrote about this very topic in 2009.

You can sign her petition HERE

Her column begins below.

By FATIMA SHAREEF

It’s a Monday morning. It’s dark outside, and your head is throbbing, but you force your melted eyes open to start getting prepared for the day and think to yourself, “why do I have to attend school so early?”

Last spring, the school administration offered to have our high school start time moved up, but at the expense of not offering transportation for 30 percent of students who ride the buses, 27 percent of students who play sports, and 9 percent of DCMST students.

For yet another year, we are left to deal with the consequences of starting school so early. Students are putting their heads down on the desks, dozing off, and not focusing on the lessons. This is not entirely due to waking up early in the morning, but it is a major factor that the failed plan could have easily eliminated.

Some people argue that going to bed early, reading a chapter of a book, and eating a healthy breakfast are all you need to wake up feeling refreshed and alive. The issue—for teenagers, anyway—is much more complicated than that.

According to the research done at Brown University by Mary Carskadon, for students between the ages 11 to 22, the brain chemical melatonin is distributed to the body at 11 p.m. and ends at 8 a.m. This means that unless students are going to sleep by 9 p.m., they will miss an entire cycle of rapid eye movement and remain sleepy all morning as a result.

Dr. Charles Czeiler, a professor of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School, says that when students don’t get an adequate amount of sleep, the sleep deprivation accumulates, and within a week, that deficiency is equivalent to being awake for 24 hours. He says that the deficiency also has the same impact as being legally drunk in terms of reaction time and other measures of performance.

Helena Thornton, a DHS parent and Edsel graduate, said, “I’m concerned about the fact that the data shows that the students are missing an entire REM sleep cycle with an average of seven hours sleep when studies show they need nine, and how sleep deprivation builds up over the week and has been shown to measurably affect performance comparable to being under the influence of substances.”

Recently, Ms. Thornton asked me to conduct a survey with students from our school about their sleep patterns. In my sample of 42 students from grades nine to twelve, the average amount of sleep that students get is 7.17 hours. Compared to the nine hours that we are supposed to get, the results are quite alarming.

I was also asked to survey them about their opinions on changing the school start time from 7:20 a.m. to 8:20 a.m. Only forty percent of them said yes. The others argued that they would like to be able to wake up a later time, but if it means that they have to stay after 2:15 p.m., then they would rather just wake up earlier and “get it over with.”

This careless attitude towards our learning is dangerous. Instead of thinking about which start-time plan gets us out of school the earliest, we should be supporting a plan that will make our learning experience as productive as possible. We are going to be in school for the same amount of time anyway, so we might as well make the best use of it. Any parent, student or community member who understands and supports this issue is asked to join in our communication to Dearborn Public Schools by signing the following petition: HERE

Supt. Brian Whiston

Dear community member,

- 26 consecutive years of increased enrollment

- Graduation rate up 6%

- Five schools in Dearborn recognized by the state as “Beating the Odds”

- Continuous improvement on local and state tests

- A five year program allowing students to graduate with both a high school diploma and a two year college degree at no cost to parents

- Students earning millions of dollars in scholarships each year

- Districtwide Response to Bullying and Positive Behavior programs ensure a safe learning environment

- Choices for students include magnet programs, Early College program, STEM program,

AP courses, and dual enrollment

Does this sound like a school district that needs to be overhauled, reformed, and taken-over by a state controlled board? I don’t think so, but obviously some legislators in Lansing do.

If two bills, HB 6004 and SB 1358, currently sitting before lawmakers in Lansing are passed in the next few weeks school districts in the state could face drastic change that will have a devastating impact on your child’s school.

These bills shift control away from local school board trustees that you elect and give a great deal of power to a single statewide school district known as the Education Achievement Authority (EAA) that is accountable only to a board appointed by the Governor, not elected by the people.

Even more troubling about these proposed changes is that the important job of educating children will be turned over to for-profit operators who can pick and choose the children they want to allow into their schools.

We are fortunate that our representatives in Lansing, Mr. George Darany, Mr. David Nathan, and Senator Morris Hood, understand how wrong these proposals are and they need our support. We need to contact our representatives in Lansing and let them know that HB6004 and SB1358 must not be approved. It is vitally important that we take action now to make sure these bills are not passed before the legislators leave for the year.

It is important to share your own personal concerns about this legislation. On our district website we have placed key points that you may want to include in your correspondence and we have provided names and addresses of our legislators. You can find out more information on this legislation by visiting HERE.

Despite the many challenges we face, our district has made a great deal of progress and has had plenty of student success. This success can be attributed to the hard work and dedication of our staff. I want to thank all of our staff members and our parents for making student achievement a priority and believing that each child can have academic success in our classrooms. We are also very fortunate to have a supportive and knowledgeable Board of Education that understands the needs of the children in our schools. I urge you to take action today and make sure that this legislation is not passed!

Incumbent Aimee Blackburn (first elected in 2000 and serving her third term) and Mary Lane (serving her third term) were the top two vote-getters finishing with 17,868 votes and 15,678, respectively. The two will keep their seats for another two years.

Mary K. Petlichkoff, who threw her hat back in the race after being defeated in 2011, finished in third with 12,863 votes.

The switch, school officials say, comes after reviewing report cards from nine other districts, and considerable discussion the elementary report card committee, comprised of more than 40 teachers and administrators.

The goals of the committee were to create a report card that made understanding student performance easier, incorporate the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts and math, and assign a grade-level for student performance in reading and math.

The first big change that parents will notice on the report card is the conversion from a letter grade to a number. The numbers on the report card correspond to the following: 1= Masters Expectations, 2= Meets Expectations, 3= Progressing, 4= Concern. A number will appear next to each Common Core State Standard listed on the report card to indicate a student’s performance in meeting that Standard.

The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and math have been adopted by Michigan. More information on the Common Core can be found at www.corestandards.org.

A new item on the report card is the reporting of student performance on two different computer-administered assessments, one in reading and the other in math. These assessments provide an indication of the grade level the student is performing at in these two subject areas. For example a score on the reading assessment of 3.2 is equivalent to third grade second month. The same holds true for the math assessment.

The test given in reading is the Scholastic Reading Inventory or SRI reading assessment. The SRI may be given up to three times a year. Starmath is the math assessment tool and may be given up to four times a year. Students in kindergarten and first grade will not receive an SRI or Star Math score on the first report card.

The report card also includes a section titled Life Skills and the objectives change from kindergarten through grade five. In addition there is a notes and comments section at the end.

Parent feedback and input is a valuable part of any change to the report card. Parents interested in serving on this committee may contact Dr. Chochol, Associate Superintendent of Elementary Education at 827-3026 or email at chochoj@dearborn.k12.mi.us .

The report card grades represent a summary of what students have learned during the marking period. Report cards are used by teachers as a tool to help them direct their instruction so they can support areas of concern or challenge in areas of mastery. As always, the teacher is the best source of information about a student’s progress. Parent attendance at parent-teacher conferences and utilizing other forms of communication with their child’s teacher is vitally important in the team approach to ensuring student success.

The traveling half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall will be available for viewing by the public around the clock from 10 a.m. on Thursday, October 25 till 8 a.m. on Monday, October 29. It is free.

“The Wall That Heals transcends the Vietnam War to help our great nation renew its relationship with veterans of all wars,” said Scruggs, founder and president of Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF). “It helps veterans from all of America’s conflicts to find healing and a powerful connection through their common military experiences.”

Scruggs was a wounded and decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, having served in the 199th Light Infantry Brigade of the U.S. Army.

In 1979, Scruggs conceived the idea to build a tribute to those who served during the Vietnam War.

He launched the effort with $2,800 of his own money, gained support from other veterans, and together persuaded Congress to provide a location on federal government property. The story of that effort is told in the book and movie To Heal a Nation.

Scruggs continues today as president of the VVMF, the nonprofit organization created to build and maintain the Memorial, now in its 30th year.

Scruggs will see the groundbreaking in November for a companion Education Center to be located near the Vietnam memorial.

A big part of bringing awareness of the men and women who were lost in the war is the display of the replica Wall coming to Dearborn.

 Oct. 25 Opening Ceremony in Dearborn

Tributes, including music, will be provided at the October 25 opening ceremony at Ford World Headquarters.

Also offering remarks will Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. and Mike Bannister, chairman and chief executive officer for Ford Motor Credit Company and executive vice president of Ford. Bannister is an Army veteran and executive champion for the Ford Veterans Network.

The Dearborn Allied War Veterans Council (DAWVC), with new Commander Phil Smith, will lead the service.

Organizers are encouraging representatives from nearby communities to attend and lay a wreath in honor of their residents who never came home from Vietnam.

Organizers and sponsors

In addition to the DAWVC, other supporters of The Wall That Heals Dearborn event include the Ford Veterans Network Group, City of Dearborn, VVA 267, Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce, Metro Cars, Dearborn Heights Rotary Club, Dearborn Kiwanis Club and Michigan Military Moms A complete list can be found at www.cityofdearborn.org

For those helping, the reasons are often personal. “I don’t know how I would have survived without the Vietnam vets at American Legion Post 364,” said Tracey Roberts, a director on the Michigan Military Moms board.

“I want to thank for them their service and help. My son went to war in January 2004. He fought in the Fallujah battle. It was horrible. These Vietnam vets tell me over and over again that they don’t want what happened to them to happen to our sons and daughters.”

Roberts continued, “When our veterans come home, they help them get into counseling if they need it, help them move and get out of the basement, and assist with financing and VA benefits.

“Vietnam veterans even provide money so Military Moms can ship packages to our soldiers. They step up to the plate. It’s time for us to do the same,” she said.

About the half-scale replica

Since its inception in 1996, more than 2 million people have visited the VVMF’s traveling exhibit in communities like Dearborn.

The names on The Wall That Heals replicate the names on The Wall in Washington, D.C. and are listed alphabetically by day of casualty.

A museum that tells the story of the Vietnam War, The Wall and the divisive era in American history accompanies The Wall That Heals.

Details for visitors to site

Visitors with smart phones may consider downloading one of the Vietnam Wall apps prior to their trip to the Wall. Onsite volunteers will also help visitors locate specific names on the Wall That Heals.

The Wall That Heals is not conducive to rubbing or stenciling names. At the information booth, people may request a name rubbing be sent to them.

They may also bring photographs that can be scanned on site to be preserved at the Education Center.

In addition, mementos left at The Wall will be delivered to the Education Center. Monies donated onsite will be directed to the VVMF.

VVMF education continued through release of book

Lisa Lark, who teaches at Edsel Ford High School and Henry Ford Community College, is working with the VVMF and The Wall That Heals planning committee to provide educational opportunities, including for school children.

In addition, she wrote the official commemorative book to mark the 30th anniversary of The Wall, sponsored by the VVMF. It will be released in November.

She spent two years conducting 500 interviews and collecting mementoes, including photographs, artwork, and letters from Vietnam veterans, friends and families of the men and women on The Wall. Her book profiles the personalities, histories and courage of more than 50 of those who lost their lives.

Public encouraged to visit The Wall that Heals

“There are a lot of reasons to be part of The Wall That Heals event in Dearborn,” said Smith, incoming Commander of the DAWVC. “Most importantly, to help restore the lives and spirits of those who gave so much during the Vietnam War.”

For more information, click HERE.