Lloyd Lofthouse comments on a post about the decision by the State Attorney General to divert dedicated public school funds to the building of a new hockey stadium:
Lloyd writes:
More examples of what the corporate reformers bring to the table of teaching children.
1. In Los Angeles, money that was designated by the voters to repair and improve schools, was spend on iPads boosting profits for Apple and software developers.
2. In Michigan, the reformers take money meant to support public schools and built an arena to host ice hockey for a private-sector owned team.
This is an example of what will happen as the fake Pub-Ed reformers get the upper hand in cities and states across the country.
Who do we thank for this mess?
A. Bill Gates
B. the Walton family
C. The Koch brothers.
D. All of the above and a few more
Mike Ilitch, The owner of the Red Wings, has an estimated net worth of $1.7 billion. Who else does he own? Does he own the governor of Michigan? Does he own the majority of the state legislature?
The team value of the Detroit Red Wings is $570 million with annual revenue of $134 million.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I have never been a fan of using public money, however destined, to build private sports arenas. The argument is that it brings jobs and revitalization. But the truth often is that the owners are billionaires and not concerned with locals.
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This was the national Public Forum topic for high school debaters in October, so I did a bunch of research on public funding of stadiums and such, in order to help my debate students. There is not a single study that shows that building these items results in ANY economic benefit for communities. As you stated, Rebecca, it’s a windfall for the 1%, but not really anyone else.
And to use funding destined for schools to build this arena is horrifying. How is it even legal?
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So that’s the “wealth redistribution” I hear so much about from conservatives! Good thing these billionaires demonstrate to us bread and circus types how free markets are supposed to work.
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In Cincinnati, and elsewhere, tax abatements offered to corporations in exchange for promises of job creation are also funds lost for public services, including schools. There is little publicity when the jobs do not materialize, and when the corporations just up and leave.
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Revel Casino, Atlantic City, NJ for instance.
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From the Detroit Free Press
“Who is paying the $450-million cost of the arena itself?
A: The arena will be 58% publicly financed and 42% privately financed.
Its public financing is coming from state taxpayers and local property taxes. The arrangement is complex, and it’s important to note that no city of Detroit general fund money is involved.
The state’s Michigan Strategic Fund will issue 30-year bonds for the public’s share of the $450-million arena. These bonds would be partially paid through yearly installments of $12.8 million to $15 million.
The installment money would come from school property taxes to be collected within the DDA’s taxing district. This district includes downtown as well as land on and around the new arena.
The schools would not notice any loss of tax money, as the state of Michigan will reimburse them for money redirected to the arena bonds.
In addition, other local property taxes that the DDA collects will be rolled into a separate $2-million yearly payment for 30 years.
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“The schools would not notice any loss of tax money, as the state of Michigan will reimburse them for money redirected to the arena bonds.”
The same group of people who just redirected public school money to a stadium will pay schools later?
If they’re not going to pay the schools now Raj, they’re never going to “reimburse” them later. I mean, come on.
You’ll notice the stadium owners didn’t walk away with a completely unenforceable promise of payment.
Why did the ed reform leadership in Michigan make such a crappy deal for public schools? Are they just lousy advocates for public schools? They try but fail? Or do they not put a big priority on funding public schools? Not try very hard so always fail? It’s one or the other.
We were promised they would improve PUBLIC schools. Why do public schools keep losing under ed reform leadership?
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Gee, sounds a lot like Chicago (huge arena complex w/hotel package being built for a private college basketball team–not even a very winning one {currently, in last place in Big East Conference}). $55 million is projected to be spent (from TIF monies, i.e., courtesy of the taxpayers–from the Tax Increment Fund).
Only here, in Chi-town, we don’t think that “the schools would not notice any loss of tax money.”
Hmm..is this beginning to sound like a national problem, like “standardized” testing, charter school privatization & pension fund thievery, particularly from those of teachers?
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And the latest Detroit “emergency management” news is their plan to consolidate Detroit schools including public, charters and the disreputable “EAA” into a “portfolio” district managed by a large committee including Skillman Foundation, AFT (DFT) representatives, church officials, etc. but NOT including the elected school board. Liberals chosen say they want a seat at the table, I say turn the table over. https://educarenow.wordpress.com/ and http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20141214/NEWS/312149971/detroit-schools-coalition-will-hit-books-in-a-hurry
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It’s very innovative and “local”. They do exactly the same thing in every city.
Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Newark. It’s exactly the same plan.
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Don’t know if you were responding to my comment, Chiara, but my
“Hmm…teachers” last sentence was meant in sarcasm (which I frequently exercise!).
Agree with you–yep, same plan, spelled ALEC.
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I’m particularly worried they will try to force students to attend EAA schools, because now students go out of their way not to attend these disasters
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Michigan also quietly tabled the re-regulation of charter schools.
Big public announcement they were going to start regulating charter schools after the Detroit Free Press series, then very quiet announcement that they won’t be doing anything until…..later.
“Michigan School Superintendent Mike Flanagan announced today he is holding off on taking action against any of the 11 charter school authorizers he named in August as being at risk of suspension.
But he warned that the 11 are still at-risk “for now.”
Flanagan, in a news release this morning, said he is awaiting upcoming education reforms from Gov. Rick Snyder before making any decisions. Snyder told the Free Press earlier this week that he would announce education forms in January that will include more transparency and raising the bar for all Michigan schools.”
You can forget about any re-regulation of Michigan charter schools. It’ll be rolled into some meaningless lobbyist-written mush about “raising the bar for all schools”.
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2014/12/19/state-superintendent-mike-flanagan-decision-suspend-charter-authorizers/20641875/
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Wouldn’t it be a lot easier if “corporate ed reformers” each were assigned a district and set of schools and would come around on the first of the month and collect “dues” from our babes – perhaps during lunch time? The school superintendents (many now called CEO’), could channel funding directly to students in schools so that money could transparently be going to where it belongs – in corporate coffers. Better yet, if each student has an I-PAD, each student could just wire school-based student funding directly to a linked corporate account – this 21st century serfdom would at least be transparent! Some “school designated” funds would of course keep technology running and all remaining could go to the “Danielson Corporation” or “The Walton Fund” or a new sports stadium or a trip to New Zealand for a future president’s cousin etc… And teachers.. no need to monitor their every move anymore because the money is going where it is supposed to go anyway – to anything not involving education of our youth (and by this time there will not be a teacher in sight who actually had a real education anyway)….
Robert Reich informs us of “the why” behind such a fiasco as this funding of the Michigan stadium…
http://robertreich.org/post/106010799435
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