With additional cuts of $5 million in funding for Dearborn Schools, the district is asking all of us to get involved by contacting Gov. Granholm’s office to voice our opinion and ask that all school districts across the state be cut the same per-pupil amount.

As many of us know by now, Gov. Granholm signed the state bill but vetoed the Dearborn School District’s 20J money, created in 1999 to ensure equal funding increases to all school districts. The loss of 20J will cost Dearborn $5 million. The total loss from the state aid cuts for 2009-2010 school year will be $9.5 million, equal to a $527 per student cut which looks like this:

• Foundation allowance per pupil: $3,000,000

• 31a at risk funds: $1,500,000

• 20j funds: $5,000,000

In an open letter to the district, Dearborn Schools Supt. Brian J. Whiston says that with the governor’s veto total cuts for the 2009-10 year will be $20.9 million, $9.5 million of which is attributed to the above state funding loss.

“Please remember, we are already a donor district and send $14M more to the state than the district gets back,” he says in his letter. “We are fortunate that we still are a very attractive district drawing over 400 additional students into our schools this year alone to bring us to 18,444, fourth largest in the State of Michigan. We cannot afford though to take the brunt end of this hit disproportionally more than most all other districts.”

As a bit of background, the district provided this synopsis for why the veto took place: Gov. Granholm has vetoed 20j funding as a strategy to get Senator Mike Bishop to agree to increases of revenue from specific taxes so to be able to fund this year’s state aid package which was most recently passed. Senator Bishop is a supporter of 20j funding, which goes to 43 districts, benefiting approximately 200,000 students.

So we really need to address letters to both Gov. Granholm and Sen. Bishop, urging them to do the right thing for the greater benefit of students and their education in Michigan.

You can call Gov. Granholm at 517-373-3400, fax her at 517-335-6863 and/or write her at:

Governor Jennifer Granholm, P.O. Box 30013, Lansing, MI 48909

You can call Sen. Mike Bishop at 517-373-2417, fax him at 517-373-2694 and/or write him at:

Senator Mike Bishop, P.O. Box 30036, Lansing, MI 48909

A former Dearborn employee from the city’s Building and Safety Department has been charged with bribery in connection with allegations that she illegally issued work permits for money payments, according to the Detroit Free Press.

This is the second employee this year from the Building and Safety Department to be charged with issuing work permits for payments.

According to the paper, Wanda J. Smith, 42, faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 if convicted on the charge. While acting as an agent in the city’s permit section, U.S. Attorney Terrence Berg said that Smith received $5,000 or more during various bribes between 2006 and 2008. She allegedly took the money in return for issuing permits on residential properties, the Free Press says.

The Building and Safety Department has been under investigation by the FBI Detroit office for some time now.

In July 2009, Leticia Bosemon, 38, of Inkster pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in return for issuing temporary certificates of occupancy for residential property in Dearborn.

Bosemon admitted in court that from the fall of 2006 until June, 2008 she accepted in excess of $63,000 from many individuals in return for preparing fraudulent performance bonds and issuing temporary certificates of occupancy, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Under the terms of the agreement, Bosemon faces a maximum penalty of 37 months and a $250,000 fine.  Her sentencing date has been set for Dec. 3, 2009.

The recent charges against Smtih are yet another black eye for a city department that has long been a lightning rod for criticism. In February, Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly announced that the department would undergo a major reorganization to better serve the needs of residential and business customers. You can see that earlier story by clicking HERE.

The issues in the Building and Safety Department didn’t happen overnight and fixing it will take time. The changes by O’Reilly earlier this year were a step in the right direction but, unfortunately, theses types of stories further hurt the credibility of this department