Cocktails & Popcorn: Calley v. Schuette And Those Pesky Trust Funds

Recently on Cocktails & Popcorn, we took a look at Those Pesky Trust Funds and land banks with John Engler, Brian Calley and campaign finance.

Well, it seems Calley is going for the jugular, hitting Schuette on his blind trust.

We have a sitting State Attorney General who took an oath on, basically, not to use his office for personal inurement, what some may find a bit more clarification in the understanding of emoluments.

The thing that got me was not the registration of Bill's corporation, Vircom, L.L.C. where he was the Grantor, but Ditleff Point Lots, a Group S, L.L.C., registered in Delaware, with the exact same addresses.

From Wikipedia:

An S corporation, for United States federal income tax purposes, is a closely held corporation (or, in some cases, a limited liability company (LLC) or a partnership) that makes a valid election to be taxed under Subchapter S of Chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code. In general, S corporations do not pay any income taxes. Instead, the corporation's income or losses are divided among and passed through to its shareholders. The shareholders must then report the income or loss on their own individual income tax returns.

Why does Bill have a Delaware corporation?

What, is Michigan LARA not good enough for you?

Is Bill a Corporate Shape Shifter?

Did I just find out why Bill called me a "Public Nuisance"?

Oh, those pesky trust funds.  They seem to becoming a bit of an interest as of lately.

Brian Calley alleges AG Bill Schuette violated 'blind trust' pledge

EAST LANSING — Attorney General Bill Schuette continued to have a hands-on role in business dealings, despite his claims he put his assets in a blind trust when he took office in 2011, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley charged Thursday.

Schuette, confronted by Calley with the accusations at a candidate forum on Thursday, said the allegations are false and accused Calley of desperation in his campaign for governor.

The Calley campaign released documents showing Schuette signed deeds in 2014 transferring real estate between Schuette businesses.

The deed records transfer real estate in the U.S. Virgin Islands from Vircom LLC, where Schuette signed as the company manager, to Ditleff Points, Group S, LLC, which lists its corporate address as Schuette's home address in Midland.

Later on Thursday, Calley campaign consultant John Yob retweeted images of another Vircom deed transfer record, from 2017, also signed by Schuette.

The Calley campaign released additional records they say show Schuette similarly directed offshore sales in 2012 and 2013.

"He's been directing the purchase, transfer of millions of dollars in offshore assets while attorney general," Calley alleged at the candidate forum hosted by the Michigan Press Association.

Schuette denied the allegation.

"Brian, you go around the state ... making false allegations," Schuette shot back.

"All my assets are in a blind trust."

Schuette wouldn't comment on the companies or transactions when approached after the candidate forum. He later issued a statement that said the transactions related to property holdings in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Colorado that he and his two sisters inherited from their parents. The transactions represent the sale of some parcels in the Virgin Islands, which were never included in the blind trust because it was family property, Schuette said.

More stories:

Bill Schuette, Brian Calley trade blows in GOP gubernatorial debate

Bill Schuette stocks AG staff with GOP operatives as he launches campaign for governor

The Calley campaign issued a news release saying the transactions show "a stunning level of hypocrisy" by Schuette.

"What else is Bill Schuette hiding?"

When Bridge Magazine earlier this year asked all candidates to make certain financial disclosures, Schuette released his federal tax return, as he has each year. But he declined to make an asset disclosure, citing his blind trust.

More: Michigan gubernatorial candidates release tax returns

Calley made an asset disclosure similar to the ones federal officeholders file.

Schuette said at the forum that "we need to have openness and transparency." He said he releases his tax return each year, and also made asset disclosures when he was a member of Congress.

"When we pass the law on financial disclosure (in Michigan), I'll do it," Schuette said.

After the forum, Schuette declined to answer questions about the companies involved, or whether he had ties to him. He said Calley has gone negative, but he will continue a positive campaign.

Several hours after the forum, his campaign strategist John Sellek said Calley is "continuing to make negative and false attacks," and thereby "diminishing the office he holds and more importantly, the one he seeks to occupy."

Calley campaign spokesman Michael Schrimpf said Schuette "lied multiple times about his financial holdings, and now he wants voters to believe that selling millions of dollars in real estate for his own benefit poses no potential for conflicts of interest."

Bll Schuette Warranty Deed 2014 by Beverly Tran on Scribd

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette v. Beverly Tran and Detroit Land Bank Authority Quo Warranto by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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Brian Calley To Help Children Tortured & Trafficked By Michigan

Michigan Lieutenant Governor and 2018 Gubernatorial candidate Brian Calley says Michigan State University should put up "100s of millions" for the child victims of Nassar sexual molestation cases and stop fighting lawsuits.

Awwwww, how cute.

I wonder what Calley is going to suggest for the tens of thousands of child victims of foster care and adoption who have been legally kidnapped, trafficked, violently raped, daily, used as lab rats for pharmaceutical experimental testing, aged out to become homeless to fend for themselves, having been denied an education by the state, to find a way to eat without having to sell their bodies because the state cut them off of what little help that SNAP provides?

I wonder what Calley is going to suggest for the children who have been murdered, attempted and have suicided in foster care and adoption?

I wonder what Calley is going to suggest for the children who have been poisoned, damaged for life in the intentional poisoning of Flint?

I wonder what Calley is going to suggest for the children who have been bought and sold through Michigan's child welfare system?

I wonder what Calley is going to suggest for the parents who have had their children legally kidnapped by Michigan's child welfare system?

I wonder what Calley is going to suggest when the feds hit the State with sanctions for allowing all this to go, for years, despite being put on notice, over, and over, and over again?

We should ask him or we could just wait for the State Auditor General Findings Report because this entire investigation may prove to be bigger than the Jerry Sandusky Penn State scandal, which will not be good for the gubernatorial campaigns of Bill Schuette or Brian Calley, because it will deal with foster care and adoption federal funding, like Medicaid.

Calley: MSU should put aside '100s of millions' for Nassar victims; stop fighting lawsuits

LANSING – The Michigan State University Board of Trustees should put aside hundreds of millions of dollars to compensate victims of former doctor Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse and stop fighting to dismiss the lawsuits brought by Nassar’s survivors, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley said Saturday.

Calley, an MSU alumnus who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor, spoke out about the crisis at MSU for the first time in an interview with the Free Press.

Calley said he welcomed the apologies MSU trustees offered at a board meeting Friday, along with promises to take a new approach to dealing with the sex abuse scandal, but said: “I strongly encourage swift action that demonstrates a clear commitment to a dramatic shift in priorities.”

More: Schuette: Special prosecutor, Michigan State Police will lead investigation into Michigan State

That should include establishing a victim compensation fund, which “will likely need hundreds of millions of dollars,” and giving instructions to MSU attorneys to “drop all attempts to dismiss lawsuits” brought by victims, and instead push for the lawsuits to be sent to mediation for settlements, he said.

Jason Cody, an MSU spokesman, could not immediately be reached for comment Saturday.

Rachael Denhollander, the first woman to go public with a sexual assault allegation against Nassar, after complaining to MSU police in 2016, said she agrees with Calley’s recommendations.

She told the Free Press on Saturday she is grateful Calley supports doing “what is right” over “institutional protectionism.”

The comments from Calley, a close ally and adviser to Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, could ramp up pressure on the MSU Board of Trustees after Snyder signaled Friday he is considering unspecified action against the trustees, which could include formal inquiries aimed at removing them from office.

However, the legal position Calley advocates for MSU is in stark contrast to the position the State of Michigan has taken on lawsuits brought in recent yearsin both the Flint water crisis and the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency false fraud scandal. In both of those cases the state has aggressively fought lawsuits every step of the way and has attempted — sometimes successfully — to have lawsuits dismissed. 

"It's very ironic," said Royal Oak attorney Jennifer Lord, whose firm represents plaintiffs suing the state in cases related to both the lead contamination of Flint's drinking water and the close to 40,000 Michigan residents who applied for jobless benefits and were falsely accused of fraud and financially punished by a state computer system run amok.

More: Gov. Rick Snyder mulling action against MSU's Board of Trustees

More: Michigan State's Tom Izzo 'definitely not retiring', supports survivors

"Everyone would be well-served for the state to take its own advice so the victims of these state-created harms can get a hearing," Lord said.

"It's the right thing to do at MSU, and it's the right thing to do for the citizens of Flint and the individuals falsely accused of fraud."

Calley didn't give a direct answer when asked why he's advocating mediation for MSU when the state continues to try to get the Flint lawsuits thrown out of court. But he said the state has appropriated close to $300 million to help Flint since the water crisis began and MSU should have quickly appropriated a similar sum to help Nassar's victims.

He said it is particularly wrong for MSU to seek to dismiss victim lawsuits based on the statute of limitations, because it is not uncommon for sexual assault victims to not feel ready to come forward for extended time periods.

As for the unemployment insurance false fraud debacle, "I just don't think it's appropriate to compare sexual assault to unemployment claims cases," he said.

Nassar, who worked for MSU and with USA Gymnastics for 20 years, was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison Wednesday on seven charges of sexual assault, six of which occurred at MSU. His seven-day sentencing hearing included emotional statements from 156 women and girls who described the abuse they suffered from Nassar, under the guise of treatment.

Amid a flurry of investigations, MSU's athletic director, Mark Hollis, announced his retirement Friday after MSU President Lou Anna Simon announced her resignation Wednesday night.

Calley said he welcomes the investigation into MSU by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette — which Schuette spoke about at a Saturday news conference in Lansing, where he said he would be assisted in the investigation by the Michigan State Police.

Retired Kent County prosecutor William Forsyth, who Schuette named to lead the investigation, is "independent, tough, and holds the highest ethical and professional standards," Calley said. 

"All decisions, including those made by previous investigators — like the botched Title IX investigation — need to be examined," Calley said.

MSU received a 2014 complaint about alleged sexual abuse by Nassar under Title IX of the U.S. Education Amendments of 1972, which is designed to protect students from gender discrimination. The investigation, conducted by MSU officials, cleared Nassar.

Calley said the board must "make justice and healing for the survivors the top priority."

Justice and healing should be put "ahead of MSU, ahead of liability concerns, ahead of insurance company requirements," he said.

That should be the "measuring stick" used to assess all actions, including those taken by MSU attorneys, he said. "Does this advance the interests of the victims?'

The board should also "take transparent actions to protect current and future students," Calley said.

"The only way the public will ever have confidence that this will never happen again is for them to be confident that they know exactly what happened," he said. "An open and complete independent investigation, available for public scrutiny, is required."

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Brian Calley Presents Michigan Special Education Reform

Brian Calley,
Michigan Special Education
Reform Pioneer

The only question is, "Will they heed the recommendations?"

Probably not any time too soon.

Thank you,, Brian Calley for protecting for Michigan's most precious treasures but do you think you could help me out a bit and get them to at least consider ending Medicaid fraud in child welfare?

Lt. Gov. Calley to lead effort to reform special education

Gov. Rick Snyder has created a task force that will recommend reforms to Michigan's special education system, following a broad set of recommendations made by Lt. Gov. Brian Calley last month.

Calley spent much of this year holding listening sessions across the state, hearing from parents, teachers, administrators and special education advocates.

In a report released Sept. 8, Calley called for the state to improve the quality of services provided to special education students, make the process for changing special education rules more transparent, create a better system to resolve disputes to avoid costly lawsuits, and provide more support services for parents. He also called for legislation that would limit the use of seclusion and restraint on children in schools to emergency situations only.

The task force will make recommendations by the end of the year to address the findings in Calley's report, according to a news release from the governor's office.

"This group will help us remain focused on putting Michigan's special needs children and their families front-and-center when considering reforms to this vital component in our educational system," Snyder said in the release.

Michigan Lt. Governor Brian Calley Special Needs Education Reform Presentation 9.8.15

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Calley v. Schuette: MSU, Clinton Foundation, Child Welfare Fraud & Detroit Land Bank Authority

Calley v. Schuette 2018

Recently on beverlytran.com, I thought it would be fun to do political color commentary on the Michigan 2018 race for governor because I know stuff.

This race is going to be all about Michigan's Child Welfare System and the Clinton Foundation, including TARP, but specifically, Detroit Land Bank Authority, et al.

Calley called for money to fix the MSU-Nassar-Engler drama.

Schuette came back and did the Calley smackdown by taking the reigns on the MSU-Nassar-Engler drama by announcing Bill Forsyth to do the special investigation.

I must say that I am oddly stimulated by Calley because I did not think he had it in him.

In the spirit of fuchsia!

MSU case prods Calley push for new independent counsel

Lansing – Lt. Gov. Brian Calley is expected Friday to call on the Michigan Legislature to create a new class of independent special prosecutor in state law, citing potential conflicts of interest in cases like Attorney General Bill Schuette’s investigation of Michigan State University.

Calley dropped the ole "expected" use of his Lieutenant Governor superpowers to have th.e Legislature introduce, and pass, what I am calling an emergency Bill, only because the primaries are August and he would have to get "The Elected Ones" to actually come together and do something besides stealin'.

Schuette on Saturday announced that retired Kent County Prosecutor Bill Forsyth is leading the probe into MSU’s handling of the Larry Nassar sexual assault scandal, promising a thorough investigation “from the president’s office down.”

Actually, I do not have an issure with Forsyth for the simple reason that, if you are running a major, and this is going to be an historic investigation (trust me on this one) you really want people around you who are "ride or die" when it comes to taking on the deep, dark material that is about to be unearthed.

But Calley, a Portland Republican who is running for governor and competing against Schuette for the GOP nomination, said Thursday that special prosecutors appointed by the attorney general – such as Forsyth – are “not at all independent, and that is problematic.”

If Calley has an issue with special prosecutor function of the Attorney General's Office, then where was he when Schuette called Arena and Flood to do the Flint - Governor's Office investigation?

Calley will ask legislators to change state law to allow courts to appoint independent special prosecutors to investigate situations like the scandal at MSU. He said he wants to see that change as soon as possible.

If the law is changed, will it be retroactive and will it replace the Flint - Governor's Office investigation?

“This case is rife with potential conflicts,” Calley told The Detroit News. “Relationships, ties, connections do affect things. Having a truly independent review is important. It does not inspire confidence the way things transpired this week.”

How about calling in the DOJ?  It is called a referral.

Forsyth is known as a tough, fair-minded attorney, according to people who know him. But critics have questioned his impartiality because his 2016 retirement party was partially sponsored by MSU booster Peter Secchia, who is also a major GOP donor.

Whatever.

The party was a fundraiser for Silent Observers, a non-profit that relies on donors to gather anonymous tips to help police solve crimes, said program director Chris Cameron, who added that “there is no conflict” because the organization lined up all the sponsors.

Schuette’s office has fought criticism of the investigation, calling Forsyth an “honest and quality prosecutor who will get the job done.”

Forsyth comes out of Kent County, which has a land bank, which is under MSU, which advised Michigan on the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, which advised the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority, which worked with the Detroit Land Bank Authority, which makes him a subject matter expert.

“His goal is to find the truth and he will, thoroughly and completely in an unbiased way,” spokeswoman Andrea Bitely said Tuesday.

And to find out what Michigan hid under all that TARP.

Interim MSU President John Engler, the former governor unanimously selected for the post Wednesday by the MSU Board of Trustees, is also connected to MSU boosters such Secchia. Engler joined the board of Universal Forest Products Inc., the company Secchia led, in 2003.

Enter the "cleaner" - Engler.

Secchia stirred controversy last week by saying parents who feel their children would be unsafe at MSU could send them elsewhere since the university has a long waiting list.

Asshole.

Calley’s call for a independent special prosecutor comes amid continued criticism of MSU trustees, who remain under fire over the Nassar scandal after former President Lou Anna Simon and Athletic Director Mark Hollis resigned last week.

Hey Brian, are you thinking what I am thinking?

"If you can get rid of Schuette's control of the MSU-Nassar-Engler drama by getting a special prosecutor, then you do not have to cite your conflict of interests with Schuette, considering the fact that you are under a state special investigation in dealing with your emails in the Flint Water Crisis."

House Speaker Tom Leonard, R-DeWitt, is among those continuing to call on the full eight-member board to resign. He said Thursday impeachment proceedings are “off the table” because they would require proof of “unlawful conduct.”

State elected board of governors are useless, just ask Debbie Dingell.

Leonard declined to say whether he thinks Snyder should launch a formal inquiry into possible neglect of duty or malfeasance by trustees. Snyder’s office said last week action against MSU leadership was “under review.”

Synder is too busy working with his legal defense team on rebuilding an image and soliciting funding to pay for it.

If Snyder did force any members out of office, he could appoint a replacement. MSU Board Chairman Brian Breslin works for the governor as his manager of appointments and helps Snyder make picks for a variety of open positions.

Precious, Snyder is under multiple federal investigations, just saying.

Leonard told reporters he thinks Engler was a good choice to lead MSU and thinks criticism over the pick is “very unfortunate.” Still, he said, trustees should step down.

Engler is the perfect choice to take over MSU.  He is a key target of the entire Michigan child welfare fraud probe.  Oops, did I just say that?

“Is there any of them right now that in good faith can travel this country or travel across the globe, sit down across from them, and be taken credibly by them as it relates to representing the university?” Leonard said. “I believe that answer is no.”

Separately, Republican state Rep. Jim Lower of Cedar lake on Thursday proposed a constitutional amendment that would abolish governing boards at MSU, Wayne State University and the University of Michigan and have the state’s next governor replace the elected members.

The joint resolution would also dissolve and replace elected State Board of Education members who have direct supervisory duties involving K-12 schools.

That sounds like one of those Clinton privatization authority-emergency law governmental takeover schemes.  

Lower’s proposed amendment would require a two-thirds vote in both chambers of the Michigan Legislature followed by statewide approval by voters in November. It would abolish boards at three major state universities – the only three nominated by political parties and then elected by statewide voters – and the Board of Education on Dec. 31.

On the first day of 2019, Michigan’s next governor would appoint new members to staggered terms. The appointments would be subject to review by the Michigan Senate.

“I believe voters should have the opportunity to decide for themselves whether or not the current system is working,” Lower said in a statement. “We need to place this on the ballot this year.”

Time to do a deep dive on Jim Lower.  I wonder if he was bribed or blackmailed.  Maybe he was just punked, like one of his other colleagues.

Two MSU trustee positions are up for election this year, but incumbents Breslin and Mitch Lyons have said they are not seeking re-election. Calley said Thursday he would like to see a Nassar abuse survivor on the board and would help those that run for the seats.

What about a survivor of human trafficking, considering the fact that MSU advised Michigan on its child welfare policies.

First-term Rep. Lower said he has long considered the nomination and election process for the state and university boards to be “problematic.” Nominees are selected at political party conventions and are not often well known by voters who see their names on the general election ballot.

“This situation, coupled with eight-year terms, leads to very little accountability and a lack of thorough vetting,” Lower said.

Rep. Adam Zemke, an Ann Arbor Democrat and vice chairman of the House Education Committee, said he is open to ideas to increase accountability for university boards but does not think gubernatorial appointments would accomplish the goal.

“I don’t see how we would be increasing accountability by taking away the voters’ direct voice in the process,” Zemke said.

I have a fabulous idea to increase accountability over Michigan's entire education institution, provide an option for justice for "The Poors".  Give the people access to legal representation through an educational legal defense trust fund.  Michigan has that Children's Trust Fund, never before audited, why not let the children use it instead of "certain" people using it as a slush fund.  Snyder has a legal defense fund for poisoning Flint's children, just saying.

Schuette, in his campaign for governor, called for a similar constitutional change this week, but Lower’s resolution proposes going further by also giving the governor appointment power for the State Board of Education, as recommended last year by a commission appointed by term-limited GOP Gov. Rick Snyder.

Speaker Leonard is not committed to taking up Lower’s proposal. He has tasked committee chairs with developing reform proposals in response to the MSU scandal and intends to let them “do their work and build the best proposals they can,” said spokesman Gideon D’Assandro.

“I think there’s going to be several ideas for potential reforms,” he said.

Make sure to comeback to find out what Schuette's next move is going to be.  This is actually turning out to be a really juicy race!

Smooches, boys.

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Lt. Governor Calley's Michigan Special Education Survey To Support Federal Court Oversight of Child Welfare

Here is a survey from Michigan Lt. Governor Brian Calley on Special for children.

Michigan Lt.Governor
Brian Calley

These are my responses and you know I did it Tran style to bring home the point, again, that Michigan needs to remain under federal court oversight for its child welfare.

 #NancyEdmunds #Michigan #BrianCalley #ChildWelfare #MedicaidFraud

"On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with your child’s IEP (Individualized Education Plan)? "

It sucks.

"On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with your child’s IEP (Individualized Education Plan)?">On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with your child’s IEP (Individualized Education Plan)?

Is 'satisfied' even an option?  Most schools do not even do them and if they do, who knows how long it will take to even execute.

How included do you feel in decisions regarding your child’s education?

Oh, a parent can actually have a say in their child's education?  Wow.  Great news for Michigan...I guess if it was actually true.

Has your child ever been subjected to restraints or seclusion?

Does the sun rise in the morning?

Do you feel the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) provides adequate opportunities for you to comment on special education issues in Michigan?

Only if the parent has advanced knowledge of state administrative websites and basic civic education to know to contact elected representatives to construct a greivance or present formal statement into the record.  I guess that would be a solid, "No".

Absolutely not.  Let us begin with a child in foster care.  Parents are excluded from participating in a child's education and medical, contrary to federal and state policies.  This is going to be a growing population as many special educational services are referred out as child neglect in order to access greater resources under court approved funding.  I include residential institutions and juvenile justice populations.  The Michigan Children's Institute Superintendent, legal guardian of all state wards, fails, knowingly and willingly, to provide input into a child's education as the child welfare agencies managing the cases can make decisions based upon 'religious beliefs' contrary to medical and legal precedents.

When there are proposed changes to administrative rules regarding special education, what is the best way for the state to keep you informed about those changes?

Public notice.  Email.  Press releases.  Dissemination by school districts, elected officials, community groups, media interviews of the administrators.  I can go on but, then again you can always contract me for assistance.

What is your most urgent concern regarding your child's education that you want Lt. Gov. Calley and state leaders to know about?

The greater the increase in budget cuts to programs and services, there is a direct, positive correlation to the rate of demand for special needds programs and services.

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Privatization: Why Michigan Special Education Sucks

Yes, privatization is the reason why Michigan Special Education sucks.

Privatization made the people poor, then stole the children, the land and the votes.

Here are just a few recent articles to support my previous statement that Michigan Special Education Sucks.

57 Detroit schools have high levels of lead and copper in drinking water

And this is my all time favorite reason why Michigan Special Education Sucks:

Michigan EAA, Detroit Public Schools and "The Elected Ones"

Learn more: BEVERLY TRAN: Michigan EAA, Detroit Public Schools and "The Elected Ones" http://beverlytran.blogspot.com/2015/12/michigan-eaa-detroit-public-schools-and.html#ixzz5SuRSIWmX
Stop Medicaid Fraud in Child Welfare

I believe I have made my point.

Michigan's special education efforts near bottom in nation: U.S. report

If Laurie Kondek could fix what ails Michigan's special education system, it would be this: She would ensure that children like her Samuel — who is severely autistic and has several other ailments — would have the same shot at success as kids with no special needs.

"You have these special ed kids who have so much potential. Maybe they're not going to fly as high academically ... but my kid is just as valuable," said Kondek, who lives in Northville and has one son who attends the local district there and another who attends a nearby charter school.

To Kondek and many others, Michigan is falling short. And the U.S. Department of Education agrees, identifying Michigan in a recent report as the only state in the nation "needing intervention" this year because of the poor academic performance, high dropout rates and low graduation rates of its special education students.

Michigan shared the distinction with the District of Columbia, plus the U.S. territories of Palau and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands. If Michigan remains in that designation for three straight years, it could lose some federal funding.

How bad are Michigan's results? The education department gave Michigan a 59 percent for its outcomes for special education students — much of it based on student performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a rigorous national exam given to a representative sample of students in each state. The state with the highest percentage: Massachusetts with 88.75.

More: Study: Michigan special education is underfunded by $700M

More: 13 Michigan schools earn coveted Blue Ribbon awards

Here's a look at the data that earned Michigan the designation, one of four given by the education department (meets expectations, needs assistance, needs intervention and needs substantial intervention):

• Only 22 percent of fourth-graders and 34 percent of eighth-graders scored at or above the basic level in reading on the NAEP, which breaks down scores in four levels (below basic, basic, proficient and advanced).
• Only 39 percent of fourth-graders and 19 percent of eighth-graders scored at or above the basic level in math on the NAEP.
• 29 percent dropped out of school during the 2016-17 school year. 
• Only 63 percent earned a traditional high school diploma.

Michigan had been designated previously as needing assistance.

The data isn't surprising to Marcie Lipsitt, the organizer of a Wednesday rally in Lansing on special education issues and a vocal critic of how the state and local school districts address the needs of such students.

Lipsitt said Michigan, for instance, sets too high a bar for identifying a child as having a learning disability. And she believes it often ignores what she describes as "glaring violations" of the law.

"There's no accountability, no transparency. ... There is no concern for the outcomes for children," Lipsitt said.

The rally will include speeches from a bipartisan set of speakers — including Gretchen Whitmer, the Democratic candidate for governor, and Republican Lt. Gov. Brian Calley. Lipsitt said Whitmer's opponent in November's election, Republican Bill Schuette, was invited but no one from his campaign responded.

Calley, a longtime special education advocate and the father of a child with autism who attends public schools, said there is too much focus on compliance at the state level and not enough on improving programs.

"If we were more concerned about identifying what kids need and providing it ... and helping school districts to develop the resources and knowledge and know-how to be effective, we'd be way better off," Calley said. "It can't just be about compliance."

Michigan's focus on compliance is clear in the federal report: It earned just 8 out of 24 points for results, and 17 out of 20 points for compliance. Massachusetts, on the other hand, earned 21 points for results and 18 for compliance.

Calley believes one way for schools to improve outcomes for students with disabilities is through behavior management programs — such as positive behavior interventions and support. More commonly known as PBIS, it's a more proactive approach to behavior management that focuses on teaching good behavior and expectations rather than addressing behavior after the fact.

Calley said he doesn't have data showing behavior is more of an issue with special education students, but "I just know ... a child with autism, for example, you need to much more directly and proactively teach and reinforce desired behavior."

Such behavior approaches keeps kids in school learning, Calley said.

"A student that’s not in school is not learning."

Fight to get services

For much of Samuel's education, Kondek has fought to get services he needs —beginning with trying to get her son identified as special needs so he could begin receiving preschool services. It took her from the time he was 2 until he turned 4.

The fight has continued. Now, she works to ensure that her son has assistance such as a full-time aide in the classroom. It's crucial not just for him, she said, but also for his teachers. That's important, she said, given that there's currently a shortage of special education teachers.

"If there’s not enough adult support in the classroom for these teachers, they aren’t set up to succeed," Kondek said.

Just as important, others said, is properly funding special education programs. Students with special needs are often more difficult to educate because they need additional resources. Federal law requires they receive a free and appropriate education.

Calley chairs a special education task force that last year released a report showing the state is underfunding special education by $700 million. That dollar amount is the difference between what it costs to educate special education students in Michigan and what the state spends to educate them.

That report noted that under the current system, the state funds special education students either through the per-pupil grant schools receive — which varies by school district — or 28.61 percent of the expenses associated with educating the child. Schools get whichever of the two is the greatest amount.

But that often creates inequities, Calley said. The lowest per-pupil amount a district can receive is a little under $8,000, but some districts receive well over $12,000 per pupil.

Calley says it would be better to have a system that would — for each special education student — pay schools a per-pupil amount as well as a percentage of the costs to educate that student.

Michelle Fecteau, a Democrat on the State Board of Education, is also among Wednesday's speakers. And like Calley, she has experience as a parent — she has had one biological child and three children she fostered who required special education services. As one of eight elected board members, Fecteau says she gets a couple of phone calls a week from people with concerns about special education.

"I've talked to plenty of parents who struggle to get the services they need," Fecteau said. At the same time, she said, "I've talked to principals that want to provide those services, but they don't have the resources to do it."

The people who work in special education programs — at the local level and the state level — "are not the villains," Fecteau said.

"We need to come together to fight for better financing and better models for supporting kids and their families," she said. "I don't think our state invests enough in these kids."

"I think these kids are worth that investment."

Rally seeks to spark discussions

Lipsitt is hoping the rally will spark a conversation about special education, and that it will become a key issue in the race for November elections. She's hopeful that whoever the next governor is will rescind an executive order issued in the 1990s by then-Gov. John Engler that stripped much of the state board's power and put it in the hands of the state superintendent. She believes the special education system has deteriorated since then.

Lipsitt also believes that parents of children who don't have disabilities need to become more cognizant of what she calls a crisis in special education.

"People have to use their voices, their pens. They have to use their presence on social media and talk about the state of education in Michigan," Lipsitt said. "Public education is not serving children in Michigan, and that includes children with disabilities."

State working to improve outcomes

Teri Chapman, director of the office of special education at the Michigan Department of Education, was not available for comment last week, said Bill DiSessa, an MDE spokesman.

He provided a statement that acknowledged outcomes for students with disabilities — graduation rates, dropout rates and NAEP results — "are the underperforming factors identified in the U.S. Department of Education's report."

The statement said the MDE is "in the process of moving in a new direction to improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities." It is part of the department's efforts to transform Michigan from a state that is struggling with academic outcomes to a state that is a Top 10 performer.

That effort includes an "evolving partnership" between MDE and intermediate school districts in the state that "further ensures the alignment and coordination that evidence-based practices are implemented and supported in local districts."

Fecteau said the board briefly discussed the federal report in August.

"I would like to have a discussion at the state board that looks into this more deeply, and understand why this is the way it is," she said of Michigan's status as needing intervention. "What are the root causes ... and where do we really need to make some changes and address it."

Contact Lori Higgins: 313-222-6551, lhiggins@freepress.com or @LoriAHiggins

If you want to go

Each one of these speakers are system sucks and have not done a damn thing about the child poverty or the fact that charter schools do not provide IEP testing or services.

You cannot even get your kids' school records if the charter school does not want to release it because you have to hire a private attorney.

That is what Bill Schuette, the Attorney General said to me, because he is too busy defending the state in these fraudulent educational operations.

The Michigan Kids with IEPs Count Day Rally — which seeks to draw attention to the need to fix the special education system in Michigan — is set for 12:30-2:30 p.m. Wednesday on the steps of the Michigan Capitol.

Among the speakers:

• Lt. Gov. Brian Calley
• Gretchen Whitmer, Democratic candidate for governor
• Andy Levin, Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress
• Michelle Fecteau, Democratic member of the State Board of Education
• Tom McMillin, Republican member of the State Board of Education
• Mark McWilliams, Michigan Protection and Advocacy
• Colleen Allen, president and CEO, Autism Alliance of Michigan
• Kristin Totten, education attorney, ACLU of Michigan

For more information, contact organizer Marcie Lipsitt at 248-514-2101 or at marcielipsitt@outlook.com

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Schuette Special Prosecutor Investigates MSU, Clinton Foundation & Detroit Land Bank Authority For Child Welfare Fraud

Well, look at what we have here!

We do not just have an historic investigation, we have ourselves a real race for Governor of Michigan.

First, Brian Calley, Michigan Lieutenant Governor and 2018 Gubernatorial Candidate comes out calling for money to make everything go away.

Brian Calley To Help Children Tortured & Trafficked By Michigan 

Then, I sat back to wait and see what Bill Schuette, Michigan Attorney General and 2018 Gubernatorial Candidate was going to do as a comeback to the weak response to Calley.

Schuette: Special prosecutor, Michigan State Police will lead investigation into Michigan State

Yes, my precious Bill did the ultimate smackdown on Brian, but he did more than that.

Bill Schuette let me know that he is all over this.

See, the State Auditor General has "Reopened" the Ricky Holland investigation by suing the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and I just so happen to be an original source about this, so I can tell you that it is about child welfare fraud.

I am pretty sure the case is being represented by Schuette's office, or at least coordinated, because the case is in the Court of Claims.

Anyway, Schuette is using lots of special prosecutors, which is great to distance himself from any look of impropriety or political bias, because William Forsyth could be considered as a political operative for his campaign, but I really do not care at this point because Schuette is going for the glory.

Now, let us play a little game called, "Guess who did not incorporate in the State of Michigan".

If you say, "Detroit Land Bank Authority" you are absolutely correct, but there is one more organization, where the "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending) of #perkinscoiesucks did not incorporate.

Perkins Coie did not incorporate the Clinton Global Initiative University in the State of Michigan.

So, how is it that Michigan State University joined with the Clinton Global Initiative University?

Kent County Land Bank Authority of the Michigan State University College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Land Policy Institute.

Yes, the same Kent County where William Forsyth, the special prosecutor, hails, but this might just be a good thing considering that he might just be considered a subject matter expert.

This might be the same phenomenon that happened with Matt Schneider, Schuette's former Deputy Attorney General, coming back down to Detroit as the top U.S. Attorney for Michigan Easter District Court, to continue t he Detroit public corruption investigation that put former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, et al in their proverbial proper places.

There is one more area of significance the local rags will not talk about.

Michigan State University is a major influence in child welfare policies in the State of Michigan, for quite some time.

Hillary Clinton made her claim to fame on the Adoption and Safe Families Act, which is nothing more than a child trafficking operation, where Michigan is up there in the top 3 in the nation for children trafficked through foster care and adoption.

Michigan State University has a youth mentoring program just like Penn State had, except it is part of the University called FAME.

The children who were raped in the Jerry Sandusky, Penn State incident were foster kids, and more than likely, so were some of the youth in the MSU situation.

The Education of Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette On Penn State Child Welfare Fraud Scandal

Welcome to the family, Bill, or should I start calling you Governor Bill, because I finally figured out why you called me a public nuisance.

Love ya, too.

Call me.

MSU to join Clinton Global Initiative University

As they prepare for a Wednesday visit from former President Bill Clinton, Michigan State University will join his Global Initiative University and offer a campus-wide minor in entrepreneurship and innovation.

In doing so, MSU will be the first Michigan university to join CGIU, which was created to engage the next generation of leaders on college campuses around the world.

“Michigan State is committed to creating an entrepreneurial culture on campus and preparing our students to solve the world’s most pressing problems in innovative ways and to embark on careers that won’t resemble those of the past,” Neil Kane, MSU’s director of undergraduate entrepreneurship, said in a written statement.

Clinton will be on campus Wednesday and be the keynote speaker at the Governor Jim Blanchard Public Service Forum and first recipient of the Spartan Statesmanship Award for Distinguished Public Service.

The award and forum, announced in September, were established through a $1-million gift to MSU from Blanchard and his wife, Janet. Blanchard said the program honors distinguished leaders in politics, diplomacy, public service and journalism and gives MSU students and others “a chance to meet them and be energized by them.”

“The goal of this lecture series is to provide generations of students, faculty and people in the MSU community with the opportunity to hear and learn from national and international political leaders and others,” said Blanchard, former Michigan governor, U.S. congressman and ambassador to Canada, in a written statement. “His public service in politics, followed by his excellent work through the Clinton Foundation, is exactly the type of dedication and inspiring story we hoped to bring through the Blanchard Forum.”

The Clinton Global Initiative Network is a consortium of colleges and universities that provides support, mentoring and seed funding to student entrepreneurs. Students develop a “commitment to action” to explain how they might solve a social problem in areas such as education, the environment and public health.

Some students are chosen to attend the CGIU’s annual meeting. By joining the initiative, MSU pledges to financially support students invited to the meeting, which next takes place April 1-3 at the University of California-Berkeley.

Raeuf Roushangar, an MSU doctoral student in biochemistry, attended the CGIU at Washington University in St. Louis in April 2013. As part of his commitment to action, Roushangar formed a nonprofit organization that to date has donated more than $1 million worth of medical supplies to the developing world.

Two MSU students have applied for next year’s CGIU: a neuroscience freshman from Ghana, who is creating a mentoring program similar to Big Brothers Big Sisters, and a computer science sophomore from Ethiopia, who is working on a software application to make college more accessible to students in Ethiopia.

With the Minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, which starts in the spring semester of 2016, MSU establishes a way for students to develop entrepreneurial skills, whether they aspire to start a business or become more competitive candidates for traditional employers.

Required for the minor are 15 credit hours consisting of two core courses and an assortment of electives that allow students to tailor the curriculum toward their interests.

“A university is an ideal setting for students to experience the entrepreneurial journey because there is no financial or professional risk in trying,” Kane said. “Once students leave campus, the cost, which is measured many ways, goes up a lot.”

Reply To Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette Thanksgiving Letter On Penn State Scandal by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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All Hail The Whistleblowers: Kaylee Lorincz Calls Out MSU John Engler

Kaylee Lorincz revealed more than just the fact that Engler cares about nothing but the bottom line as Engler is more concerned about saving his own bottom. (puns intended).

Even Brian Calley put it out there to just pay off whistleblowers to make them go away in order to continue the raping of Michigan's children.

This is the culture of privatization, which all started, right here in Michigan.

Child welfare is the a multi-billion industry of trafficking tiny humans, because no one cares about the children, not even John Engler.

Michigan children have been Legally Kidnapped, raped, tortured, drugged as lab rats, and sold, under the leadership of John Engler.

Jennifer Granholm continued to carry the mantle of indifference.

Rick Snyder is clueless, just look at how he allowed the implementation of the plan to poison and profit from the children of Flint.

Engler used to sit on the board of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private foundation for foster care and adoption that is worth over $2 billion and has financial interest in:

• Bain Capital
• Bank of New York Melon
• Center for American Progress
• Goldman Sachs
• Amazon 
• UnitedHealth Group
• Blackstone
• Adage Capital Partners

Just to name a few financial entities that are deep into child welfare fraud and money laundering using federal dollars, of which I am going out there to say Medicaid and TARP, to traffic tiny humans on the stock markets.

This money was stolen from the children.

Engler is scared, and rightfully so, because I am on a mission.

Michigan State University investigation is deeper than just the Nassar investigation, much deeper.

We will get to Haiti, just be patient.

Until then, All Hail The Whistleblower Kaylee Lorincz because she let MSU, Brian Calley and John Engler know that she will not be bought and sold into silence.

Nassar survivor says MSU interim president offered her $250K to settle

LANSING, Mich. (WJBK) - What started as a simple introduction led to an offer to settle one of the many cases against Michigan State University for the misconduct of Larry Nassar, according to a victim of the disgraced doctor.

During the MSU Board of Trustees meeting Friday morning, Kaylee Lorincz revealed MSU interim President John Engler offered her $250,000 to settle her case against the university several weeks ago.

Lorincz said after sharing bits and pieces of her assault back in December, she has heard apologies on two separate occasions but has yet to see any action.

She said she is continually shocked by MSU interim President John Engler's "callous and disrespectful words" and said when she and her mom stopped in to MSU a few weeks ago to sign up to speak at Friday's meeting, she asked to introduce herself to Engler.

"My hope was that maybe if he actually met a survivor, he might become more empathetic to what we're experiencing," she said. "He has said some hurtful things and I wanted him to know that when he does that, he causes me to feel victimized all over again."

Nassar sentenced to 40-175 years in prison

While they waited, Lorincz said they were met by the Vice President University spokesperson, who spoke with them for about half an hour until they were brought into the meeting with Engler. Carol Viventi, Vice President and Special Counsel to the President, was also in the meeting she said.

"What he did not tell us is that Ms. Viventi is his lawyer."

During the meeting, Lorincz said she told them she was interested in helping the university heal, while Engler told her about the changes MSU has made and plans for progress. Lorincz said he told her that working together couldn't occur until the civil suits were settled.

That's when she said Engler asked her this question: "Right now, if I wrote you a check for $250,000, would you take it?"

Lorincz said that when she explained it wasn't about the money, he told her to give her a number. She says he told her he met with Rachel Denhollander, and that she gave him a number.

Father who lunged at Nassar in court: 'I lost control'

Denhollander was the first survivor to file a criminal complaint against Larry Nassar back in 2016. 

"I felt like I was getting bullied into saying something."

So she followed up with Rachel, she says, who told her she had never met with Engler -- and never gave a dollar amount.

Lorincz said that Engler attacked her attorneys, who were not present for this meeting.

"Then President Engler started saying it was sad that hundreds of good osteopathic doctors at MSU are being judged by one - one bad doctor. My mom interrupted and said what about former Dean Strampel? Wasn't he just arrested?" she said.

She said Engler rolled his eyes, and said it was "only a slap on the butt."

That's when Lorincz was cut off and told her time was up, as the crowd chanted, "Let her speak."

She persisted and kept speaking, saying MSU tried to make them feel like they (the victims) were the problem and that the school was the victim.

"When you protect and promote a sexual predator and foster a culture of lies and coverups, you are responsible," she said.

She continued to read her speech among several interruptions from the board: "Finish your four sentences, you are done."

So she finished with her last statement:

"You created this, not me. I can no longer care about helping MSU, and you guys, certainly, do not.

You are the ones who care about the money and I just want my life back."

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