State Roundup

Muskegon
Quarter of new Muskegon Heights teachers quit
MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP) — A quarter of the newly hired teachers in the struggling Muskegon Heights school district have quit since a private for-profit company picked by the state-appointed emergency financial manager took over its operations.
The school board in the western Michigan district asked for an emergency manager a year ago in the face of a chronic deficit and declining enrollment. At the time, the district had 1,400 students, down a third in five years. It also had a deficit of about $9.4 million.
The state emergency financial manager laid off all the previous employees, and Mosaica Education Inc. hired 80 teachers for the fall semester. Since then, 20 of the teachers have quit.
Muskegon Heights High School senior Tony Harris told Michigan Radio that the turnover has been disruptive.
“It’s confusing because I go from this learning process to this learning process to that learning process and it’s just ridiculous how some teachers leave and we have to start all over and learn something new,” Harris said. “It’s just, it’s crazy.”
He said he’s had two math teachers quit and a number of substitutes in between them.
Mosaica regional vice president Alena Zachery-Ross said some teachers quit because no discipline policy was in place, while others left for jobs with better pay and benefits at traditional public schools. She said the high school principal quit before classes started.
“We’ve had a turnover of staff that we did not anticipate,” said Zachery-Ross.
Zachary-Ross said she can understand the decision of the teachers who left out of “their concern for their own family. I just want the stability for our own students.”
“We’ve hired the best (teachers) we could find but some people were just not expecting how tough it’s going to be,” said Mosaica Education co-founder and President Gene Eidelman. “We ... tried to give as much information as we can, but also we didn’t know what we we’re going to be facing.”
Eidelman said the turnover rate “really has come down. The teachers are much more comfortable.”
New York-based Mosaica Education operates 90 elementary, middle and high school programs in 12 U.S. states, Britain, India and the United Arab Emirates, according to its website.

Grand Rapids
President Ford’s personal items to be auctioned
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Personal items of President Gerald Ford and former first lady Betty Ford, including golf clubs, clothing and furniture, will be sold at auction to support a $15 million update and expansion at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids.
The Ford family donated more than 50 items for the auction, including an American flag that flew over the White House, MLive.com reported. Other items include golf clubs and bag with two American flags, the presidential seal and “Jerry Ford” emblazoned on it.
There’s also a gown worn by Betty Ford in 1979 among the auction items. And the selection includes Gerald Ford’s personal briefcase and a custom-made coffee table designed as a replica of the Cabinet Room conference table, presented to him when he left office.
“President Ford’s golf clubs have to be considered the star attraction,” said Tom Slater, director of Heritage Auctions. “This is not some presentation set which was locked away in a closet and never actually used. These are his much-loved personal clubs.”
The estimated total value of the items is more than $100,000. A live auction organized by Heritage Auctions in Dallas is planned for Dec. 11.
An online auction already is taking place.
The Gerald R. Ford Foundation in November announced plans for funding a 10,500-square-foot student learning center at the museum and creating new interactive exhibits. Online access to the museum’s documents also is planned along with documents at the Ford presidential library in Ann Arbor.
“It’s all built with private funds. There’s no government funding,” said the late president’s son Steve Ford, chairman of the Ford Foundation. “We’re the private arm that raises money.”
So far, at least $10 million already has been secured from trustees and supporters for the $15 million effort.
President Gerald Ford died in 2006 and former first lady Betty Ford died in 2011. They lived in Rancho Mirage, Calif., for decades. Their hometown was Grand Rapids.