P.D. Lesko

by P.D. Lesko Between 2003 and 2010, while total enrollment in Ann Arbor’s middle and high schools fell, average class sizes increased significantly, and so have actual class sizes, resulting in classrooms stuffed with 10, 12 and sometimes…

by P.D. Lesko Fourth Ward Council member Margie Teall has talked a good game for a long time. The incredibly incurious (Ann Arbor News/AnnArbor.com), overly obsequious (Ann Arbor Observer) or just plain naive (Michigan Daily) local media…

At Monday's City Council meeting John Hieftje evidently wanted to make sure he understood exactly how deep in his own personal pile of horse manure he was standing. So, Hieftje pointedly asked the new Fire Chief, Chuck Hubbard (below), a…

By P.D. Lesko Last year at this time my two sons, ages 10 and 13, were advanced in reading, mathematics and science, according to their work on the MEAP tests. This year, one son is advanced in social studies and that both are Level 2…

by P.D. Lesko Sometimes, endorsements can help a candidate get elected. Sometimes they can't. Sometimes, a political endorsement can actually cause voters to be less likely to vote for a candidate. That's exactly what's happening in…

by P.D. Lesko The (mostly) boys over at Daily Kos are sticking their wooden spoons into the political pot that is Michigan once again and trying to stir up trouble for a Republican. First, it was Governor Rick Snyder. Although many people…

by P.D. Lesko Judging from the number of bills Michigan GOP members pushed through the state Senate today, one could be led to believe that voter fraud in Michigan is a problem of epidemic proportions. However, nothing could be further…

by P.D. Lesko In Ann Arbor, it's the achievement gap that gets the starring role in the ongoing drama enacted on a regular basis by both members of the Board of Education, as well as the District's paid professionals. This is a drama that…

by P.D. Lesko MoveOn.org sent out a mass email this afternoon to thousands of members of the group's Ann Arbor email list. The first sentence of the email reads: "If you were mayor of Ann Arbor, what would be the first thing you'd do? Make…

by P.D. Lesko Fifth Ward Council member Mike Anglin sent out an email on January 15, 2012 in which he urged Ann Arbor residents to vocally oppose John Hieftje's proposal that Ann Arbor enter into a regional transportation agreement under…