Republican and Democrat legislators join fight to keep Saginaw schools open
- Feb 17, 2017
- 3 min read
SAGINAW, MI -- Putting political differences aside, two elected officials in Saginaw are working together to help keep three schools from being closed by the state.
Sen. Ken Horn, R-Frankenmuth and Vanessa Guerra, D-Bridgeport Township, drafted a letter to Gov. Rick Snyder on Feb. 16, expressing their concern about Saginaw High School, Loomis Academy and Bridgeport-Spaulding Community Schools Martin G. Atkins Elementary School at risk of being closed by the School Reform Office for under-performing on standardized tests.
"When we have something that's important in the district, we put all of that partisan stuff to the side and work for what's important for the community," Horn said.
The schools, along with 35 others throughout the state, were placed on the list after their performance was in the bottom 5 percent of schools statewide for 2014, 2015 and 2016, according to a report from the School Reform Office.
Both Horn and Guerra agree that the schools were unfairly targeted after districts were promised that 2015 test scores would not be held against them when the state moved from the MEAP test to the M-STEP. School districts thought they had an extra year to raise student scores.
However, that same year, the School Reform Office was moved from under the Michigan Department of Education into the Department of Technology, Management and Budget - an agency under Gov. Rick Snyder's control.
The move also voided the agreement that test results from 2015 would not count against schools.
"If they were given four years to implement changes, but then the SRO was split from the MDE and we end up losing that timetable," Horn said, "I think that's unfair."
Horn and Guerra said they were pleased with what they saw when they visited the schools.
Community members have rallied around the schools and have spoken out for Saginaw High especially.
In August, Natasha Baker, the state's school reform officer, told MLive/The Saginaw News that Saginaw High School had been on a list of chronically failing schools for 10 years.
"Even if it's been on this list for 10 years," Horn said. "The improvement plan has not been in place that long, but now they have something to work around."
Saginaw High had also twice been at risk of closure by the school board when the district was in a financial crisis.
"If it's a financial thing," Guerra said, "That's something up to the school board. But if they are making progress, that doesn't make sense."
Each time, the community rallied behind the East Side's only high school, but not without drawing criticism from others.
"A lot of the people who talk about Saginaw High have never been there," Guerra said. "They've never visited."
In the joint letter, Guerra and Horn pointed out:
With the 2013 dissolution of the Buena Vista Township School District, 400 students were integrated into Saginaw and Bridgeport schools, schools that already dealt with a poverty-based, transient student population.
These schools were initially given a 4-year timetable for program implementation by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) that was cut short when the SRO was transferred to a different department.
Changes in standardized testing programs (MEAP to M-STEP) typically cause dips in testing outcomes, yet we've seen positive increases locally.
With the consistent use of positive behavioral intervention tools, these schools are providing a fresh, positive learning environment for their students.
Preparation for third grade reading intervention that was recently passed into law will only augment the Enhanced Literacy Programs already in place.
"We want to use our voice to represent our constituents and reflect that to the governor," Guerra said. "We are asking for time to carry it through, as the school district was told it would be able to."
Both Horn and Guerra, on a conference call with MLive/The Saginaw News on Friday, Feb. 17, had a message for the district.
"To the teachers," Horn said, "Keep up the good work. To the parents, we are not going to let your schools close. We are going to fight."
"We care about the kids in our schools," Guerra said. "We want to focus on what's within our jobs so we can do whatever we can within the legislative level."
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