House Education Committee Chair Lisa Posthumus Lyons, daughter of Governor Snyder advisor, Dick Posthumus, and thus voice of the Governor's education "reform" plan in the state legislature, may be having some regrets about arguing so forcefully for an extended stay away from Lansing business for deer hunting season. Here is a fun update on that saga and a link to Lynn Mason, the Chair's next campaign opponent.http://www.democracy-tree.com/lyons-flunks-test-turns-school-yard-bully/
When Lyons returns she will discover the piecemeal gutting plans of voucher guru Richard McClellan are going a bit awry this week. First, The Detroit News and Chad Livengood and Paul Egan of The Detroit Free Press both did stories on the crony efforts of the Nixon brothers to funnel limited state education money to private sources.
State Superintendent Mike "Dissolve and Consolidate" Flanagan jumped in to save the day, however, bestowing "honor" on both Nixons while assuring school Districts that the money the state is spending will provide necessary "information" to cash starve Districts....but no money.http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20131122/POLITICS02/311220093/State-rejects-5M-contract-firm-run-...
Then, to make matters worse today, the linchpin of the Governor's education reform plan, the EAA, had to report that their parents and "customers" aren't exactly thrilled. 25% have left "Dr." Covington and his 350k a year salary. Here is The Detroit News voice of reform, Jennifer Chambers, wrestling with the situation: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20131122/SCHOOLS/311220039/Michigan-s-EAA-sees-24-drop-students?o...
In the immortal words of Scooby Doo, ruh ro.
This might send Dr. Covington hustling back to Kansas Cityhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14ijT4RVERY where he created similar chaos before Governor Snyder decided to make him the centerpiece of "disruptive innovation" here in Michigan. There is still the possibility that the Governor could give him the consolation prize of running Pontiac Schools as an EM.
This wasn't how it was supposed to work at all. The EAA was supposed to take up all these "failing" districts (like Pontiac) while better off Districts got slowly starved. Without the EAA....
The state Board of Education will need, though, to tap State Superintendent Mike "dissolve and consolidate" Flanagan on the shoulder and say it might not be a good time to be pointing more schools the EAA's way. The very well reimbursed Dr. Covington can't seem to handle the 12 schools he has.
Mike? Mike? Are you there? Mike? Public education in the state could do with a leader right now. Anything but youtube though, ok? And what would you think about bestowing some honor on teachers, school boards, and district administrators living in the throes of this nuttiness.
The Michigan Senate Education committee looks quite wise right now to have sat on codifying the EAA as "statewide." Can reasonable or reformed Republicans -- several from Oakland County -- save themselves (and the state) from the excesses of Obama/Duncan style education reform?
Like Arne Duncan, the state reform team will need to work to get back on message next week. Here, for example, is Glenn Gilbert of The Oakland Press with an editorial calling for "educational options" (which usually for him means a Mackinac Center/voucher/choice/close public schools like Pontiac piecehttp://www.theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20130816/gilbert-dissolution-probably-best-option-for-po...), but instead discusses a more moderate report forthcoming on the need to fund early childhood education and all education in the state.http://www.theoaklandpress.com/opinion/20131120/gilbert-better-education-options-will-make-state-mor...
Arne Duncan tried to get things back on track this week by returning to his core message: public schools are hopelessly failing and we need a big, strong man like me to fix them.
Craig Ruff, the fix it man Snyder put in charge of education after the skunk works debacle, seems uncertain whether to admit EAA failure or, oddly, call the fact that students are leaving EAA a vindication of "choice" and competition.
My head is spinning from the spins.
Right now, the 2014 Republican education strategy seems to be "stay in suspended animation and may be no one will notice because irreparable damage had not been done yet" (Inkster and Sag. Buena Vista aside).
But such a tactic takes reserve and control and political caution.
Re-enter the Chair: It remains to be seen what tact Lisa Lyons will take when she returns to work after Thanksgiving.
In the mean time, thank a teacher for a hanging in there during this period of craziness.
