Snyder gives himself an 'A' despite attacks on education

Governor Snyder used much of his State of the State address to pat himself and fellow Republicans on the back for their efforts to reinvent Michigan last year. But his call to “finish what we started” lacked specifics—especially when it came to education.

Noting that a state college readiness rate of 17 percent is unacceptable, Snyder called on the Legislature to authorize an Educational Achievement Authority (EAA) to turn around the state’s poorest performing schools by this September.

But that’s only part of what these schools need. Many of them are struggling because they don’t have basic resources to improve student achievement. Benton Harbor Schools is a good example, and thanks to the efforts of MEA leaders, members and staff last month to collect needed school supplies, they now have more of the basic tools they need.

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