I have addressed Governor's Snyder's ACT data before in letters to this paper, but those letters have not been printed. Please, his statement that only 16% of Michigan's graduates are college ready is misleading. First of all, this 16% he continues to throw around is a figure generated by a test that takes place in one day. It is a test taken in March of a student's eleventh grade year. It is a test taken by EVERY JUNIOR in Michigan. It is a very difficult test, and if Governor Snyder did not have an agenda to dismantle public education, he would tell the public that Michigan students' scores have been improving, but that would not serve him well. What makes a student college ready and how is that readiness determined? It certainly isn't a student's ACT score. That score may be a benchmark, but it isn't the be all and end all of what makes a kid ready to succeed in college. I have known students who scored below 20 on the ACT to become very successful, and students who have scored above 30 to drop out of college after a year. What determines college readiness is not a score on a one day test, and Governor Snyder is doing every student and parent in Michigan a disservice by continuing to use this 16% nonsense as a reason to "reform" public education. I think it is important to point out that ACT is a nonprofit organization that makes millions. There is a reason that the ACT became part of the MME, and it has to do with making money. Testing is a big business, it doesn't ensure that Michigan's students receive a quality education, but it does ensure that the testing industry continues to grow and prosper.
Now to switch gears as I continue to clarify misperceptions. Mr. Stephen Henderson, please stop being so impressed with Governor Snyder. In your Thursday's column you talk about him like he is a motivational speaker! You quote our governor as saying, "It's about people helping people." Really? Who are the people he is helping? He is not helping the poor, he is not helping Michigan's students, he is not helping the elderly, but hey he is helping his business friends. You do say you want more than his happy dance, way more. You say, "If it is going to inspire massive job creation, the state's industry titans need to start showing that soon. If it doesn't, much of the pain inflicted by the governor's budget - cuts to schools, social programs and assistance for poor people - may not have been worth it." When is destroying the programs that take care of the most vulnerable and wanting in a society ever a means to an end, and worth it? You say you are with Snyder on 80% of what he is doing, you love his positivity, and his refusal to let anything derail his agenda. So you are with him on the harm he is doing to every segment of society but the wealthy? Then shame on you. And why shouldn't he be positive? He's a millionaire whose business tax cuts directly benefit him. As for his agenda, what the hell ever happened to democracy? He said one thing while campaigning, "Cut taxes, and they will come." I didn't vote for him because I knew that what he was saying was untrue. He has taxed me more, and guess what? No jobs have come.
Finally, to address the misconception that teachers are upset because they will have to "share the sacrifice." One letter in Sunday's paper welcomes me to the middle class as someone who will now pay 20% towards my health care. I would be fine with sharing the sacrifice in this way, but must I also have my pay cut by the government, then again by my district, on top of the 3% cut I already took to pay into retirement benefits for those retiring ahead of me? And let's not forget that when I retire, my pension, already reduced because it is based on what I earn in the last three years before retirement, and that will be reduced considerably, will now be taxed. My job protection is not going to be there, so I can't complain about any of this. Now here's the best part, as a teacher, I am soley responsible for whether or not my students are successful and meet the standards set by the state, and if they don't, I will be evaluated as ineffective and put on the road to dismissal. Share the sacrifice? How about hanging me out to dry?
Rosemary
