|
 Tom
Watkins Responds to the Governor
Tom Watkins, January 20, 2005
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January 20, 2005
The Honorable Jennifer M. Granholm
Governor, State of Michigan
Romney Building
111 South Capitol Building
Lansing, MI 48933
Dear Governor Granholm:
I have read and listened with
interest to the comments you and your media spokesperson have
made regarding your dissatisfaction with my job performance as
Michigan’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction. I am
surprised and perplexed that you would say these things as
neither you nor any of your staff have shared these concerns
with me personally, and given the fact that we have met on
nearly a weekly basis to discuss education issues.
I want to take this opportunity to
clear up any misinformation that you and your spokesperson may
have regarding my efforts as State Superintendent and the
specific issues for which your office has inappropriately
criticized me.
Not Having a Plan for Improving
the Lowest Performing Schools
The Department of Education's
priority is increasing academic achievement, especially in high
priority schools that are not meeting adequate yearly progress
under the federal No Child Left Behind law. Our Office
of School Improvement (OSI), manages over $900 million of
federal and (minimal) state revenues that support school and
school district programs including Title I.
This office is responsible for the
development of educational standards and benchmarks, nationally
recognized grade level content expectations (that you praised in
the last State of the State address), model curriculum and
implementation strategies that promote instructional excellence
and increase student achievement. The Office of School
Improvement provides critical assistance, guidance, and direct
support to high priority schools including:
-
Establishing Regional Support
Teams with ISDs to assist High Priority Schools;
-
Sponsoring Instructional
Excellence Seminars for High Priority Schools;
-
Co-developing Coaches’ Institute
that has trained over 90 coaches to assist High Priority
Schools;
-
Supporting district staff in
building the skills and capacity to implement school
improvement plans;
-
Developing the MI-Map Tool Kit
containing over 300 practical strategies and materials to
shape, support and sustain school improvement;
-
Creating a statewide "School
Improvement Framework" that aligns NCLB, research, state and
federal programs, PA 25, and performance indicators, and,
-
Developing a NCLB Technical
Assistance Packet. OSI also administers and supports programs
such as Reading First, Migrant, English Language Learners,
Alternative Education, Homeless, Advanced and Accelerated,
Blue Ribbon Schools, Boarding Schools, Comprehensive School
Reform initiatives, and Public School Academies.
As you are aware, this dedicated
staff under the leadership of Dr. Jeremy Hughes has been
nationally recognized for its work in assisting high priority
schools.
Our Office of School Improvement
only receives $63,000 in state General Fund support for the High
Priority schools that your office says are being neglected.
$63,000 equates to three (3) cents per public school student in
Michigan. Considering the minimal state funding support we
receive, our Department is providing remarkable assistance and
leadership to Michigan’s High Priority Schools. This work is
done in partnership with the Intermediate and Local School
Districts throughout the State. Your comments devalue the work
of many who work tirelessly to help children learn.
Technology for “struggling”
middle schools
You and state Legislators diverted
the Department of Education’s $17 million in federal educational
technology dollars and put it into the Freedom to Learn “School
Laptop” program for middle school students. I shared with you
at that time my concerns that this may not be the best use of
these federal dollars because it limited the federally-intended
flexibility at the local district level to meet their individual
needs and established technology plans. After the political
decision was made as part of the budget negotiations, my staff
and I worked diligently to support and implement it. As I told
you and your staff, this was not a sound academic decision. It
was a politically expedient one. Now, your office is charging
me with “not using available technology to help struggling
middle schools” when we had no funds available to do anything
other than the Freedom to Learn program.
On the positive side, our
Department worked in partnership with key educational
organizations to secure some $7 million in private funding for
school technology (Gates Foundation, Leading the Future;
Microsoft’s Partners in Learning)
No growth in school and student
improvement
MEAP scores are up at the
elementary, middle school, and high school levels.
Michigan is closing the achievement
gap between African-American students and their white
counterparts in the elementary and middle school levels. Yet,
we all agree that much work remains to be done.
The number of schools that made AYP
this year that did not make it last year, was an impressive 146
elementary and middle schools (including 79 High Priority
schools). The number of elementary and middle schools earning
either an A or B on the EducationYES! Report Card this
jumped from 1,109 in 2003 to 1,878 in 2004. This is the result
of hard work by many at the State and local levels – a
remarkable feat in light of flat or declining budgets that have
marked your tenure as Governor.
These all can be documented, as you
well know, because we personally have discussed these positive
movements in student achievement and you publicly have heralded
many of them.
Failing to Develop a Strong
Strategic Plan for the Department
We were in the midst of finalizing
an updated version of the Department’s strategic plan when our
limited resources were pulled off that project to focus on the
your new departmental Office of Organizational Development
initiative; Visions and Values implementation; Governor’s
Cabinet Action Plan; and Budgeting for Outcomes demands. It is
puzzling that if I supposedly lack effective leadership and
managerial skills, why you asked me to chair the internal,
multi-departmental Budgeting for Outcomes education work group
and then commended the work our team produced.
Despite those new and
time-consuming initiatives along with appointments to the Cherry
and Mental Health Commissions, our team was able to re-organize
the Department to more responsibly reflect the needs of
Michigan’s schools and our role in assisting them in bringing
about school improvement; higher achievement by their students;
greater quality and accountability; and greater preparation for
post-secondary success by students. In the re-organization, I
also emphasized and achieved administrative efficiencies in the
Department starting in the Superintendent’s office by
eliminating two Assistant Superintendent positions and others
throughout the organization.
Doing More With Less
As your office has claimed that the
Michigan Department of Education is “one of the most critical
departments” of state government, funding support certainly has
not been reflected in your budget priorities.
The Department’s state General Fund
support has been reduced by 65 percent since 2001, to where we
receive only $5 million in GF now. In 2001, state General Fund
dollars supported 34 percent of the Department’s resources; in
2005, it supports only 8.9 percent.
Other Concerns
-
A member of your staff approached
me about “resigning or moving on” because the “the Governor
wants her own person”…and… “She wants a new direction.”
Neither you nor your staff has provided oral or written
dissatisfaction with any direction I have taken with the
Department, nor have you provided any feedback to me, or the
State Board President; of the allegations you have made to
reporters or through your media spokesperson.
-
I have built successful
coalitions with schools, business, labor, and private
organizations to improve education in Michigan.
-
I have been told that you have
asked special interest groups to discredit me and convince my
supporters on the State Board to fire me, as a “personal
favor.” These State Board members are highly respectable
people who are following their conscience, integrity,
autonomy, and Constitutional oath of office.
Your appointee Reginald Turner
stated “Tom has done an excellent job in his tenure. I am
particularly pleased with the sharpened focus he has brought to
the needs of High Priority Schools. He has us moving in the
right direction.” This is in direct conflict with your recent
public statements.
John Austin noted that “through
Watkins’ leadership, Michigan schools have continued to make
headway during times that have been financially difficult.”
In a free society, people are
allowed by change their minds. However, they should do so with
facts, honesty, and integrity. The charges you and your staff
have made both publicly and privately about me impugn my
integrity and reputation. I am compelled to respond to you in
order to preserve the values that I hold most dearly. When
charges such as those you and your office have made, I am
discredited and the hard work being done by the fine employees
of the Michigan Department of Education and educators throughout
the State is minimized and denigrated. I won’t let that go
unchallenged.
My focus as well as that of the
Department of Education has been and will remain on teaching,
learning, and children.
Sincerely,
Tom Watkins
Cc: State Board of Education
Michigan Legislative
Leadership
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