Editorial: Keep backroom dealings out of the classroom
Gov. Rick Snyder says education in Michigan — and in the nation — is broken, and badly in need of reform.
We couldn’t agree more.
So, let’s talk about it.
But let’s do so without a “skunk works group” that’s meeting independently and clandestinely to develop a sweeping school reform program. That’s disrespectful of the voters who sent Snyder to Lansing. And it’s disrespectful of the parents, teachers and students who depend on our public education system.
The secret group — which includes the state’s chief information officer; four employees of the Department of Technology, Management and Budget, and representatives from software companies and charter schools — has developed a technology-driven “value school” model that cuts the cost of public education by about $2,000 per pupil and would be funded by voucher-like state debit cards.
Lansing attorney Richard McLellan, a staunch voucher advocate, is also part of the group.
So, a group of charter-school employees, technology company