If you’ve been following the news lately, you know that 38 poor-performing schools in Michigan might be closed by something called the SRO – School Reform Office. This is all very new and confusing, and parents are understandably confused, so let’s try to sort it all out.
What is the School Reform Office?
The SRO is officially called the “State School Reform/Redesign Office,” and it’s been in existence since 2010. Even though it’s had the authority to close schools in the past, it’s never taken that action before. The SRO was formerly part of the Michigan Department of Education, but in 2015, Gov. Rick Snyder moved it to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget.
It’s noteworthy that the Department of Education isn’t under the governor’s control, but the Department of Technology, Management and Budget is. The governor explained at the time that he was frustrated the SRO hadn’t taken action on failing schools in the past, so he felt the change to a new department was warranted.
The SRO’s mission is to help failing schools improve – whether they’re traditional public or charter public. And if improvement efforts don’t work, the SRO has the authority to shut down those schools.
What is the “closure list”?
In mid-January, the SRO released a list of 38 persistently poor-performing schools that are subject to closure at the end of this school year.
There were only two charter schools on the list: Muskegon Heights Public School Academy and Michigan Technical Academy Elementary in Detroit. The majority of schools on the list are in the Detroit Public Schools Community District.
How did a school make the closure list?
Any school that was in the bottom 5 percent on the state’s top-to-bottom list for three straight years made the list. The top-to-bottom list ranks every school in the state based on its academic performance, using a very detailed and specific formula. It’s not a surprise to any of the schools that made this list – they had very clear expectations and failed to meet them. The schools on this list have been failing their students for years.
If a school is on the closure list, is it automatically going to close?
No. The 38 schools are now “at risk of closure,” but the SRO still has to make a decision on which of the schools will actually close.
One of the main reasons that a school on the list might not close is if the SRO determines there aren’t enough other high-quality options for students in the adjacent area.
This is how the SRO explained it in its Jan. 20 press release:
“Over the next 30 to 45 days the SRO will examine the geographic, academic, and enrollment capacity of other public school options for children attending one of the 38 failing schools. It is possible that closing a school is not feasible due to unreasonable hardship for the children attending that school because no better options are available.”
When will we know for sure which schools are closing?
We can expect an announcement from the SRO in March. As you’d expect, the closure announcement was extremely controversial, and a number of school groups and affected parties are vigorously fighting it.
How do I know if my child’s school is in danger of making the school-closure list in the future?
Just look at your school’s top-to-bottom ranking over the past two years. If it’s been in the bottom 5 percent over the past two years, it’s at risk next year.
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