A roundup of recent Michigan newspaper editorials
Kalamazoo Gazette. Jan. 16.
Collaboration shown in Michigan I-94 pileup rescue efforts should be lauded
Details are still emerging and will continue to do so for some time as investigators piece together the events of Friday, Jan. 9, when one driver was killed in a fiery, 193-vehicle pileup that has drawn national attention.
The wreck, which happened on a stretch of I-94 near Galesburg known to be especially dangerous, has renewed discussion in the community about why so many accidents occur there and what should be done to alleviate the problem.
But as we shift gears from the immediacy of the horrific scene into the investigation phase and politics of road funding, one thing that should not be forgotten is the dedication of those who responded in the first chaotic hours.
One Michigan State Police report listed 21 police, fire, EMS and other agencies that joined together in the rescue efforts, from as far away as Marshall.
From those police and fire officials to the wrecking crews, dispatchers, hospital workers and even a nearby school that was called into action, the response was nothing short of astounding, and no doubt prevented an already tragic disaster from becoming worse.
Whiteout conditions and icy roads set the backdrop for the crash, which began with a pileup in the eastbound lanes. A second multi-vehicle crash occurred shortly after in the westbound lanes.
When first responders arrived, snowfall was still thick. Throw in a truck loaded with fireworks, a tanker full of formic acid and vehicles on fire in frigid temperatures, and the situation was dire.
"If anyone tells you they've encountered a larger-scale incident than this on I-94, they're lying," MSP Lt. Dale Hinz told agency representatives in a debriefing Wednesday.
Even after the initial rescue work was completed, it was 43 hours from the time of the crash before I-94 could be fully reopened. Crews worked around the clock to clear the wreckage and contain hazardous material to restore safe travel conditions.
As bad as it was, it's reassuring to know that in a large-scale disaster, our local public service agencies are capable of such collaboration.
Hinz said that while there are lessons to be learned, overall efforts amounted to "truly a success story ... a model of how agencies can successfully work together during a large-scale event."
We wholeheartedly agree.
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Detroit Free Press. Jan. 20.
Will Michigan sink or swim in river of opportunity?
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder sees life as a vast river of opportunity, carrying Michiganders toward whatever fate awaits.
It's oddly abstract for our accountant governor, a self-described nerd. But, his aides said, the river of opportunity is the signature piece of his fifth State of the State address, delivered Tuesday night in Lansing, describing a broad policy vision for his second term in office.
Most Michiganders float securely in the main stream, the governor said, largely unaware of government's social programs. Until unforeseen tragedy strikes, casting otherwise happy voyagers to the outer currents. The goal for government, Snyder said, should be to return Michiganders to the main stream, and that means addressing an individual's challenges holistically, rather than with programmatic bandages.
As a metaphor, it's a bit strained. But as an approach to the social safety network, it's not bad - if it's sincere. If the governor's goal is truly to enable sustainable improvement for Michiganders who've fallen on hard times, we'll applaud wholeheartedly. But if the "river of opportunity" and subsequent service consolidation - already begun, with an executive order that will combine the state departments of community health and human services - is a way to cut costs, to create the illusion of progress by removing Michiganders from life - and health-sustaining benefits, Snyder's river of opportunity will prove rather shallow.
The rest of the State of the State address was standard fare: Snyder supports a sales-tax increase to fund needed road repairs that will go to voters in May. Local government must be more transparent. Earlier intervention for struggling school districts is required. Cities must be more accountable.
Absent was any reference to the way in which cities and school districts are funded. The mechanisms by which we pay for each have taken serious hits during the last decade, and each is struggling to recoup lost revenue. We've urged the governor and the Legislature to make reform of this system a serious issue in Lansing. Thus far, neither has. Without true reform, more metrics and greater accountability won't do much.
Snyder recently appointed the fourth emergency manager in five years to lead Detroit Public Schools, and a more comprehensive plan to manage the struggling school district's ongoing academic and financial problems is expected this spring. It's crucial that any plan to improve DPS' fortunes include charter schools located in the city, and the Educational Achievement Authority, the state reform district.
This, Snyder gets.
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The Holland Sentinel. Jan. 22.
3rd grade reading moves to the top of education agenda
For the next two years, education policy in Michigan is going to flow through Holland.
In an unusual geographic concentration of power on a critical mission of state government, the top two positions on the state House Education Committee are now held by Holland-area representatives. The committee will be chaired by Rep. Amanda Price, R-Park Township, now in her third and final term in the House. Her majority vice chair is her South Side counterpart, Rep. Daniela Garcia, R-Holland, whose resume includes serving as education policy aide to former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra. We hope their roles lead to more Holland-style results-oriented initiatives on the state level and more effective input from Holland-area education and business leaders on state policy.
The education committee will have a lot to address, including school ratings, new standardized tests, teacher training and evaluation, and career counseling and education, the last topic one that Gov. Rick Snyder discussed at length in his State of the State address Tuesday, Jan. 20. But one issue that may draw the most attention - and rightly so - is third-grade reading proficiency, a subject Price and Snyder have made a priority.
Third-grade reading proficiency is a proxy of sorts for academic progress in elementary school and a harbinger of educational achievement through high school and beyond. Third grade is the transition point at which students are supposed to move from learning to read to reading to learn. Students who aren't good readers by third grade may struggle in subjects across the board. A failure to read proficiently by the end of third grade correlates strongly with low achievement throughout elementary and secondary school; one recent study found students who don't read well by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school. As Gov. Snyder said Tuesday, the fact that only 70 percent of Michigan third-graders are reading proficient is unacceptable.
In 2013, Price introduced a bill that would have required third-graders who failed to pass a standardized reading test to be held back in school. Unfortunately, the proposed legislation was mishandled and misinterpreted. Price introduced her proposal, a very simple no-exceptions piece of legislation, before a companion bill that identified exceptions and enumerated required school intervention and remediation. Taken by itself, Price's bill appeared to set a draconian policy that would doom 30,000 Michigan children to another year in third grade, regardless of English language skills or learning disabilities. Predictably, the narrative of the hard-line approach took hold, the proposal was widely criticized by the education community and the legislation never gained traction.
Holding back students a grade is a practice that we would rarely recommend. However, third-grade reading proficiency is such an important achievement that we'd consider retention in such cases, if proper exceptions were in place and schools were required (with sufficient state support) to engage in intensive intervention efforts well before the end of third grade. Florida is one state that has seen positive results since adopting a third-grade reading retention law while putting more resources into early elementary reading. Price has indicated an interest in reintroducing her legislation, but before she does so we'd like to see the state address third-grade reading the way Gov. Snyder proposed Tuesday.
In his State of the State, Snyder called for establishment of a non-governmental commission to study the best ways to promote third-grade reading proficiency, and we'd like to find out what such a panel comes up with before proceeding with any legislation. Snyder wants an examination of the entire "P-3" (prenatal to third grade) continuum, recognizing that many key interventions to support reading may occur outside the classroom or before children have even entered school.
We're in full agreement that third-grade reading proficiency is absolutely essential for a good education. Rep. Price and Gov. Snyder are right to make it a state priority, and we hope this legislative session sees real policy accomplishments that further the goal of making sure every child is a reader by third grade.
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The Mining Journal (Marquette). Jan. 21.
FOIA reform measure adds much transparency
Holding Michigan government more accountable just got a bit easier.
Gov. Rick Snyder recently signed into law HB 4001, which creates the most significant reform in Michigan's Freedom of Information Act since it was originally crafted in 1976 in the wake of the Watergate scandal.
Basically, the state's FOIA allows the public to access certain public records. It also is an essential tool of a free press.
The Michigan Press Association, not surprisingly, was pleased about the FOIA reform bill. MPA Public Policy Committee chairman Dirk Milliman said it addresses the two biggest concerns expressed by its members over FOIA in the state: costs and delays.
The bill, according to the MPA, will provide a more consistent cost structure and require more accountability from government by requiring itemization of costs when billing to fill a request.
Should entities not respond in a timely manner, they will have to lower fees they are charging by 10 percent each day the request isn't filled up to 50 percent.
Snyder said HB 4001 eliminates potential hurdles faced by some looking for records.
The North Wind, an independent student publication at Northern Michigan University, recently faced some of those hurdles. The newspaper had made a FOIA request, after which NMU invited North Wind staff to visually inspect 9,000 pages of computer serial numbers and data.
The inspection, NMU said, could have prevented an administrative employee from spending numerous hours copying and scanning pages. The North Wind declined the invitation.
After requesting emails sent by university administrators and general counsel, NMU sent The North Wind a bill for $613, which it later pared to $300.
NMU eventually waived the NMU charge, with President Fritz Erickson asking the requested materials be provided to The North Wind as soon as possible and within the required time.
The university, in a prepared statement, said it's important it demonstrates a commitment to an "open and transparent administration" and to establish "positive, working relationships."
The FOIA reform law that was recently passed could help avoid further scenarios as it sets fee limits, establishes an appeals process for fees and creates procedures for responding to and declining requests.
FOIA was created to make the government and public entities more accountable, and HB 4001 takes it a step further. The new law, therefore, is something to be applauded, both by the press and the public it serves.