Superintendent reacts to governor’s State of the State address

Last week, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder outlined his vision for the state’s K-12 students and beyond during his annual State of the State address in front the combined chambers of the legislature in Lansing.

Focusing his speech around the concept of moving all residents into the “river of opportunity,” the recently reelected Snyder spent much of his remarks last Tuesday discussing the changes the state should make to the way its districts educate students. Among the priorities he laid out during his speech last Tuesday were continuing to build on early education programs and continuing  to help increase collaboration between K-12 districts, community colleges and vocational schools.

Back home, the leadership of Dowagiac Union Schools expressed support of the governor’s ideas.

“I think every school district in the state views his vision, because it’s so general,” said Superintendent Paul Hartsig. “Those are things that every school administration wants for its students.”

The district has been hard at work carrying out these tasks for years, though, even before the current administration in Lansing made them a priority. In regards to early childhood programs, Hartsig pointed to the district’s Reading Recovery program, in which professionals have been working with struggling elementary students for several years now in order to bring their reading skills up to the level of their peers.

One of the concerns the superintendent has that could stem from the governor’s vision is the possibility of legislation mandating a required reading level for students by the time they reach third grade, which could punish districts with similar individualized programs such as Dowagiac’s.

“Every child is an individual, they have their own needs and struggles,” Hartsig said. “Identifying their needs and working on them is definitely the best approach.”

The district has also developed strong partnerships with Southwestern Michigan College and the Van Buren Technology Center, which assist the school in providing pathways for students to continue their education once they graduate high school.

“We want to produce high quality students who are capable of making decisions on what they want to do next, whether that’s go to college, enter into a vocational program or even enlist in the military,” Hartsig said. “Whatever their choice is, we want them to have the best tools available.”