Snyder Moves School Reform Office

Governor Rick Snyder has issued an executive order moving the state’s School Reform Office — designed to improve struggling schools — from the Michigan Department of Education and Democrat-controlled State Board of Education, into his department of Technology, Management and Budget.

Democrats were quick to criticize the move.

The governor says he made the decision to “ensure that all schools are meeting high standards.” He adds that the DTMB “has proven itself with its work in housing the Center for Educational Performance and Information.”

The School Reform Office oversees the State School Reform/Redesign District, to help turn around struggling schools.

State Senate Democrat David Knezek criticized the move, saying it buries the issue underneath red tape, and besides, “there is no education expertise in the Department of Technology, Management and Budget.”