On January 20, 2017, Natasha Baker, the Michigan School Reform Officer (SRO) announced the possible closure of 38 schools due to low performance.  Two Saginaw schools, Jessie Loomis MST Academy and Saginaw High School were included on this list.  As parents of children attending these schools and members of the community, we are asking that our schools remain open.

Closing schools does not improve academic outcomes.  Instead, forced school relocations cause unnecessary hardship and leave a devastating void in the community.  We are not willing to subject our children to long commutes and we will not send them into environments where they are not welcomed.  Most of the school districts that the SRO identified as higher-performing alternatives are located in communities that are culturally different from our own.  As parents called these districts to ask about enrollment, they were turned away.  The districts were not even aware of the SRO’s plan to send our children to their schools.

We are committed to improvement and high student achievement.  However, constant threats of closure and lack of true support work against our efforts.  The School Reform Officer should get to know the students of Loomis and Saginaw High.  She has labeled them and made plans to close their schools without ever visiting.  Our children are more than the test scores used to predict their failure. Many other factors contribute to and demonstrate success.  We have plenty students and alumni to prove this.  We are confident that as we work together with our committed partners, improvement will continue. 

 Please support our efforts to keep Loomis and Saginaw High open!