March 11, 2015

Dear Grosse Ile Board of Education,

Thank you for involving the community in the Superintendent interview process. I
was very impressed with the protocol you used to include and involve your
stakeholders. You invited your audience to not only observe, but to participate in the
debriefing process which shows your commitment to hearing multiple perspectives.
I am a parent of two entertaining kindergarten boys and a nurturing and generous
third grade daughter. I have sky high expectations for their education- that it will be
the highest quality possible and that they will be prepared for an unknown future. I
am an educator with extreme passion for high quality education.
After hearing and reflecting on the interviews this week, I am disappointed only one
candidate is moving forward in the process. I have reviewed my notes from the
selected candidates interview and I wish for much greater depth in her responses. I
am alarmed by the impression I have from her interview that she has not developed
the instructional leadership or academic leadership that our students deserve. As
you know, our district has committed to Professional Learning Communities a
highly effective school improvement approach. However, it is not yet at a sustained
level. The Common Core State Standards together with the Common Core English
Language Arts and Mathematical Shifts have raised the bar for student depth of
knowledge. We are facing our first Common Core state assessment this April
through June. One year from now, there are plans for a different (TBD) assessment
than what we will have this spring. I need to express to you that I desire a strong
educational leader that is prepared for these impending academic challenges as our
next Superintendent. I did not hear evidence of that from the selected candidate.
I want the very best education for this community and my children. That is why I am
driven to share some state academic data that I hope you will consider in this
weighty decision you are facing. The sources of my data include the Annual
Education Report prepared by East Detroit Public School District and
www.mischooldata.org the State of Michigan Educational Data Website.
It is true that the budget deficit in East Detroit Schools was over $7 Million in 20112012 and it is expected that they will be out of deficit this school year. The
candidate stated she had been the Superintendent for 5 years since 2010. The
district had a steady positive fund balance until the 2011-12 school year. EDPS went
into the red two years after she took the position and she has been working to get
them out since. I will acknowledge that the state reduced the foundation allowances
to schools in 2011-2012, however prepared districts compensated for that with
appropriate reductions to prevent a deficit. Why didnt this candidate prevent the
deficit? I am pleased she moved the district out of deficit. Yet, I realize she was at
the helm two years prior to the deficit happening this is a concern that I hope you
will consider.

The financial graph below will show the financial data of EDPS since 2008 as
prepared by the Michigan Department of Education on mischooldata.org

Was it poor planning that created a $7M deficit in just one year? How did that
happen? She was the Superintendent please ask that question. I know Wyandotte
prepared and made more cuts prior to that expected loss in revenue. I suspect GI
did too. While it is appropriate to give commendations to the leader that took
drastic measures to pull the district out of deficit spending, I ask you to dig deeper
because that same leader took on a stable budget and within two years it fell into a
$7M deficit.
I care about money, but I care more about the education of our children. I looked at
the academic data of EDPS and I have even more serious concerns. The following
information also comes from www.mischooldata.org and I hope you consider it
conscientiously - as it is my greatest concern.
As of the most recent academic accountability data (2013-2014), 4 out of 6 EDPS
are priority schools. That means they are in the lowest 5% of all schools across the
state. Even more alarming is that they have been on a significant academic decline
for the past 3 years. The chart below shows the top to bottom scores since 20112012. I prepared the chart based on the information on the Top to Bottom ranking
on www.mischooldata.org
Top to Bottom Percentile Rankings (0-100th percentile) 2012-2014
East Detroit High
School
Belleview Elementary
Kelly Middle School

2011-2012
5 (Priority School)

2012-2013
1 (Priority School)

17

3 (Priority School)

2013-2014
0 (Priority
School)
1 (Priority
School)
1 (Priority
School)

Pleasantview
Elementary
Crescentwood K-2
Elem
Forest Park K-2 Elem

No accountability
data
No accountability
data
*Priority School Status identifies bottom 5%

3 (Priority School)
No accountability
data
No accountability
data
of schools in state

1 (Priority
School)
17
11

The decline in academic achievement shown on this chart is beyond devastating

and it is alarming. Pease consider the implications here. While the budget was being
rectified in EDPS, it was absolutely at the expense of the education of their children.

Additional Academic Concerns

The EDSD scorecard went from Yellow in 12/13 to Orange on 13/14.

Less than 5% of students were proficient on the MME both school years and
only 9.3% of students scored proficient on Math and Reading MEAP tests the
past 2 years.
ACT scores have gradually declined.
The dropout rate went from 10.4% in 12/13 to 12.4% in 13/14 ( Thats 2% in 1
year)

I appeal to you, the Board of Education of Grosse Ile Schools, please find a
Superintendent that can balance the budget in partnership with Shawn Stirling AND
continue to pursue academic excellence. Our children deserve both it does not
have to be one or the other.
Respectfully Submitted,
Vicki Wilson
21748 Knudsen
(Also supported by David Wilson 21748 Knudsen)