{"id":2332968,"date":"2024-08-28T20:14:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-29T00:14:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michigan-republicans-slam-whitmer-after-damning-report-on-states-reading-scores-immeasurable-harm-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-28T20:19:42","modified_gmt":"2024-08-29T00:19:42","slug":"michigan-republicans-slam-whitmer-after-damning-report-on-states-reading-scores-immeasurable-harm-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michigan-republicans-slam-whitmer-after-damning-report-on-states-reading-scores-immeasurable-harm-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Michigan Republicans slam Whitmer after damning report on state\u2019s reading scores: \u2018Immeasurable harm\u2019 &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmichigan-republicans-slam-whitmer-after-damning-report-on-states-reading-scores-immeasurable-harm-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2332968&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Michigan Republicans have \u200dcriticized Governor \u200cGretchen Whitmer\u200c following a \u200breport revealing \u2063a significant\u2063 decline in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/teachers-unions-nightmare-study-shows-charter-schools-more-cost-effective-than-district-schools\/\" title=\"Teachers\u2019 Unions Nightmare: Study Shows Charter Schools More Cost-Effective Than District Schools\">reading scores<\/a> among the state&#8217;s third graders, with proficiency falling below 40% for the\u2064 first time, a drop from\u2062 50% in 2015. This \u2063decline has been\u2063 attributed \u200bto the state&#8217;s strict COVID-19 lockdowns, which required many schools\u2064 to operate online for an \u2062extended period. Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt labeled the situation as &#8220;absolutely UNACCEPTABLE,&#8221; blaming\u200c the governor and her party\u2064 for what he described\u200d as &#8220;immeasurable harm&#8221; to students&#8217; \u2062education.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans, including state senator Jaime Greene, pointed to the \u200dlong school closures \u200cas the\u2064 primary cause of the reading\u2062 proficiency crisis,\u200c echoing concerns raised \u200bby a \u200dpanel of education professionals regarding the pandemic&#8217;s \u2062negative impact on student learning. \u2063Greene, emphasizing her newfound stance as\u200c an advocate for public schooling, expressed skepticism about Whitmer&#8217;s recent\u2064 initiative to\u2062 create a new \u2063educational \u2062department, \u200bMiLEAP, suggesting it could divert necessary resources \u200caway from the \u200cestablished Department of \u200bEducation.<\/p>\n<p>Whitmer&#8217;s \u200cadministration has defended its educational \u2064policies\u2062 and recently enacted \u2063an executive order\u2062 to establish MiLEAP, claiming it would complement existing structures. However, board \u2064members have voiced \u2064concerns over potential funding shifts from \u200dthe Michigan Department of \u200bEducation \u200cto this\u200c new initiative. \u200bThe political tensions reflect broader issues regarding educational priorities and funding in the \u200bstate, with \u2064Republicans\u200c highlighting a failure to \u200cincrease \u200cper-student funding for the first\u200b time in over\u2064 a decade in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-leaders-to-meet-with-trump-on-agenda\/\" title=\"GOP Leaders to Meet With Trump on Agenda\">recent budget proposal<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Michigan Republicans slam Whitmer after damning report on state&rsquo;s reading scores: &lsquo;Immeasurable harm&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1277050\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Republicans expressed anger with Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gretchen-whitmer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Gretchen Whitmer<\/a> (D-MI) after the Michigan Department of Education released data showing a historic decline in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/education\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reading<\/a> scores across the state.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The number of third graders able to read at proficiency dipped below 40% for the first time in Michigan after scores plummeted during the state&rsquo;s strict COVID-19 lockdowns. In 2015, 50% of third graders read at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iran-continues-nuclear-program-aims-to-enrich-uranium-to-20\/\" title=\"Iran continues nuclear program, aims to enrich uranium to 20%\">grade level<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Reading proficiency took a hit among the state&rsquo;s elementary schoolers when schools across the state were, for the most part, required to operate through online learning from March 2020 until December 2020. In January 2021, Whitmer began to encourage (although not require) schools to resume in-person activity by March of that year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Whitmer is widely regarded as a rising Democratic star. Once rumored as a front-running contender to be Vice President Kamala Harris&rsquo;s running mate, the governor gave a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-red-states-have-reacted-in-the-month-since-scotus-overturned-roe-v-wade\/\" title=\"How Red States Have Reacted in the Month Since SCOTUS Overturned Roe v. Wade\">high-profile speech<\/a> last week at the Democratic National Convention. While acclaimed within her party, Republicans in her home state immediately laid the blame for the grim educational news at the Democratic governor&rsquo;s feet.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt said, &ldquo;6 in 10 Michigan students being unable to read at their grade level is absolutely UNACCEPTABLE and an indictment of Democrats&rsquo; education policies during and since the pandemic.&rdquo; He added that Whitmer &ldquo;and Lansing Democrats have done immeasurable harm to an entire generation of our kids.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Jaime Greene, a state Republican senator and mother of two, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> the news &ldquo;really reflects how long Michigan was closed during the COVID lockdowns.&rdquo; Over a year ago, a panel of education professionals told the House Committee on Education and the Workforce that COVID-19 lockdowns led to &ldquo;the largest negative shock to student learning in the U.S.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Greene is a Navy veteran who homeschooled her children before retiring from teaching them last year. &ldquo;I never thought in a million years that I would be the public school champion, but that is what I believe I have to do now because our literacy rates are low,&rdquo; she reflected.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Whitmer speaks during the Democratic National Convention Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo\/Brynn Anderson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Greene added that she&rsquo;s&nbsp;&ldquo;100%&rdquo; sure Whitmer&rsquo;s move to create another educational program is &ldquo;detracting from funding that the department actually needs&rdquo; to help children perform better in schools.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In July 2023, Whitmer signed an executive order that<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/whitmer\/news\/press-releases\/2023\/07\/12\/whitmer-establishes-michigan-department-of-lifelong-education-advancement-and-potential\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title> created<\/a> the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, an initiative tasked with improving learning outcomes from preschool through postsecondary levels.&nbsp; At the time, Whitmer assured the state her new program was meant to complement existing educational infrastructure and wouldn&rsquo;t draw away resources from the State Board of Education, which oversees the Michigan Department of Education.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Members of the State Board of Education continued to worry, however, that their department had been given the cold shoulder.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The funding that we&rsquo;re concerned about primarily is this $414 million that the governor&rsquo;s proposing come out of Michigan Department of Education and go to this MiLeap that she&rsquo;s created,&rdquo; Tom McMillin, a member of the State Board of Education, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/detroit\/news\/michigan-state-board-of-education-members-voice-concerns-over-mileap\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>told<\/a> CBS in February. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve challenged the constitutionality of what she&rsquo;s doing in many respects because the Constitution is clear that the Michigan Department of Education and the state Board of Education is overall education in Michigan as far as programming.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Greene said Whitmer &ldquo;split the Department of Education&rdquo; and created &ldquo;her own parallel department because she does not believe that the current department is doing their job.&rdquo; Whitmer&rsquo;s fiscal 2025 budget proposal aimed to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wjr.com\/2024\/02\/20\/michigan-board-of-education-concerned-over-whitmers-mileap-funding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title> transfer<\/a> 75%, or $414 million of the<strong> <\/strong>Department of Education&lsquo;s funds to MiLEAP.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>However, Greene is unsure why Whitmer doesn&rsquo;t seem to believe her Department of Education is performing up to par, chalking up the debacle to a &ldquo;standoff between the state superintendent and the governor.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They weren&rsquo;t doing what she wanted to do, or what she thought was a priority,&rdquo; Greene commented, adding she is unsure what Whitmer&rsquo;s priorities are.<\/p>\n<p>Whitmer signed Michigan&rsquo;s latest education budget into law last month.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Michigan Republicans in the state Senate claimed it failed &ldquo;to increase per-student funding for the first time in over a decade,&rdquo; in a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MISenate\/status\/1828802718892458084\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>post<\/a> on Wednesday to X.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&#128680;BREAKING &#128680; Michigan 3rd grade reading scores are the lowest in the history of the test. <\/p>\n<p>Yet <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GovWhitmer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@GovWhitmer<\/a> and Democrats decided now was a good time to pass a budget that fails to increase per-student funding for the first time in over a decade?! &#129318;&zwj;&#9792;&#65039; <\/p>\n<p>They&#8217;re failing our kids. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Tk7Fgaqako\">https:\/\/t.co\/Tk7Fgaqako<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; MI Senate Republicans (@MISenate) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MISenate\/status\/1828802718892458084?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 28, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Michigan 3rd grade reading scores are the lowest in the history of the test. Yet @GovWhitmer and Democrats decided now was a good time to pass a budget that fails to increase per-student funding for the first time in over a decade?! They&rsquo;re failing our kids,&rdquo; the state&rsquo;s Senate GOP said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reached out to Whitmer&rsquo;s office for comment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1277050\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1277050\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michigan Republicans criticize Whitmer following alarming report on state reading scores: \u2018Unquantifiable damage\u2019 <\/p>\n<p>Republicans voiced their frustration with Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) after the Michigan Department of Education published data indicating a significant drop in reading scores statewide. For the first time, less than 40% of third graders were found to be reading at grade level, a decline attributed to the severe COVID-19 lockdowns in Michigan. In 2015, 50% of third graders met proficiency standards. The shift occurred when schools largely transitioned to online learning from March 2020 until December 2020 due to pandemic restrictions. In January 2021, Whitmer began encouraging schools to return to in-person classes by March.<\/p>\n<p>Whitmer is seen as a prominent figure within the Democratic Party and was once speculated as a potential running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris. She recently delivered an important speech at the Democratic National Convention, earning praise from her party members; however, Republicans in Michigan quickly pointed fingers at her for the concerning educational statistics.<\/p>\n<p>Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt stated that \u201c6 out of 10 Michigan students being unable to read at their grade level is completely UNACCEPTABLE and reflects poorly on Democrats\u2019 education policies during and after the pandemic.\u201d He further claimed that Whitmer \u201cand Lansing Democrats have caused unquantifiable harm to an entire generation of children.\u201d Jaime Greene, a Republican state senator and mother of two, remarked that these results highlight how long Michigan&#8217;s schools remained closed during lockdowns. A panel of education experts had previously informed lawmakers that COVID-19 restrictions resulted in \u201cthe largest negative impact on student learning in U.S. history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greene expressed surprise at becoming an advocate for public schooling due to low literacy rates among students and criticized Whitmer\u2019s new educational initiative as potentially diverting necessary funding away from existing programs aimed at improving student performance.<\/p>\n<p>In July 2023, Whitmer established the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential with goals focused on enhancing educational outcomes across all levels. While she assured residents that this new program would not detract resources from existing educational frameworks overseen by the State Board of Education\u2014concerns persisted among board members about potential funding cuts.<\/p>\n<p>Tom McMillin from the State Board highlighted worries regarding $414 million proposed for transfer from traditional education funds into this new initiative led by Whitmer. Greene accused Whitmer of undermining confidence in current educational leadership by creating what she termed a &#8220;parallel department.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>Whitmer&#8217;s budget proposal for fiscal year 2025 included plans to allocate three-quarters or $414 million away from traditional education funding towards MiLEAP initiatives\u2014a move Greene questioned given ongoing tensions between state officials regarding priorities within education policy.<\/p>\n<p>Recently signed into law was another budget plan which Senate Republicans criticized for failing to increase per-student funding\u2014the first such occurrence in over ten years\u2014prompting them again to assert that these decisions are detrimental to children\u2019s futures amid record-low reading scores among third graders.<\/p>\n<p>The Washington Examiner sought comments from Governor Whitmer\u2019s office regarding these issues<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2332969,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Whit.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[35136,4601,39610,3756,12025],"class_list":["post-2332968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-education-policy","tag-michigan","tag-reading-scores","tag-republicans","tag-whitmer"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Whit.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2332968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2332968"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2332968\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2332969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2332968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2332968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2332968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}