The Snow Ball Effect: Public Education Connected in More Ways than Snow Day decision making

3 Snow days in a row!

In Michigan!

That's new, at least to me, and I grew up here and I am pushing 50.

BHSD, Birmingham, and Troy parents watching the snow day decision making process on social media were passionately split: many wanted the day off for safety (understandable) and as many wanted the day on for sanity (understandable).

Pity the Superintendents.

But before screaming in frustration or delight please take a moment and rehearse the day's events, as the snow ball effect of school closings gives you a pretty good sense of how the public education system functions as -- just that -- a "system."

There are no lone actors.

 Fowlerville closes. Then Okemos. Then Macomb -- en masse. Some of those superintendents have been at this a while. Then -- the last men standing -- Oakland. Royal to Pontiac to Birmingham and, finally, Bloomfield.

BHSD, the last of the last men standing.

We still live easily with the illusion that our schools are our schools -- independent actors. That is not true. Mr. Glass, even if he wanted to, could not with any degree of sense keep BHSD open if Birmingham, Pontiac, and Troy all closed.

The system in inter-connected and inter dependent, both in its Snow Day decision making -- and, post Prop A,  its funding.

So enjoy or suffer through the day off.

But take a moment to consider these linkages, perhaps by tuning in to Lansing where the House and Senate will take up the EAA codification bill that fundamentally restructures public education in the state.

They should be back in session.

If you call your Rep, say Mike McCready, he will tell you the EAA is not about Bloomfield or Birmingham but about Detroit and other low functioning schools.

Then ask yourself: why aren't my kids in school today? How did that snow ball effect play it self out? How does what happens in one District determine what happens in mine?