DETROIT (WWJ) -- In his bid to become Michigan’s next governor, former Detroit police chief James Craig is giving his own report card to one of the city’s top educators.
While outlining his education plan on Monday, the Republican gubernatorial candidate criticized Detroit Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti for what he says are unacceptable reading levels among third graders in the district.
“If Detroit Public Schools, K-3, only one in ten -- a little less than 8% -- are at a third grade reading level…he’s not being held accountable, and he’s failing,” Craig said of Vitti. “That’s a failing grade, that’s a big, fat F.”
In response to a tweet posted by WWJ’s Charlie Langton, DPS fired back at Craig’s comments, defending the superintendent and saying the former chief should “refrain from shooting from the hip on topics he is unfamiliar with.”
“If literacy rates in the district or city is reduced to this type of rhetoric then the entire state of educators and families should be concerned about his candidacy,” the district wrote on Twitter.
DPS also noted that pre-pandemic test scores showed improvement in literacy among its students that outpaced the entire state of Michigan.
“We have demonstrated improvement in nearly every key indicator before the pandemic, including enrollment, student achievement, staffing, and financial management,” they wrote
Craig is making stops across the state today as part of his “LEARN” program, which aims to ensure every child in Michigan is proficient in reading by the third grade.
Part of Craig’s suggestions to improve Michigan’s public schools include giving a letter grade to districts to track progress, and to cut funding to schools that are under-performing.
“Parents should have the right to know where a school sits in terms of outcomes, and if it means giving a letter grade because it’s easy to understand, A-F, then that’s what we should be doing, that’s what we should be focusing on,” Craig said.
Dr. Vitti has not directly responded, but he did take to his own Twitter account to "like" the tweets from the school district, as well as others that opposed Craig's comments.
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