If you missed Superintendent Shawn Lewis-Lakin's State of the Schools address on Thursday at Royal Oak Middle School, you can view the contents of his PowerPoint presentation online in the PDF file attached to this article.

In his address, the superintendent discussed the district's MEAP scores, Michigan Merit Examination (MME) scores, high school AP test scores, and initiatives to improve student learning and collaborate with the City of Royal Oak and Oakland Schools.

How are we doing?

When viewed through student learning data, Royal Oak Schools are doing well, according to the superintendent, who said:

• The class of 2012 is highly competitive in admissions to selective post-secondary opportunities.
• Royal Oak Schools are using student learning data to drive improvement initiatives so that students do better.
• Royal Oak Schools are innovating and collaborating in new ways to address needs of diverse students.

What about the other numbers?

Lewis-Lakin presented multiple graphs to show how the district is doing financially. Budgets, audits, contracts – even monthly check registers – are posted on-line at www.royaloakschools.com.

The bottom line for the district, according to the superintendent, is:

• It is critically important for the district to work with employees on achieving labor agreements that recognize new revenue realities.
• Royal Oak Schools must work collaboratively to control wages and health care costs.
• Royal Oak Schools must work together to influence the legislative process and establishment of budget priorities in Lansing.

The superintendent's presentation is attached as a PDF. It was also taped and will be available on WOAK in the near future for viewing.