The Hidden Heroes of Education: Why Cutting a Lifeline for Struggling Students is a Grave Mistake
There’s a quiet revolution happening in schools across Michigan’s northeast, and it’s not about flashy tech or curriculum overhauls. It’s about people like Lisa Werth, who spends her days picking lice out of hair, handing out granola bars, and attending doctor’s appointments with students. What makes this particularly fascinating is that Werth isn’t a teacher, counselor, or even a school employee. She’s part of the School Success Partnership program, a lifeline for vulnerable students that’s now on the chopping block.
The Unseen Work That Changes Lives
From my perspective, the School Success program is one of those rare initiatives that addresses the root causes of educational failure—not just the symptoms. It’s not about test scores or attendance numbers, though those improve too. It’s about building trust, meeting basic needs, and creating a safety net for families. Personally, I think this is where education often falls short: we focus on academics while ignoring the chaos that prevents kids from even showing up.
Take Onaway Elementary School, for example. Chronic absenteeism dropped from 20.6% to 12.8% after a liaison was placed there. What many people don’t realize is that this isn’t just about getting kids to school—it’s about addressing the reasons they’re absent in the first place. Hunger, family crises, lack of transportation—these are the invisible barriers that no amount of classroom instruction can overcome.
The Irony of Defunding Success
Here’s where things get baffling: Michigan, a state struggling with some of the worst literacy rates in the nation, is considering cutting funding for a program that’s proven to work. In my opinion, this is a classic case of short-sighted policy-making. The state claims the program is redundant, pointing to the Family Impact Team as a replacement. But if you take a step back and think about it, these programs serve different needs.
The Family Impact Team focuses on connecting families to social services like Medicaid. While that’s important, it doesn’t replace the boots-on-the-ground work of School Success liaisons. These liaisons are in the schools, in the hallways, at soccer games—they’re part of the community. One thing that immediately stands out is how deeply embedded they are in the lives of these students. Cutting this program feels like removing a vital organ and expecting the body to function the same.
The Broader Implications: What This Really Suggests
This raises a deeper question: What does it say about our priorities when we’re willing to cut programs that directly impact vulnerable students? Michigan’s education system is in crisis, with only 25% of fourth graders deemed proficient in reading. If you ask me, defunding School Success isn’t just a budget decision—it’s a moral one.
What this really suggests is that we’re more comfortable treating symptoms than curing diseases. We throw money at standardized tests and curriculum reforms but hesitate to invest in the human infrastructure that makes education possible. A detail that I find especially interesting is how the program’s success is tied to its ability to build relationships. In a world where students often feel like numbers, these liaisons are reminders that education is fundamentally about people.
The Human Cost of Budget Cuts
Let’s not forget the human stories here. Taylor Schuch, a parent in Alpena, credits the program with turning her daughter’s academic trajectory around. Bella Verdusco, a 17-year-old in Tawas City, says she would have dropped out if not for her liaison. These aren’t just statistics—they’re lives changed.
What many people don’t realize is that cutting this program isn’t just about numbers on a spreadsheet. It’s about breaking trust, dismantling support systems, and leaving families to fend for themselves. If we’re serious about improving education, we need to stop treating programs like School Success as expendable.
A Call to Rethink Our Priorities
As someone who’s spent years analyzing education policy, I can tell you this: the School Success program is exactly the kind of initiative we should be expanding, not cutting. It’s cost-effective, community-driven, and it works. The fact that it’s facing funding cuts is a symptom of a larger problem—our inability to see education as a holistic endeavor.
In my opinion, this isn’t just Michigan’s problem; it’s a reflection of how we approach education nationwide. We’re quick to blame teachers, students, or curricula, but we rarely ask whether we’re providing the foundational support kids need to succeed. If there’s one takeaway here, it’s this: education isn’t just about what happens in the classroom. It’s about everything that happens outside of it.
And if we’re not willing to invest in that, we’re failing our students—and ourselves.
