State lists worst schools; no Detroit closures until 2019

The law orders the closure of any traditional or independent charter school in Detroit that is among the lowest-achieving 5 percent of schools statewide for the preceding three years.

"Because Detroit is a new school district, schools that were failing under the former district can't be closed by the School Reform Office," said Snyder spokeswoman Anna Heaton.

A school group that recently sounded alarms about potential state-ordered school closures said underperforming schools know they need to improve.

"In some cases, collaborating with the state is appropriate, as long as local districts are allowed to maintain control of their schools while working to get back on track," said Chris Wigent, executive director of the Michigan Association of School Administrators.

Snyder has sought to downplay talk of imminent school closures while not ruling them out in the future, telling The Associated Press last week that hopefully local and state officials can work collaboratively to improve low-ranking schools.