Why I'm Running

Report after report indicates that Michigan’s public education system is both inadequately and inequitably invested in. The passage of Proposal A by Michigan voters in 1994 provided huge improvement to solving these problems, as have recent changes to the

per-student funding formula with the inclusion of an Opportunity Index. But even with these changes, our funding structure is still woefully insufficient and out of date. I believe we need to modernize school funding by:

• ​Creating a per-student formula that funds each student by what they need to be successful, recognizing that students have different needs,

• Modernize special education funding by ensuring that it is not solely dependent upon local property taxes,

• Fund transportation costs separately so that we can ensure all students can get to school safety,

• Create a special fund for school building improvements, because we know that out-of-date buildings are a hinderance to student learning, and

• Build robust support systems for educators, creating career lattices to help them advance, compensate them competitively, and treat them as professionals.

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High performing education systems in countries that we compete with economically invest like I described above. Many have built a culture around investing in universal early childhood education and childcare of only the highest quality, and then ensuring it is aligned with preparing their children for kindergarten and beyond. They build a vision for what they want their young people to be able to learn by the time they complete high school, and they structure their system and tax dollars in ways that are specifically targeted to helping all students achieve this vision. They know that learning doesn’t start and stop with the school day, so they provide universal enrichment before and after-school and over the summer. They make these decisions based on research, and fund each student by what they need, because they know that no two students are the same. They have built a culture that elevates education professions, treats staff as professionals, and compensates them competitively. 

 

Frankly, we know how to do all of these things too. And we can do all of them. Why shouldn’t we?