Some of the candidates for Michigan governor discussed their education policy goals during a Michigan Education Association forum in Detroit on Friday.
The group included two Democrats, one Republican, and one Independent. Everyone across the political spectrum generally agreed that teachers need more help in the form of school counselors and other support staff.
Other issues, like how to fund education and what to do with money for Michigan learning, saw a bit more division.
Both Democratic candidates on stage argued schools deserved more funding in general. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said the state should stop relying on a per-student funding model.
“Different needs meet different communities. And, as I’ve talked to educators around the state, the number one thing that keeps coming up is just that, that an X amount of money for a student in Muskegon is not going to be the same as X amount of money or the same amount of money for a student in Iron River. The needs are different. The cost model needs to be different,” Benson told reporters after the event.
The state’s current K-12 schools budget gives school districts $10,050 per student as a base level funding. It makes thousands of dollars in extra funding and grants available for serving students considered “at-risk,” or for things like school safety and mental health resources.
Benson defended lawmakers’ decision to put some money in the state’s School Aid Fund toward partnerships with community colleges and other dual-enrollment programs for K-12 students.
Genessee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, who’s running against Benson in the Democratic primary, argued that money needs to stay with schools rather than higher learning. He advocated for the passage of a two-year education budget to avoid the annual fights than led districts to start the current school year without knowing how much money they would receive.
Swanson’s pitch called for spending money on taking care of teachers themselves, so they could, in turn, give their all to Michigan’s kids.
“For people who have specialties, then pay them for that specialty. For people that are retired and want to come back, what about bringing them in as a relief out for the teacher, all of those are on the table,” Swanson said. “Everything rises and falls on education. Everything. Public safety, healthcare, homelessness, addiction, mental health, if you don’t have the baseline protected, then we’re going to wonder why we keep treating symptoms. Solve the problem and give them the best pathway to success through education,” Swanson told reporters.
Swanson said he believed improving Michigan’s economy would raise more money for schools. That’s because the School Aid Fund receives money from a two percent sales tax.
The sales-tax education funding came into being with the passage of Proposal A in 1994.
Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, running as an Independent, argued lawmakers have been using that revenue for various purposes over the years. Rather than find new ways to give schools money, he suggested undoing some of the past changes.
Regarding fixing Michigan’s falling testing and reading scores, Duggan said consistency is key. He accused state lawmakers of being too inconsistent when it comes to learning.
“Schools were graded in this state, A, B, C, D, F, then two years later, they canceled it and they rated you red, green, yellow. Then two years later, they canceled that and did top-to-bottom, remember ‘embarrass the bottom schools?’ Then, they went back and restored A, B, C, D, F, then two years later, they rescinded A, B, C, D, F,” Duggan said from the stage. “They change your curriculum, they change your textbook. But it is not the state board of ed, this the legislature divided.”
Former Attorney General Mike Cox, the lone Republican Friday, said he wasn’t convinced schools needed more funding. He routinely referenced what he called the “Mississippi miracle,” where Mississippi repaired its reading scores over the past decade.
“If money solved everything, we’d be number one in the country, but it doesn’t. I’m all for, I’m not going to reduce one dollar that goes to the School Aid Fund. But we want accountability. Parents, grandparents, and taxpayers should get accountability,” he said.
Cox also disagreed with his fellow candidates on the topics of providing free school meals to all children. He said he would not offer no-cost lunches to children from well-off families.
