Education
Brendan’s Plan for Michigan’s Students and Educators
The single best investment we can make to ensure Michigan’s long-term success is to ensure that our children receive the best possible education – knowledge that provides them both the technical know-how and invaluable critical thinking skills needed to compete in the economies of today and tomorrow. We have a lot to be proud of in the 45th district: because of our local commitment, Rochester Community Schools are consistently ranked among the state’s best, and U.S. News & World Report lists Rochester Adams as the fifth best high school in Michigan for 2019.
But we must do more. For years, policies in Lansing have chipped away at public confidence in our schools. Michigan has fallen severely behind other states, diverting resources away from our children and failing to support our educators.
So here’s Brendan’s plan:
Sustaining our Students
Expand access to full-day preschool for four-year-old children, provisional preschool for some three-year-olds, and high-quality early childcare. Research shows definitively that access to educator-driven, early childhood programs are highly cost-effective and carry long-term benefits to both the students and their communities.
Increase base funding for K-12 students. Current research shows that, in school districts like Rochester and Avondale, the lowest adequate per-pupil base funding to meet the state’s education standards is $9,590. For 2019-20, Rochester area schools budgeted for a base per-pupil funding of $8,409.
Recommit to student services. Michiganders come in all shapes, sizes, and levels of ability, and social workers, nurses, mental health professionals, and IEPs are just some of the critical resources many students rely on. We should be doing everything we can to accommodate and support all students from pre-kindergarten through university, so that any student that needs an extra helping hand has access to it.
Encourage academic excellence by expanding access to dual enrollment programs for high schoolers at colleges and universities. Our students must be ready for whichever path is right for them after graduating high school – be that higher education, a trades program, or entering the workforce. This provides growth opportunities for students and strengthens our economy with an educated, well-prepared workforce.
Empower the next generation of holistic leaders. The economy of tomorrow will emphasize proficiency in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM), and our state’s curriculum must reflect that. However, Michigan must also commit to seeing the whole child. Our students not only need a well-rounded academic foundation, but also the social and emotional skills needed to effectively navigate the world around them.
Ensure a safe learning environment for our students by prioritizing mental health in our schools; supporting immigrant, non-native-anglophone, minority, and LGBTQ+ students; and building comprehensive gun violence prevention measures throughout our state.
Empowering our Educators
Commit to paying teachers a dignified wage. With effective wage stagnation, teachers in Michigan are actually earning 12.1 percent less now than they did back in 2003 when adjusting for inflation. Further, Michigan public school teachers earn an estimated 19.5 percent less than workers with similar education and experience in other industries. Teachers must be compensated fairly for their hard work.
Recalibrate teacher evaluations. Michigan’s educators should be evaluated in a way that helps them grow their craft and advance their teaching, acknowledging geographic, socioeconomic, and racially systemic inequities. Evaluations should prioritize long-term educational impact, classroom climate, and student-teacher relationships rather than ability to teach-to-the-test.
Establish incentives in the educator pipeline. Michigan’s full-time, salaried teacher population is unevenly distributed and shrinking every year, leaving more students in the hands of long-term substitutes and many classes overcrowded. By establishing a Michigan State Loan Repayment Program for teachers, like our state already has for many healthcare professionals, we can attract more qualified individuals to this profession.
Eliminate the expectation that teachers stock their own classrooms. The average Michigan teacher spends $628 of their own money on basic classroom supplies, the second-highest figure anywhere in the nation. The burden that supplying basic classroom supplies puts on our teachers (and often students’ parents) is frankly inexcusable; the state must step up.
Support strong unions for educators and staff, with the guaranteed ability to collectively bargain and work in solidarity. Our teachers are responsible for educating entire generations of our citizens, and our school districts must be willing to meet them at the negotiating table.
Sound good to you? Join our campaign or make a donation to show your support!
Want to influence this or future policies? Brendan is establishing several Advisory Boards to help guide his policies during the campaign and also when he is elected in Lansing. Sign up to join!