LANSING – Last week, members of the Growing Michigan Together Council, which Gov. Whitmer has tasked with brainstorming policy solutions to boost the state’s stagnant population, presented initial recommendations from its work groups. But if any of these ideas to boost population growth and prosperity are to come to fruition, said Fund MI Future Executive Director MoReno Taylor II, they will require a significant funding increase.
“We know from the Education Trust report that Michigan’s school funding is already short roughly $4.5 billion each year – that’s a cold, hard fact,” Taylor added. “It doesn’t matter where we live, whether it’s the Motor City or Marquette or Macomb County, we all want our kids to get the best education possible so they’re set up for success. However, if we want Michigan to have excellent schools, we need structural revenue reform. Rather than allowing wealthy corporations to rig the rules in their favor, we must ensure that they pay their fair share so working families have the resources they need to thrive.”
Imani Foster, the Director of Research and Communications for the nonprofit 482Forward and member of the Fund MI Future coalition, participated in the Pre K-12 workgroup. She said the experience was eye-opening.
“It was an honor to be a part of the Growing Michigan Together Council and encouraging to hear so many bold ideas coming from the workgroups to meet this moment,” Foster said. “One thing that most of the recommendations have in common after decades of disinvestment is a need for more revenue. How do we get that funding? We start by asking those who have done well in Michigan to do right by Michigan. When profitable corporations and wealthy individuals pay a little more, our schools will flourish and our kids will be better equipped to compete in the global economy.”
The PK-12 workgroup’s recommendations reflect the idea that the state needs dramatic reforms to get back to being a top state for education, as it once was before corporate tax cuts and a charter school push helped spark a long downward slide in Michigan’s public schools. Despite an educational system once ranked among the top states in the country, Michigan is now in the bottom ten.
The GMTC’s recommendations include aligning governance and accountability measures to the educational system’s goals; commiting to the Michigan Education Guarantee, a clear and transparent performance standard; reimagining learning, the job of teaching, and continuing education; and fully, efficiently, transparently, and equitably funding the state’s public schools.
“We have to face facts: Michigan’s public education system was designed for a time and economy that no longer exist,” said Trina Tocco, Executive Director of the Michigan Education Justice Coalition. “Good-paying jobs that provide long-term security are increasingly hard to find, and the standards we held our education system to in the past are not good enough for an increasingly tech-enabled future. It won’t work to simply tweak the system we have. Critical thinking, civic responsibility, emotional resilience, and independent learning are all rooted in a strong academic foundation. If we want our kids to persevere, thrive, and lead prosperous lives in a rapidly changing world, we need to rethink and modernize our approach to public education.”
The GMTC will present its final recommendations to Gov. Whitmer in December.
Fund MI Future is a joint effort of grassroots community organizations, labor unions, and policy/research experts working to create shared prosperity for all Michiganders by fully and equitably funding our public services like schools, roads, and clean water.
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