(Source: MIRS.news, Published 01/25/2023) Providing one-on-one tutoring to COVID-impacted students and expanded pre-Kindergarten classes for 4-year-olds were the education highlights on Wednesday evening's State of the State address.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she hopes to see every Michigan 4-year-old have access to free and public preschool education by the end of her second term. According to the governor, putting these in place would save families an average of $10,000 annually.
"That's huge. That's going to do so much, especially in the long-term to increase student achievement," said Senate Education Committee Chair Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia). "Those two things in particular were really . . . I don't want to say surprising, but invigorating to hear about, especially since we actually have the power to enact it this time."
Last year, the Governor proposed $280 million for tutoring. The Legislature funded it at $52 million. That simply isn't enough, said state Superintendent Michael Rice.
“The reality is that there are local school districts across the state that are into tutoring, as they should be,” Rice said. “But, so often, if we don't fund it, specifically or categorically, we just simply don't get it into the schools. It doesn't happen.”
The logic behind educating as many 4-year-olds as possible is that an additional year of schooling is giving kids between 7% to 8% more education, and research shows that “every major life outcome is affected by one year of high quality pre-school,” Rice said.
Past criticisms by Republicans have been that “throwing money” into education is “never enough," and that public schools' biggest fault is not using the money they receive from the state and taxpayers wisely enough. Will putting more money toward education solve the problem of low student test scores?
“In terms of solving the problem?” Polehanki responded. "Will it move the ball? Hell yeah, it will move the ball. You can quote me on that.
“It bothers me when people say you're throwing money at education. I'm like, 'Oh, you mean for reduced class sizes? For tutoring? For great teachers who want to stay? Those are the things you want to throw money at? To me, that sounds like a really good thing.”
After Wednesday evening's State of the State address, some Republicans noted that the Governor vetoed GOP-led legislation in November 2021 creating the Michigan Student Opportunity Accounts plan. The legislation offered up to $500 in scholarships for eligible children, like those known to be at-risk, in foster care or receiving free or reduced lunch.
Although the aforementioned money could have been spent on tutoring services and online instruction materials, Democrats flagged how it could also finance tuition for a nonpublic school and offer scholarship donors an income tax credit as compensation.
On the conservative side of things, Rep. Jaime Greene (R-Richmond), minority vice chair of the House Education Committee, told MIRS she was really excited to hear Whitmer talk about education, but "I would have liked to (have had) her talk a little more about parental involvement in education."
" . . . And that parents have a seat at the table and partnership with the teachers (and) with the administration on problem solving for students, especially for (our) suffering reading scores."
She also said it's very important that education items are funded properly and are financed over an extended period of time.
"I am generally concerned that our economy is going to head into the tank, and how can these programs be sustainable in the future?" Greene said.
Additionally, with this week being National School Choice Week – highlighting the effort to assist parents and guardians in exploring non-public learning options for their children – Greene said it was unfortunate the state of Michigan did not recognize it for the first time since 2016.
"I put a resolution forward and it got killed," Greene said. "All families are different. Public education, private education, hybrid education, homeschool education, online education . . . there are so many options, there's not just one option."
However, Greene said her battle plan for delivering strong education policy as a member of the minority caucus is to "partner with the majority." She said she believes she and House Education Chair Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth) have already worked really hard to establish a good foundational relationship.
She said that any education proposals are on the table for her as well, especially as she delivers the perspective of a homeschool parent.
