Legislative Priorities-Workforce Development & Student Achievement

Issue: Educate a Superior Workforce and Reform Michigan’s Education System

CHAMBER MEMBERS ADVOCATE:

Full implementation of the high school graduation requirements and holding schools accountable for teaching the content expectations, including the 21st Century Learning Core.
Promoting competition and choice by eliminating the arbitrary cap on the number of public school academies that can be chartered by state universities.
Using taxpayer dollars in a more efficient and effective manner by:
-- Seeking operational efficiencies
-- Containing pension & healthcare costs
-- Getting more funding directly to classrooms
-- Promoting an outcome-based funding formula for higher education
-- Fighting efforts aimed at eroding the principles of Proposal A
Consolidating all non-instructional services within counties or intermediate school districts, but allow local school boards to retain control and focus on academic matters.
Opposing any further expansion of school sinking fund taxes unless all commercial and industrial property is exempted from new or increased sinking fund taxes and school elections are consolidated.
Promoting alternative routes to teacher certification and working to remove obstacles within the current system that limit the transition of business leaders to education.
Holding state universities that operate Schools of Education more accountable for the quality of teachers and education administrators they graduate and credential.
Ensuring that a functional data system to track, monitor and report academic progress in Michigan’s education system is designed as a tool for improvement and is user friendly for parents and the general public.
Supporting initiatives that effectively reduce the dropout rate in Michigan.

WHY?

In 1994, voters overwhelmingly approved Proposal A to amend the State Constitution to provide for permanent property tax relief and school finance reform. While Proposal A is not perfect, overall it served the state well. From 1994 until 2007, the state saw a period of stable enrollment and low inflation. At the same time, school operating revenues increased 79 percent and revenue from school infrastructure taxes (debt, building and sinking funds) grew 234 percent. Michigan taxpayers pay more for education (K-12, community college and state universities) than any other item within the state budget. Meanwhile, even with a good effort by many individuals and groups, student scores on academic assessments remained flat or declined, the dropout rate increased slightly, and there was a minimal increase in the number of Michigan high school graduates admitted to college. More recently, despite years of effort and tens of billions of dollars in government spending, in January 2009, Michigan received a grade of only C+ for overall educational value and a student’s chances of success in Education Week magazine’s 13th annual Quality Counts report. These facts clearly demonstrate the need for dramatic change in Michigan’s education system. Students, parents and employers all deserve better.