Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder introduced the Education Finance Act Nov. 19 to reform Michigan’s K-12 education system.
The proposal would allow students to get a portion or all of their state-funded education from any public school district they are accepted into—however, districts could still decide whether to accept students from outside of their district.
The proposal would also let students take Michigan-funded online courses, with funding based on performance. Students who graduate early from high school could receive up to $10,000 in scholarship money and districts would be encouraged to spread the 180-day school year over 12 months in order to offer year-round education to their students.
The plan is already receiving criticism, especially from Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer.
Whitmer criticized the plan by calling it a voucher system similar
to one turned down by voters in 2000, according to an article in The Detroit News.
One change under the plan would allow students to attend all or some of their classes in any school district. Another change includes the $6,900 minimum per child allowance that goes to a student’s school district to follow that student to whatever district they choose.
Under the Education Finance Act, school funding would not be based on how many students show up on the October “count day,” according to The Detroit News article. Instead, funding would depend on an average daily membership formula that is used in 15 other states.
Whitmer posted her views about Snyder’s plan on the American political blog Daily Kos. She referred to Snyder’s plan as, “The latest and most offensive step in his anti-education agenda in the form of a proposed overhaul of Michigan’s school aid funding.”
Whitmer also posted on Daily Kos that Snyder’s education reform would “create fiscal uncertainty for every single school in the state” and give money to CEO’s who are running for-profit corporate schools.
On the blog, Whitmer said the Michigan 2020 plan produced by her colleagues and herself would provide all Michigan high school graduates with the opportunity to have their college tuition paid for without raising taxes. At the end of her post, she urged Michigan residents to contact Snyder and express disapproval of the proposal.
Snyder first stated some of his long-term goals to reform education in his April 2011 education address. Included in these goals were:
-To make school funding across the state based on student’s academic performance rather than school attendance
-To give districts a bonus beyond their per-student funding if they show growth among students in reading, math or other subjects the Michigan Department of Education selects
-Require schools to have “dashboards” that show how they are doing on testing, yearly progress and bullying prevention
-Allow students to take college courses beginning in ninth or 10th grade
-Stop paying teachers a higher salary if they have a master’s degree
-Require the transfer of credits among community colleges and university’s to be accepted more easily
-Pass legislation that allows teacher layoffs to be based on teacher effectiveness instead of just teacher seniority
According to the Detroit Free Press, Snyder spokeswoman Sara Wurfel identified the Education Finance Act as a plan that will aim to achieve flexibility and adaptability that can meet the needs of students in the 21st Century.
If all goes as planned, the final product Snyder describes as a system to serve students “any time, any place, any way and any pace” will be incorporated into the state budget beginning Oct. 1, 2013.
