LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A new report commissioned by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) highlighted the ineptitude of the state’s current education system and suggested strategies to move forward.
The report reviewed how authority within state government and across levels of government, district and service consolidation, school choice, and school finance all play a role in a child’s education.
Authority.
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According to the report, one of the clearest messages coming from stakeholders is that the state’s current education system is “broken.”
“The governor’s office, MDE [Michigan Department of Education], the SBE [State Board of Education], and the legislature are simply not working well together, and it is negatively impacting Michigan Schoolchildren,” the report said.
Michigan stakeholders also claimed that state leaders need to “articulate a coherent vision for K-12 education in the state and then work together to execute on it.” One stakeholder said the governor should have the ability to appoint the state superintendent.
The report claimed the governor should have “more authority” in a child’s education, while maintaining certain guardrails to prevent partisan politics from encroaching on the school system.
District and service consolidation.
The research study noted that, rather than consolidating smaller districts, districts benefit more from sharing resources with each other.
“Many districts in Michigan already share non-instructional services, but our discussions with stakeholders indicate more consolidation in accounting, payroll, purchasing, and technology is possible,” the report said.
School choice.
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Regarding charter schools, the report said the state should focus on quality rather than quantity.
“Focus charter expansion on successful models, which could have longer charter contracts,” the report said. “Limit the expansion of new schools without a track record of success, reducing the approval of new schools and maintaining careful oversight of new schools that are approved.”
School finance.
The report covered the necessity to ensure schools receive adequate funding and stated that the state must develop a strategy to attract and retain teachers.
This report has received mixed feedback — with some saying the report is redundant. State Superintendent Michael Rice said the Michigan Department of Education “agrees with some findings in the report and disagrees with others.”
“The report offers no significant new research or fresh insight about knowledge, education policy, or ways to improve student achievement,” Rice commented.
The Michigan legislature appropriated $500,000 in the fiscal year 2024 budget for the report.
A recent article from Michigan News Source noted that 70% of students are not proficient in math or reading in the Lansing School District. Additionally, in 2024, Detroit Public Schools Community District was the “worst performing district in the nation.”
“Those scores come smack-dab in the middle of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s COVID-19 shutdowns of K-12 schools,” the article said. “In addition, these scores come in the shadow of record spending in 2021 ($17.1 billion), 2022 ($19.6 billion), 2023 ($24.3) and 2024 ($23.4).”