John James vows to boost Michigan literacy, teacher pay

Republican gubernatorial candidate John James says Michigan needs ‘accountability’ in education system
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves spoke at a Livonia event about the state’s reading gains known as the ‘Mississippi miracle’
James says voters should hold him accountable to if third graders can read

LIVONIA — Republican gubernatorial candidate John James is calling on Michigan to bring “accountability” to its education system and raise pay for some teachers.

James spoke at an education roundtable in Livonia Monday, along with Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, touting what Michigan can learn from Mississippi.

“By the grace of God, I’m going to be swearing in January 1st. And this year’s kindergarteners will be halfway through their school year,” James said Monday.

“But I’m committed to make sure that our kindergartners right now, by the time I finish my first term, will be able to read by the time they get into fourth grade. That is how you should judge me.”

Mississippi has climbed national rankings for fourth grade reading scores over the last decade and earned national attention for its reforms. Michigan Republicans frequently tout the Magnolia State as an example of how Michigan can improve its dismal reading scores, though Reeves and others are quick to point out there’s no silver bullet to increase student achievement.

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Only 38.2% of Michigan third graders are proficient in reading, according to the most recent state test scores. For the past decade, less than half of third graders have been proficient in reading on the state test.

James is running against Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson.

The race comes at a pivotal time in Michigan: reading scores remain low, more than a fourth of students are chronically absent and only a fourth of students are “college ready” as determined by the SAT.

James said Michigan lacks “accountability” in its education system. For instance, he said, the governor cannot control who is an administrator in a district. He is calling for an amendment in the state constitution to make the Michigan Department of Education report to the governor’s office. A partisan State Board of Education, not the governor, picks the state superintendent.

“Immediately, the biggest red flag is the lack of accountability,” James told reporters. “The biggest red flag is the fact we’re going away from some of the things that have worked in Mississippi.”

woman listens at an event — Attendees listen during an education roundtable featuring Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate John James and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves in Livonia on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (Brayan Gutierrez for Bridge Michigan)

He said Michigan would be “stealing what works very liberally” in education policies.

Michigan has tried many of the same tactics that Mississippi uses to improve reading scores, including teacher training in the “science of reading” and deploying literacy coaches in schools. But Michigan no longer grades schools on an A-F system nor does it require struggling third graders to repeat the grade, similar policies to ones that exist in Mississippi.

Democrats led the charge to remove the retention requirement, arguing it was inequitable and punitive. The vast majority of students who had been flagged for retention did not end up repeating the grade.

Among the reforms still to come: Schools will be required to teach in “evidence-based” ways and screen students for traits of dyslexia starting next school year. And starting in the 2031-2032 school year, “science of reading” training will become mandatory for elementary teachers.

James also called for higher pay for teachers. Michigan ranks 22nd nationally for average teacher salary at $71,023, but near the bottom of states for starting teacher pay at $43,093, according to the National Education Association.

“There’s no reason the best teachers can’t make six figures, and there’s absolutely no reason that our teachers who are called to minister to our children in that way, answering that call by being a teacher, should ever, should ever have to be on food stamps and not be able to live close to where they teach.

“We have to respect the profession and wrap our arms around our teachers to make sure that they have the resources to continue to pour into our children.”

James did not specify how he would raise teacher pay but said “educators over administrators.” He also called for investing in teacher wellbeing, and ensuring that young boys have more men to mentor them in schools.

“When you’re looking all over the state, being able to pay our teachers more, I think it’s a moral failing that these public servants aren’t making their worth. So we need to make sure that the money is making it to the classroom. This means the skills, this means the training, and yes, it means the compensation for our hardworking teachers.”

Pam Morgan, a retired teacher who attended the Monday event, told Bridge she plans to support James in the November election. But she worries the state’s emphasis on the science of reading takes an emphasis off students being able to comprehend text. She wants to see smaller class sizes, more student intervention and the removal of instructional coaches.

“It’s unrealistic to say all the students will be able to read by third grade.”

A ‘miracle’?

Reeves is the latest current or former Mississippi official to visit Michigan and tout what many have dubbed the “Mississippi miracle.” Former State Superintendent Carey Wright spoke to Business Leaders for Michigan last November and at a Teach for America Detroit event last month. The state’s former literacy director, Kymyona Burk, presented at an event hosted by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy earlier this year. In December, Mississippians spoke at Michigan’s first literacy summit.

Man speaks into a microphone while in front of a blue sign a read banner adorned with white stars. — ‘Conservative reforms work, even in education,’ Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves told an audience at an education roundtable in Livonia on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, where he appeared with Republican gubernatorial candidate John James. (Brayan Gutierrez for Bridge Michigan)

“Conservative reforms work, even in education,” Reeves said Monday. “And not only do conservative reforms work, conservative reforms work for people of all backgrounds.”

But despite Mississippi’s achievements, some have raised doubts about how sustainable the southern state’s progress will be. They point to eighth grade test scores or say it makes sense that fourth grade scores would go up if the most struggling third graders aren’t in the testing sample.

Former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, who ran against James during the Republican primary race for governor, spoke Monday about his grandchildren’s education in Mississippi.

“God didn’t come down and put his hand on Mississippi and Mississippi alone,” Cox said. “God’s granted us all the blessings of being American, both in Mississippi and Michigan. So what the Mississippi miracle tells us, that if men and women get up and decide to make a difference, we can have that here.”

Also Monday, James told the audience he would opt Michigan into the new federal tax credit scholarship program on day one if elected. The program allows taxpayers to donate funds to organizations that distribute student scholarships. In return, they get tax credit.

Both public and private school students could benefit from the scholarships but critics have called the program a voucher system that would decrease public funding for schools. Last week, the federal government released long-awaited rules about how the program will work in practice. So far, 30 states have opted to join the federal program. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has not announced whether she will join the other states.

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