- Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate John James wants consolidate oversight of public education
- As part of a new education policy plan, James said he’d pursue a constitutional amendment to change appointment of superintendent
- James also proposed offering occupational licensing to high schoolers and rewarding ‘great teachers’
Republican gubernatorial candidate John James would push to change the Michigan Constitution to give himself and future governors the power to hire and fire the state superintendent, according to a new wide-ranging education plan released Thursday.
“John will pursue a constitutional amendment making the governor directly accountable for Michigan’s education outcomes,” his campaign wrote in the plan, first reviewed by Bridge Michigan. “No more passing the buck.”
Under the current system, the state superintendent who leads the Michigan Department of Education is appointed by the elected State Board of Education. Some past governors have sought more direct control.
Under James’ proposal, which would require voter approval, the governor would have the power to directly appoint the state superintendent, tying the fate of the state’s chief of public instruction to the state’s chief executive. His campaign argued that would make schools more responsive to voters.
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The new education proposal comes amid increased scrutiny of Michigan’s K-12 school system after students ranked 44th in the country for third-grade literacy levels.
“This is a moral failure,” James said in a statement, arguing Michigan has broken a promise to provide children with a quality education. “These are not statistics. These are children.”
James is considered an early frontrunner in a crowded GOP gubernatorial field that includes businessman Perry Johnson, state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, former House Speaker Tom Leonard, former Attorney General Mike Cox and pastor Ralph Rebandt.
Bridge recently asked gubernatorial candidates from both major political parties how they would address some of Michigan’s most pressing education challenges. You can read their responses here.
Superintendent swap
The Michigan Constitution tasks the State Board of Education with choosing a superintendent to lead the Michigan Department of Education. Amending the constitution would require voter approval of either a statewide ballot initiative or changes proposed at a constitutional convention.
State Board of Education members are nominated by political party insiders, but elected by voters. The board is currently controlled by Democrats, but if Republicans succeed in flipping the two seats up for election in November, it would be split 4-4.
It wasn’t immediately clear what role the State Board of Education would play under James’ proposal.
“There will be a board, but it won’t operate in its current form,” spokesperson Hannah Osantowske told Bridge. “At the end of the day, the governor will be responsible and accountable for education.”
The State Board of Education last year opposed a similar proposal by legislative Republicans, arguing they should retain the ability to appoint superintendents.
“The architects of Michigan’s 1963 constitution were wise to recognize that giving too much power to the governor would be harmful and that providing authority and oversight of education to a separately elected board would be beneficial to Michigan’s children,” Tom McMillin, one of two Republicans currently on the board, said at the time.
“This separation of power should remain.”
The State Board of Education and superintendent exist to supervise K-12 education in the state, but lawmakers and governors alike have frequently played a role — and proposed changes — over the years.
In 2015, then-Gov. Rick Snyder moved the office that oversaw struggling schools out of the state department of education, only to move it back two years later. In 2023, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer moved oversight of early childhood and higher education to a newly created department.
A 21st Century Education Commission appointed by Snyder recommended allowing the governor to either appoint members of or entirely abolish the State Board of Education, another constitutional change.
James’ plan calls for further expanding the governor’s role inpolicing Michigan schools. It also proposes changing curricula to require civics tests and make debate a mandatory course in high school — all with the intention of fostering patriotic views.
“Michigan’s students will graduate knowing what America is, why it matters, and their duty to secure the blessings of liberty for themselves and their posterity,” according to the campaign plan.
Career prep push
James is also calling for dramatically expanding the level of career preparation students receive in high school.
His plan promises that “every student not headed to college or military service will graduate with a trade certification, professional license, or career-ready portfolio.”
It wasn’t immediately clear what a “career-ready portfolio” would include.
Michigan has about 180 occupational licenses, according to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Many, like training to become a barber, cosmetologist or surveyor, require specialized training. It’s not clear how high schools would support the broad diversity of licenses that workers can acquire.
Other candidates have called for broadly expanding trades education in Michigan schools. Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who’s running as an independent, promised that every school district in the state will have a career technical education center under his administration.
James also would want to extend the time students could receive an education, saying “year-round instruction” would be available statewide for struggling students, along with “targeted intervention for those falling behind” and “wraparound services for those who need additional support.”
Culture wars, school choice, teacher bonuses
Earlier this year, James proposed a parental “bill of rights.” Several components of that plan are also included in his new education proposal, including calls to ban transgender girls from girls’ locker rooms, bathrooms and sports teams.
Expanding funding for private schools is also high on James’ education agenda, namely by opting Michigan into a new federal tax credit that allows parents to redirect their tax dollars toward scholarships that can be used for private school tuition or other educational expenses.
Teachers unions and public school advocates have blasted the tax credit as a “school voucher scheme.”
James’ plan also includes a pledge to “support Michigan’s boys” by bringing “mentors from the trades and private sector into schools.”
Alongside a promise to “eliminate bureaucracy,” James said he would increase funding for classrooms, teachers and students and provide “pay increases, performance bonuses, and public recognition for great teachers.”
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