Michigan school opinions

Getting here took a dedicated effort from lawmakers, teachers, advocates, parents and students who worked together.

By listening to the needs of school-based personnel in our state, we can work collectively to develop strategies that support positive youth development and ensure students concentrate on learning.

While we applaud the past two years of increased investments in schools, Michigan still has a long way to go.

It is past time for more school districts to partner with their local child advocacy centers on prevention services, to reduce the number of children who are abused and to teach them how to speak up.

Michigan lacks enough qualified teachers to deliver high quality in-person computer science instruction. We need educators who are proficient and ready to inspire the next generation of computer scientists.

The state Legislature should give educators a graduation gift: get rid of the 80/20 rule and restore power to teachers.