If policymakers really wanted new special ed funds to help students with special needs, they could have required schools to use the dollars to supplement their special education budgets.
The significant amount of additional federal funding the state received, combined with the budget surplus the state has this year, make funding of our talent needs possible in short order.
I had a front row seat to this process: students and parents requesting changes, counselors and administrators trying their best to accommodate these requests, and everyone stuck in a rigid system.
Our state has a phenomenal opportunity to help Michigan students succeed by helping them be prepared not only to earn a living, but also to manage the living they earn.
Currently it can take as long as three to six months for a patient to get established with a primary care provider. Nurse practitioners are part of the solution to making medical care more accessible and affordable across the state.
One in six children and adolescents are diagnosed with a mental health condition annually, and suicide is currently the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-18 in the U.S.
Parents do not need letters telling them about the safety protocols in place that, at the end of the day, will not prevent someone carrying a gun from killing their children.
We cannot continue to have Oxfords and Uvaldes every year. Our alternatives are either to change the ease of obtaining guns or harden the security of school buildings, or both.
Our state’s future depends on Michigan’s storied institutions of higher learning recognizing this moment and striving to ensure the maximum outcome for every student and employer in Michigan.
When the state has millions of dollars in resources, it seems unfair that we can’t invest it in our youth. After all, that’s where it can have the greatest impact.
Despite the hysterics, there aren't any secrets in a classroom. Parents who want to know what is happening in classrooms can simply ask their kids or look online at class curriculum.
The ballot initiative would reduce revenue intended for public school programs like ours that prepare students for successful careers. Instead, the voucher proposal would siphon away funding to private schools through tax credits for wealthy individuals and corporations.
Perhaps school gun violence persists because the majority in the Michigan Legislature has avoided even discussing the most popular, moderate, and reasonable of gun safety measures.
