Michigan Education Association releases 5-point reform plan on eve of State of the State address

• Realign Michigan’s pre K-12 system to support students in achieving the goal our state values most: graduating high school ready to succeed in college or other post-secondary opportunities.
• Increase accountability for everyone in public education — teachers, administrators, support staff, parents, et al — for the overall educational success of Michigan’s students.
• Increase efficiency for all school districts to get the greatest return on investment for students, communities and the economy.
• Ensure good stewardship of taxpayer dollars by increasing school district financial stability and accountability.
• Fix Michigan’s antiquated tax structure that has led to Michigan’s decade-long budget crisis.

Education reform is expected to be a major part of Snyder’s agenda, and the MEA is ready to work with him and the new Legislature, MEA President Iris Salters said.

“Michigan’s school employees are ready and willing to work with Gov. Snyder and the new Legislature to tackle real problems and ensure that public education fulfills its mission to prepare students for the jobs Michigan needs,” she said.

Specific reforms highlighted in the plan include reducing the amount of remedial coursework required by students at the college level; streamlining the process to discharge ineffective tenured teachers; providing clearer, more consistent structure to the process of consolidating school districts; adopting a two-year budget by July 1 to give declining-enrollment districts the time to make informed decisions about their budgets and staffing and closing tax loopholes and giveaways.

To view the full plan, click here.