State Rep. Jaime Greene (R-Richmond) and several other House Republicans introduced an education reform plan late last week that seeks to address Michigan’s alarming decline in K-12 education quality. The fourteen-bill package largely contains content from legislation initially introduced last term which never received even a committee hearing under the House Democrat majority.

“Last week, Gov. Whitmer herself conceded in her State of the State address that Michigan has plummeted in national education rankings under her administration despite historic levels of funding increases,” Greene said. “Now that the Democrats no longer have total control of state government, the governor is acknowledging the need for the Republican fixes to our schooling system. Our education policy desperately needs change after two straight years of Democrats refusing to prioritize students and their parents’ concerns.”

Among the education reforms passed last term were policies that lowered reading standards, took information on school performance away from parents, and raided the teacher pension fund. The House Republican education plan introduced this term does the following:

• Adopts a pilot program to explore different methods to meet our federal requirement for standardized testing to put students first
• Changes graduation requirements to allow more flexibility and workplace development courses
• Expands dual enrollment to include vocational schools
• Enhances reading and mathematics curriculum requirements
• Creates more data transparency for parents about their child’s school  
• Simplifies the Department of Education executive office to reduce bureaucracy and eliminate confusion
• Requires subject area expertise input for math and science teacher preparation programs
• Makes State Board of Education elections regional to ensure they are more representative of Michigan citizens’ interests
• Forces the Department of Education to be a resource by creating a list of recommended curriculum and assessment companies as an option for schools
• Allows local experts in particular subjects to teach classes on those subjects to minimize teacher shortages
• Waives fees for teacher license applications and renewals

The legislative package was referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce. A number of the bills have already been reported to the House floor for consideration by the full chamber.

“This is a great first step to undoing the regrettable recent trend of our declining educational system,” Greene said. “On every single subject tested, proficiency levels have been lower on average during the Whitmer Administration than during any other comparable span of time. The federal Department of Education has dropped us ten spots in their rankings for Grade 4 reading under Whitmer, and we are now nearly last. Social studies, mathematics, and reading proficiency have all cratered, and our kids are the ones paying the price for it. Parents in Michigan have pleaded for change for years, but politicians refused to hear their concerns. It is time to turn our system around with the House Republican plan.”