House Republican Leader Matt Hall and his House Republican colleagues on Monday rolled out a new plan to help Michigan students succeed in school and beyond.

The House Republican education plan focuses on helping students, parents, and teachers through a wide-ranging, cohesive policy strategy. The plan would make schools safer, offer new pathways to graduation and post-high school success, recruit and retain good teachers, help students learn to read well, and provide other supports to deliver a high-quality education in Michigan.

Recent assessment results showed how severely students are struggling with the basics. Three out of five Michigan third graders aren’t proficient in reading and language arts, and seven out of 10 Michigan sixth graders aren’t proficient in math.

“Everyone knows Michigan’s plummeting education system desperately needs a new direction,” said Hall, R-Richland Township. “Our youngest students are struggling to read and do math, and our graduates aren’t ready for what comes next. Parents want to know how to help their kids. Teachers are overwhelmed. We can’t just fly on auto-pilot and hope to reach a higher altitude.

“House Republicans have a plan to support students, parents, and teachers and chart a course to success. We’ll make sure teachers know what methods and materials will help students master the basics, and we’ll prepare high school students for their future by opening new, practical pathways to graduation. Our plan will slash fees and red tape to get good teachers in the classroom and keep them there. We’ll also help parents save money on their kids’ futures by expanding dual enrollment opportunities. Under our plan, we’ll help Michigan students get ready for a lifetime of success.”

The announcement comes in the early weeks of the new school year and months after the Democrat Legislature passed a dismal education budget along party lines. The budget provided no increase to core student funding and eliminated 92% of funding for school safety and mental health. It has received harsh criticism from education leaders, who have highlighted the program cuts and layoffs that will result.

The House Republican plan will restore the more than $300 million that Democrats cut from school safety and mental health — providing schools necessary funds to continue upgrading building security, maintain mental health programs, and retain school resource officers and counselors. The reinstated funding would protect students and educators while giving parents peace of mind.

“Our schools counted on these resources to help keep kids and teachers safe, but Democrats pulled the rug out from under them,” Hall said. “By restoring school safety and mental health funding, our plan will provide safe learning environments so students can focus on learning and achieving their best.”

The plan will also provide new pathways to graduation and enable students to enroll in more career and technical education courses that will develop their skills and interests with an eye toward life after school. Under the plan’s modernized Michigan Merit Curriculum, high schoolers will build on a strong foundation in math, science, English, and social science, with new options for fulfilling some required credits with specialized courses, such as construction math, accounting, computer science, coding, and trade classes.

The House Republican plan will further help students, parents, and teachers by:

• Providing tools for teaching the fundamentals: The proposal will ensure that teacher preparation programs focus on evidence-based teaching methods, particularly in reading and math, and brings in subject experts to develop top-tier curriculums.
• Expanding dual enrollment: Expanding dual enrollment to include trade schools will allow students to get a head start on both college and career training, helping parents save money in the process.
• Reducing test anxiety: A pilot program will explore alternatives to the M-STEP, spreading testing throughout the year to ease the pressure and give teachers the information they need to help students succeed without endless test prep.
• Supporting balanced teacher-student ratios: A new report will identify best practices for teacher-student ratios, providing schools with a model to follow and parents with transparency on how their local schools compare.
• Recommending curriculum: The plan calls for the Michigan Department of Education to review and recommend research-backed curricula, so teachers will have reliable resources and are not left guessing which materials work.
• Waiving state fees for teachers: To support educators and help address Michigan’s teacher shortage, the plan will eliminate fees for teaching certificate applications, renewals, and endorsements, making it easier for teachers to stay in the profession.
• Facilitating subject area endorsements: By streamlining the process for teachers to obtain additional subject area endorsements, the plan will help schools fill vacancies while allowing teachers to teach subjects they are qualified in without unnecessary hurdles.
• Freeing up resources for classrooms: The plan will allow for more consolidation of administrative services across districts to redirect more resources toward shrinking class sizes and supporting teachers, instead of inflating bureaucratic costs.