When you are a hammer for the teachers unions, every single charter school is seen as a nail.
One thing that can always be counted on is that the Democrats know where their bread is buttered.
Now this blue state Governor seeks to crush school choice as government school failures mount.
The Michigan state legislature has passed a package of bills that would grant tax credits for contributions to scholarship programs that could be used for nonpublic schooling.
That didn’t sit well with Democrat governor Gretchen Whitmer, who opposes the plan.
The state education board adopted a resolution on Tuesday against the “Let Michigan Kids Learn” ballot initiative, a proposal similar to legislation that has become law in many other states, which would allow families to use tax credits to send their children to private schools.
If the proposal gets 340,000 signatures it will be included on the November ballot without the Governor’s signature.
Back in October, Whitmer vetoed bills containing the school choice tax credits, which had been passed by the Michigan House and Senate.
The Governor decried the credits as creating “tax shelters for the wealthy.”
This is all par for the course as Democrats and members of national teachers union organizations have steadfastly opposed school choice initiatives.
In May, the Biden administration proposed a cut to federal funding for some charter schools, raising the ire of House Republicans.
According to the American Federation for Children, fully 65% of K-12 parents back school choice, including 66% of public-school parents and parental support is even higher among K-12 parents who work full-time and among middle school and high school parents.
Research from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy shows that school choice alternatives are more likely to serve poor or minority student populations in Michigan, who are often otherwise stuck in failing inner-city schools.
According to Mackinac Center for Public Policy director of education policy Ben DeGrow, “The State Board majority and superintendent have consistently taken the side of a broken K-12 system over the neglected needs of many students. Looking only at the revenue side ignores the fact that the program would have a very small fiscal impact, and likely a favorable one. The only way school systems would be devastated is if large numbers of students leave because they’re being poorly served.”
The sad truth is that for many on the Left side of the aisle, money talks.
Campaign contributions for Democrats roll in every single election cycle from the teachers unions, helping to preserve the fiefdom at the expense of children’s education.
This dynamic needs to change and hopefully the measure gets enough signatures and enough support to overrule the Governor in November.
Stay tuned to Blue State Blues for any updates to this ongoing story.
