Michigan Votes Forum

I applaud the effort and pray the bill is eventually signed into law.  The students of Detroit deserve the same access to a quality education as their suburban counterparts.  With the magnitude of issues that accompanies each of the students in a classroom, few teachers can handle 35-40 different personalities with a myriad of home-bred issues.  Let's pray that some over-bearing emergency financial manager will not inhbit its implementation.

This bill is simply another attempt by the MEA to prevent school boards from running their schools.  Schools will improve when competition is introduced to the system by allowing the money to follow the student to whatever school they choose.  The teachers unions fight this because they know it would be the end of their union.  It's time we quit worrying about teachers and politics and started caring about our children.

Research indicates that class size less than 18 increases student learning.  Therefore, this bill is a good one.  However, where are the dollars to support it?

lilstoetz:

where are the dollars to support it?

It's tied up in extravagant teacher benefit packages.

 Bravo..................!   The only teachers I have heard of that can handle 35 to 40 different personalities are on television in a fact-based movie.   Few teachers are blessed with the ability to undertake that task. 

I am fortunate to live in a small town in Michigan.  Depending on where your child goes to school, class size may be about 20 students. 

The State of Michigan just spent about $35 million on tourism advertising.  Just think of what that money could have done for the children.  Our children should be given the very best education.  More concentration needs to be in the early elementary years especially if learning disabilities are suspected.   A friend of mine said of all of the schools her granddaughter attended, the best was in Texas.  Children did not go without anything they needed to learn.  There is so much available. 

Bottom line if this bill does not pass:  Greed.  Man and Greed. 

 This is the most ignorant comment I've heard in a while.  For my district, Snyder's proposals mean huge class sizes, reduced staff, reduced services and resources, and the elimination of all enrichment activities.  My sons are both honor roll students.  My oldest attends an advanced math, science and technology program, and hopes to go to Harvard.  Thanks to Snyder, this program may be eliminated.  You're looking at increased drop outs, which in turn will lead to increased crime, which in turn will lead to decreased property values.  Why do you get informed?  Look at the numbers and statistics.  This has nothing to do with the MEA, it is an outright attack on our state's children!!!

proud2teach:

Look at the numbers and statistics.  This has nothing to do with the MEA, it is an outright attack on our state's children!!!

OK.  Here are some numbers and statistics.  The typical annual cost of health care for a public school employee is about $15,000 regardless of whether it is for an individual or a family.  The cost of a BCBS health care plan for a family in my business is about $8,000.  The number one insurer of teachers is MESSA which is owned by the MEA.  How can you possibly believe this has nothing to do with the MEA?

If you're so worried about the education of our children why don't you consider accepting a benefit plan that is comparable to what the private sector has?  I'm sick and tired of this self centered babble.  I have children in the public school system too and I know darn well that this system is not directed by what is best for our kids, it is directed by what is best for the employees.  Any business that uses that model will fail!  I've had to put up with my daughter getting a math teacher who can't teach and when enough parents complained they moved him up to high school so she got him again!

And don't even go down the road that I just hate teachers.  Most of them are good people and good educators but this system is broken and short of competition, which no teacher even wants to consider, the only way to fix it is to intervene at an executive level.  And speaking of executives, the schools are way too top heavy too with way too many administrators.  There are plenty of areas to cut costs, it just needs to be done.