Despite increased funding, Michigan’s K-12 public schools have been performing worse every year. That’s because it’s not a funding issue, it’s a public policy issue. As legislators celebrate the empty policies they’ve passed at the Mackinac Policy Conference this week, we’re going to hold them accountable for putting Michigan on the wrong course. And the proof is in the data.

Last year, the Michigan Department of Education identified 112 schools as low-performing, requiring them to enter into a performance improvement plan – an increase from 86 schools in 2018. And on scores by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the nation’s “report card,” showed Michigan fourth-graders continue to decline in math and reading, with less than 42% proficiency in math and language arts.  

And as performance keeps declining, lawmakers voted to repeal the A-F grading accountability system that provides parents with a simple and straightforward performance measure for K-12 public schools, in addition to the third grade reading law that promotes growth and performance for students struggling with reading.

We can’t celebrate policies that hold our students back. Contact your local legislator and let them know you demand policies that will improve our children’s school performance and make our schools more accountable and transparent.