Schools in Michigan are under attack from the state government. We have lost much funding over the last several years. Over these years we have gone from around $7500 per pupil spending to under $7000. The effects are really being felt this year by many schools, including Sturgis. Our administration decided to offer a retirement incentive which gave people retiring a $30,000 401K that cannot be touched until the retiree is 59. The state matched that with increasing the multiplier from 1.5 to 1.6. As a result we had somewhere in the neighborhood of around 20 teachers retired this year. Many of these teachers were very good at what they do…TEACH. Those of us that didn’t retire are facing the results of the retirements which include paying 3% more towards our own retirement as well as being scared out of our wits about what the state is going to “require” of us next. There is talk of a 5% pay cut and even a 20-25 % health insurance cost for teachers. In addition to all of this we are facing larger class sizes and the decimation of programs and the loss of things like library services, exploratory classes and other special activities like traveling to special exhibits.
The Michigan Education Association in an effort to try and get the state legislature to stop the assault on education funding planned a rally at the state capital yesterday. The Sturgis Education Association chartered two busses to take many of us up to the capital. Some teachers also came from other local towns like Three Rivers. When I was talking to our Uniserve director on the bus she said that around 8000 MEA members planned on attending. These members include teachers and support staff as well as the many family members that joined their parents.
When we arrived at the capital the mayor of Lansing, Virge Bernero, welcomed us with open arms as the MEA has endorsed his candidacy for governor. There were other people that spoke as well. The night before some of us went up to the middle school art room and made some handmade signs. These turned out to attract a bit of attention as we were able to get a few interviews for TV. One guy saw my Sturgis sign and wondered how far we had come from. I told him we were south of Kalamazoo about an hour so two hours. He asked if he could interview me. I told him our president was right by me so it might be best to interview him as he is our spokesperson.
After the interview our state senator, Cameron Brown, came down to visit with us as Ellen Eisele had emailed and called him prior to this event. He invited us up to senate chambers and he let us talk about what was on our minds. Many of us spoke up with clear thoughts about the funding issues and suggestions about how the two parties should come together to fix this issue. He did not answer any of our concerns directly when we asked questions. He waited until we were done and then proceeded to explain some things to us from his perspective. He wanted us to know that the state isn’t doing anything illegal by taking funds from education and giving those funds to colleges and universities as this is in the constitution. He said the fund isn’t set up to be just for K-12. He also wanted us to know that he “voluntarily” gave up some of his pay ever since he began his senate career. I reminded him that the operative word was “voluntarily”. The most interesting thing he kept saying to us was that he came from the school where the film, “Remember the Titans” was developed. It’s like he wanted us to know that he wants to get along and that some how this information made him more agreeable to us. Most of us didn’t feel any connection at all to that statement. Craig mentioned something that he thought most Republicans would and should agree on as they comment on this stuff all the time. Craig said that it should be about local control and at Sturgis we have been doing a good job of working with the administration and the decisions shouldn’t be made by the state but by the local institutions as they know what is best for their own communities. Senator Brown couldn’t argue with that. The two issues that most affect this are the 5% pay cut and the choice of health insurance with the 20-25% cost to the insured.
I don’t know if we had any real impact. It is doubtful that Senator Brown will vote any differently based upon our visit. However, I know that most of us will be voting in the coming election and we will, once again, make our voices heard. The state of Michigan needs to fix these problems. We are bleeding jobs and nothing really changes. The tax revenues are down and it is obvious. Each year valuable programs are lost while the two parties twiddle their thumbs and cry, “The sky is falling.” I don’t want someone giving me any more excuses. This is much of what I felt from Senator Brown, that old “blame game” thing. I want someone that can “lead” this state to its rightful place in the world. The children in our schools are the future. Unfortunately, many of these young wonderful students graduate from college and leave Michigan as they cannot get a job here. If Michigan is going to rise above this we must educate our children and create a system so they can find their opportunities right here in Michigan. This is a beautiful state with many natural resources. We don’t have to be a “one trick pony” based on the auto industry. We can develop many other job sectors including biomedical research and green jobs. If we continue to cut education funding our children will suffer even more than they already are suffering. Our first priority should be to provide a quality education for our children. The people of Michigan have to stand up for their children. I know the economy is tough for everyone but public education still works here and even if you aren’t working you always know that your child will get their education. In the state of Michigan we provide everything for the children including paper, pens and pencils. Parents don’t have to worry about providing these items for school. If a parent is out of work they can still rest assured that their child will be welcomed in public school. Schools will not be able to maintain this level of education if cuts continue to happen across the state. It’s just that simple.
We already see the “pay to play” mentality that has been happening with sports. Poor families just cannot afford to let their children play sports as they cannot afford the cost to play or the cost for insurance on their child. I sure don’t want to see this happen with other parts of the school day as well. It is frightening to think about what will happen next. Being a school teacher shouldn’t be about fear and loathing but about hope and inspiration. These young students are being faced with a lot of stressful situations from over testing and parents out of work to now whether the programs they love, like art and music, will be there tomorrow. Our children are the future of our country and the future of our state. We must do everything we can to create a quality environment for them to learn and grow. Our schools need to be top notch and fully funded. The state of Michigan needs to prioritize school funding and fix this on going problem immediately. Seriously, enough is enough! The legislature needs to get creative and fix the funding problem for schools!
