When we talk about education in Michigan it cannot be a partisan issue anymore. Balancing a budget on the backs of our children is an issue that everybody should have a problem with.
The tenth Amendment states: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or the people. THE PEOPLE!!!
So what do we, the people, need to do?
Start with electing the right people. Uneducated voters are moredangerous to our community than most realize. Voting simply to vote, or voting who your friend says to vote, is a wasted vote. With today’s easy access to news media, and knowing around 40% of Americans are sitting on Facebook everyday at any given time, there’s no excuse to not better educate yourself.
We need to restructure our system of funding for public education at the K-12 level. I’m sure we need it at college level, but I’m focusing on K-12 right now. The cause for poor performance from our students is not due solely to “bad teachers” and it would be ridiculous to say so.
Funding to public schools can easily determine the learning availability, this has been proven, in turn affecting the child’s performance. It’s no secret, low income areas produce lower test scores. Lower funded schools produce lower scores as well. Most school districts see that within their own system, one school in the lower income area of the city is riddled with bad test scores, less active parents, more drop outs, etc.
How do we start fixing our system? There are a few steps we can take.
First, if you want your child’s individual school to succeed, take action. Join the PTA or PTO. Volunteer if you can, come in once a month or so, help out. The more the neighbors are involved with the schools, the safer people feel. Work a 9-5 and can’t come in? There’s always something you can do to help the PTA raise money. Take part in mom to mom sales, work the concession stand at sporting events, or help with other fundraisers some schools have on weekends..
You want your child’s school to have new classes available, or how about have new technology brought in? Go to the board meetings. Discuss that with with the people that make the decision. Get their emails, get their phone numbers. Share what you find.
You want your district to have better funding? (Don’t we all?) Start writing to legislators. Call your Senator, call your House members, call the Governor.
If you wait around for someone else to do it, you fail your child.
It’s not just this, there are many moving parts here. If your school system is in a city that is collapsing, can you expect the schools to thrive? Your city and schools walk hand in hand. They need each other. They should be working with each other as well. Do you know who your city council members are? Could you identify your Mayor in a line up?
Remember when your child was born and you thought to yourself, “I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure you have the best life possible.” Are you still living up to this?
Norm Stachulski, Parent/School Board Member
Norm's World 