Parents' vision for Michigan schools

We propose a better direction for education policy in Michigan: one that focuses on improving schools for all children. Our first duty is to ensure that our local, community-governed public schools can perform their Constitutional mission by providing them with the support and resources they need to serve their students.

#1 We must use our educational goals to determine funding requirements, rather than allow funding levels to entirely determine the shape of education.
Our state needs to focus on practices, here and elsewhere, that are proven to have the greatest long-term benefits for students, and determine what funding would be required.

#2 We must create a funding system that places resources where they are most needed—that is, a funding system that is equitable even when it is not strictly equal.
We need to: fully fund special education; supplement Federal funding for at-risk students to provide adequate services; expand funding for early childhood programs offered by local districts to low-income families.

#3 We must give communities the tools to meet their own local needs by ensuring public community governance of public schools.
Community-governed public schools should be the foundation of our public education system. Ensuring the quality of those schools is our first priority.
Interventions, where necessary, must involve working with and through the local district authorities, democratically elected boards, and members of the community....

Please read the full document, which you can download from the link below.