State Rep. Ann Bollin, R-Brighton Township, is backing a new plan announced this week to help Michigan students succeed in school and beyond.

The plan focuses on helping students, parents, and teachers through a wide-ranging, cohesive policy strategy. The plan would make schools safer, offer new pathways to graduation and post-high school success, recruit and retain good teachers, help students learn to read well, and provide other supports to deliver a high-quality education in Michigan.

Recent assessment results showed how severely students are struggling with the basics. Three out of five Michigan third graders aren’t proficient in reading and language arts, and seven out of 10 Michigan sixth graders aren’t proficient in math.

“Our students deserve an education that prepares them for real life, not just for standardized tests,” Bollin said. “Right now, too many kids are slipping through the cracks, and that needs to change. This plan is a direct response to the concerns we’ve heard from parents and teachers, and it provides real solutions to the challenges they face every day.”

The announcement comes in the early weeks of the new school year and months after the governor signed a dismal education budget that passed along party lines. The budget provided no increase to core student funding and eliminated 92% of funding for school safety and mental health. It has received harsh criticism from education leaders, who have highlighted the program cuts and layoffs that will result.

The plan Bollin is backing will restore the more than $300 million that Democrats cut from school safety and mental health — providing schools necessary funds to continue upgrading building security, maintain mental health programs, and retain school resource officers and counselors. The reinstated funding would protect students and educators while giving parents peace of mind.

“Parents should never have to worry whether their child has access to a safe environment at school,” Bollin said. “The cuts made in this year’s budget put that at risk. We’re stepping in to fix this and make sure schools can keep guidance counselors and resource officers on staff. Our kids deserve nothing less.”

The plan will also provide new pathways to graduation and enable students to enroll in more career and technical education courses that will develop their skills and interests with an eye toward life after school. Under the plan’s modernized Michigan Merit Curriculum, high schoolers will build on a strong foundation in math, science, English, and social science, with new options for fulfilling some required credits with specialized courses, such as construction math, accounting, computer science, coding, and trade classes.

The plan will further help students, parents, and teachers by:

• Providing tools for teaching the fundamentals: The proposal will ensure that teacher preparation programs focus on evidence-based teaching methods, particularly in reading and math, and brings in subject experts to develop top-tier curriculums.
• Expanding dual enrollment: Expanding dual enrollment to include trade schools will allow students to get a head start on both college and career training.
• Reducing test anxiety: A pilot program will explore alternatives to the M-STEP, spreading testing throughout the year to ease the pressure and give teachers the information they need to help students succeed without endless test prep.
• Supporting balanced teacher-student ratios: A new report will identify best practices for teacher-student ratios, providing schools with a model to follow and parents with transparency on how their local schools compare.
• Recommending curriculum: The plan calls for the Michigan Department of Education to review and recommend research-backed curricula, so teachers will have reliable resources and are not left guessing which materials work.
• Facilitating subject area endorsements: By streamlining the process for teachers to obtain additional subject area endorsements, the plan will help schools fill vacancies while allowing teachers to teach subjects they are qualified in without unnecessary hurdles.
• Freeing up resources for classrooms: The plan will allow for more consolidation of administrative services across districts to redirect more resources toward shrinking class sizes and supporting teachers, instead of inflating bureaucratic costs.

“Not every student’s path looks the same, and that’s something we have to recognize,” Bollin said. “This plan makes sure students have the flexibility to choose a path that works for them – whether it’s a career in skilled trades, pursuing a college degree, or jumping into a high-tech field. We’re preparing them for the real world, and that’s the goal.”

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