Cavitt bill supports Northern Michigan, requires regional voices on Board of Ed

Rep. Cam Cavitt and his colleagues have introduced a plan to help Michigan students succeed in school and beyond.

The House Republican education 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 M-STEP 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.

“Michigan’s young people are struggling — from third graders trying to read to recent high school graduates facing the unknown,” Cavitt said. “Meanwhile, staff shortages and red tape only make it harder for teachers to help their students learn. My colleagues and I have laid out a bold education plan to help younger students learn the fundamentals of reading and math while enabling older students to pursue their passions and gain real-world skills that will prepare them for life after graduation. Our plan will support good teachers, get more funds and better resources into our classrooms, and give parents peace of mind that their students are safe at school. Under this plan, educators and parents will be better equipped to put Michigan kids on their unique pathway to success.”

Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, is the lead sponsor of House Bill 5933, which would make Michigan’s Department of Education more responsive to the people of Michigan by ensuring every region of the state has a voice on the State Board of Education. Currently, five of the eight board members live in the metro Detroit counties of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb. Under Cavitt’s plan, the eight board seats would be divided into four districts, with two members from each. Board elections would continue to take place statewide, but nominees for each seat would live in the appropriate district.

“The State Board of Education needs to support students, parents, and teachers in every part of our state, including Northern Michigan,” Cavitt said. “The unique needs of rural students and schools get overlooked far too often. My plan will require geographic diversity to bring better representation to our education system.”

The House Republican plan comes in the early weeks of the new school year and months after the Democrat Legislature passed a dismal education budget 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 House Republican plan 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.

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 House Republican 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. The plan will bring 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, helping parents save money in the process.
• 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.
• Waiving state fees for teachers: To support educators and help address Michigan’s teacher shortage, the plan will eliminate fees for teaching certificate applications, renewals, and endorsements, making it easier for teachers to stay in the profession.
• 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.

Many of the proposals were introduced this month as House Bills 5926-33. The other bills will be formally introduced in the House soon.

Additional details about the education plan are available at gophouse.org/pathways-to-success