MEA Part of New Coalition Opposing DeVos’ Voucher Petition Scheme
Michigan educators, parents and families have formed a new coalition opposing Betsy DeVos’ latest school voucher petition drive, and the coalition is actively seeking supporters to help stop this new scheme in its tracks.
Public education advocates announced the coalition, called For MI Kids, For Our Schools, at a virtual media event Wednesday. MEA is part of the growing coalition, which aims to educate Michigan citizens on how DeVos’ voucher proposal would drain $500 million a year from public schools for the benefit of for-profit private schools and their wealthy investors.
The coalition is urging Michigan voters to decline to sign DeVos’ petition and stop her from getting the signatures she needs to put the voucher proposal before the Legislature. Due to a loophole in Michigan law, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer would be unable to veto DeVos’ proposal if her shadowy organization – “Let MI Kids Learn” – is able obtain the required number of signatures and the proposal passes the House and Senate. Paid circulators collecting signatures for the measure can even lie to voters, often couching the measure as, “scholarships for needy kids.”
Rick Catherman, a recently retired Chelsea music teacher who participated in Wednesday’s press conference, pointed out that “teachers, students and parents today are carrying an increasingly heavy load.” He cited the worsening school employee shortage, student mental health, school violence and endless standardized testing as just a few examples.
Catherman said the solution to the challenges facing public education is to provide schools and families with more help and resources — not less.
“The last thing we should be doing is cutting hundreds of millions of dollars from our schools every year and giving it to private for-profit schools — which is what this dangerous voucher proposal does,” he said.
To learn more and get involved, visit ForMiKids.com, including fact sheets, social media shareables and more. Also, be sure to follow the coalition on Facebook.
Stop this anti public education republicano.
Why fund private schools?
Does the proposed money come from student count (FTE)? If so, the money would only come into the budget if you counted those student and only go to where those student go to school. It would not have any negative or positive consequences on the public schools. The only way this would have a negative impact on public schools would be if the funding was NOT based on the student count(FTE) but rather a line item in the budget where only public school FTE was collected..
My public dollars ( taxes) are for public schools.
Your private dollars are for private choices, including private schools.
My public dollars ( taxes) are for public schools, only. You may spend your private dollars on private choices, including private schools.
Betsy DeVos does not know a thing about public education. She’s not a product of public schools and has never set foot in one long enough to know what actually goes on and what teachers have to do and what they put up with. Keep public money out of private schools.
Oh MEA… You had me at “oppose Betsy DeVos.” She and her ilk are no friends of education. They are no friends of educators, and they are no friends of Michigan’s children.
Two thoughts I have are: why not allow the voters to decide the issue? By attempting to keep the vote from the citizens, isn’t that a form of forcing your opinion upon us all? Second question: isn’t the education of our young one of the most important goals of all of us? I’m not suggesting that public nor private education is the preferred choice, but rather… isn’t that a decision for the parents to make based upon what institute provides the best education in the parents opinion?
People have a choice. If you choose to send your child to a private school you do so on your dime.
I will not be signing this proposal. Thank you for bringing this to our attention though I know my daughter who is a school psychologist would be informing me soon as she is well aware of the needs of our school children.