Four candidates vying to be Michigan’s next governor took to the stage at the MEA Winter Conference in Detroit on Friday in a live forum featuring questions submitted by MEA members across the state.

Hearing candidates talk about education topics for more than an hour gave MEA members a chance to see if those seeking the state’s top office understand the issues and propose solid solutions, said JJ Lockwood, president of the Plymouth-Canton Education Association.

“It was really cool,” Lockwood said. “I brought some people with me (to the conference) this time that have never been to anything like this, so it’s really nice to see something like that go down live for them.”

The event was joined by candidates across the political spectrum, including Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, former Attorney General Mike Cox, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, and former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. All major candidates were invited to participate.

A 20-year educator, Lockwood said in this critical election year he wants to hear detailed plans from candidates on how they will ensure adequate and stable school funding.

“There’s a lot of things we need to be able to do in schools to support kids, and we can’t do that when we don’t know what that funding source is going to look like from year to year to year,” Lockwood said.

Over 1,000 educators filled the room as moderator and Michigan Public radio host Zoe Clark delivered questions from among more than 150 submitted by members ahead of time — on school funding, educator pay, student mental health, universal free school meals, and more.

Watch the forum from the recorded livestream, then share your feedback via this survey. Stay tuned for more coverage from the MEA Winter Conference next week!