When it comes to determining education policy and funding, the primary focus for elected officials should be on how to provide for students’ educational well-being to help pave the way toward a brighter future.
Public policymakers have the responsibility to support all students in Michigan — regardless of where they attend school. Ensuring every student receives a quality education is critical to promoting the common good. No student’s education is less important, whether he or she attends a public school, a charter school, a religious-based nonpublic school, or any other education option deemed best by the student’s family.
Through the annual state budget process, state lawmakers set priorities that should be funded for the public’s benefit, including education funding. The legislative process that prepares next year’s state budget began earlier this month when the governor proposed her recommendations to the Legislature.
As the MCC has stated in the past, the state budget is a moral statement that clarifies public policymakers’ priorities. It is fitting that supporting the education of the next generation is a perennial priority. After all, the Michigan Constitution states: Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.
Just as supporting education is oriented toward promoting the common good in society, the state budget should mirror that universal approach by supporting the diversity of educational options across the state. While schools may differ in their approaches to curriculum, there are aspects that every school needs to foster a healthy learning environment.
For instance, school safety and the mental health needs of students are a top-of-mind issue for parents and schools alike. All students deserve to learn in a safe environment and have access to the resources they need to work through difficulties. This is true regardless of the school in which students learn.
In recent years, legislators from both parties have funded school safety improvements and mental health services for both public and nonpublic schools. Last session, however, both public and nonpublic schools suffered safety funding cuts in the initial budget approved by lawmakers. Yet while some funding was restored, it was only for public schools; nonpublic schools did not receive a proportional restoration.
This year, working with colleagues at the Michigan Association of Nonpublic Schools, we will continue to advocate for lawmakers to adequately invest in school safety for both public and nonpublic schools.
Another important factor that leads to successful learning environments is access to healthy meals. Regardless of the type of school a child attends, he or she cannot learn well when they are hungry or do not have access to nutritious food.
Unfortunately, nonpublic schools were not included in a recent budget program to expand access to healthy school meals for students, regardless of income. This disparity undermines the stated goal of the program to ensure that every student has access to nutritious food, where sometimes it is not available at home.
Along with student safety, mental health, and healthy food for students, education funding also impacts learning opportunities for teachers. The state has recently made it a priority to increase the number of new teachers in Michigan by offering financial stipends and grants to those who choose the profession.
But the program is limited to only those who go on to teach in public schools, thus minimizing the opportunities for teachers themselves and, more so, the benefit that a greater number of teachers would have for students.
The decisions made by public policy officials in education have a real-world impact, first and foremost on the student. The MCC will continue to encourage lawmakers to take a student-centered approach in their decisions on the upcoming budget, one that accounts for all students in the state.
Paul A. Long is president and CEO of the Michigan Catholic Conference, the official public policy voice of the Catholic Church in this state.
