A new Michigan coalition is proposing a constitutional amendment to raise $1.7 billion for public schools – something voters should oppose unless the state can prove it will help students, a recent commentary argues.
“More money hasn’t produced better outcomes,” writes Michael J. Reitz of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, noting state taxpayers paid “a record-high $15,000 per student” this year.
“Academic performance is abysmal. The state’s math and reading scores have yet to improve to pre-lockdown levels. Michigan’s fourth-grade reading scores were 44th in the nation, even falling below Mississippi. My colleague Molly Macek notes that only 5% of Detroit fourth graders can read at grade level.”
