Michigan students’ access to counselors is one of the worst in the country. According to Ann Arbor School Parents Intent on Racial Equity (AASPIRE) co-founder and Slauson long-term substitute teacher Stacy Ebron, Michigan is only second to Arizona — a ratio of 671 students to one counselor.
Michigan is one of the states with the lowest funding for education.
Community members attended an education event put on by The Student Advocacy Center from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on April 9 to learn about Michigan’s school funding crisis. Key players who were there were the Student Advocacy Center, Ann Arbor Parent Teacher Organization Council PTOC, AASPIRE, Ann Arbor Education Association Action (AAEA) along with support from the Michigan Education Justice Coalition. There were also Ann Arbor School Board Members, Ann Arbor Public Schools District administrators and Michigan politicians.
The event started with a community member talking about her perspective.
“I miss the intervention specialists we had at the schools,” a grandparent of a sixth grader at Tappan Middle School said. “They had sympathy and empathy for our kids. They were who my granddaughter said she could open up to. She has been through trauma. I try to be her biggest supporter. I don’t want my granddaughter left behind, I don’t want any kid left behind. That was the worst mistake they could have made-getting rid of intervention specialists.”
The Ann Arbor Public School District is currently working to fix the $20.5 million deficit they announced last year. The board voted to layoff staff at the end of last school year and eliminated positions like intervention specialists.
AAEA Action Team Chairs Sarah Anton and Dan Crowley were also there.
“I was laid off last year,” Crowley said. “I had to tell students that I couldn’t be part of their club anymore because I had to do countless hours of community organizing to save every job possible. I felt this powerlessness.”
Crowley was one of the teachers who ended up getting a call back for a different position in a different school.
“People who are extraordinary [were] removed from our population without consulting people who are close to the ground,” Crowley said. “I urge you to listen to our parents.”
After a few speakers and attendees were invited to participate in an activity. They made sticky notes about one thing they were worried about for the schools and students and put them on a board.
Photo by Francis Badalamente.
Research shows that additional school resources can improve outcomes for students, particularly low-income students.
According to Education Next, a 10 percent increase in per pupil spending each year for all 21 years of public schools in association with nearly 10 percent higher wages, and a 6.1 point reduction in the annual incidence of adult poverty. A 2019 Policy Brief by the School of Education at Michigan State University said, a 22 percent increase in per-pupil funding directed at low income students can eliminate the achievement gap.”
The fix? A vote and a tax change. The Student Advocacy Center is looking to get 700,000 signatures so that Michigan can have graduated income tax. Thirty-four of the 43 states that have an income tax have already moved to this type of structure.
“We need a formula that is more balanced and equitable for allocation [of funds],” State Senator Jeff Irwin said.
State Representative Carrie Rheingans was also in attendance.
“I’m here in part because I was invited by a constituent, who has a child in the same school my child attends,” Rheingans said. “Middle school students need to tell their parents why they want more funding, especially mental health funding. Even if you can’t vote, it is our job to serve you too.”
Rheingans encouraged middle school students to ask their parents if they would join or take them to talk to their state elected officials who are in charge of the state funding. There is an Advocacy Day event on April 29 12 – 2 p.m. at the State Capital in Lansing being put on by the Michigan Education Justice Justice Coalition to collect signatures for the ballot initiative.
