Essay on Education Policy in Michigan

When local property taxes were the primary source of school funding, districts were financially stable and were able to allocate funds for appropriate spendings. With the limitations set on property taxes, school budgets became dependent on the state’s fluctuating economy and tax collections. Fortunately, in 1988, Proposition 98 was passed, which set a minimum base funding for public schools. This proposition guaranteed funding that would grow each year with the changing economy along with student enrollment. This funding, though managed by the state was a combination of state General Fund and local property tax revenues.

Education is the key to our future and that is why it is such an important subject in the United States. Education relates to federalism by interacting with the national government, state governments, and local governments. Each level of government is responsible for improving education within their limits of power.

America’s school system and student population remains segregated, by race and class. The inequalities that exist in schools today result from more than just poorly managed schools; they reflect the racial and socioeconomic inequities of society as a whole. Most of the problems of schools boil down to either racism in and outside the school or financial disparity between wealthy and poor school districts. Because schools receive funding through local property taxes, low-income communities start at an economic disadvantage. Less funding means fewer resources, lower quality instruction and curricula, and little to no community involvement. Even when low-income schools manage to find adequate funding, the money doesn’t solve all the school’s

If the education system relies most of their funding from taxes, where do they end up getting the rest of the money. The government and administration grant more money to wealthier areas than low -income areas. Wealthier communities are granted more money because they have a higher percentage of funding coming from property taxes. This leaves the low-income students at a disadvantage. People living in low income areas mainly rent and don’t own their own property. As a result of not having a house or owning property, they have little property taxes. If low -income students are not given enough money for funding a school, the students are suffering. With the lack of money causes students to miss out on college prep classes such as AP classes and Honors classes. These classes are pivotal to the students that want to pursue higher education and a road to success. For example students in the low-income areas are given a poor education. They are not given the resources, or quality teachers in order to achieve success. According to George Miller House Education and the Workforce committee, many students are not educationally ready to graduate and attend higher education (Minority 1). This is another reason why low income students should be provided the same classes as a middle class or a wealthier community. In a study, 2 million students in 7,300 schools had no access to all calculus classes, a staple in many high – achieving high schools (Minority 2). Low-income

The situation with Detroit Public Schools has been taking turns for the worse. Every day it seems like something is adding up to the pile of Detroit Public School District issues. DPS has been considered as “The Worst School District” in the country. DPS have been struggling to improve the school district, The district has been trying for decades as nothing has been working. Detroit Public Schools main issues that need to be tackled down includes: unhealthy environments, oversized classrooms, and the district’s unbalance of power.

Read Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol. Kozol examines the inequities in school financing between Urban and suburban schools, Chapter 3 (2 points)

It was with wild fanfare that the state’s Republican legislature and Republican Governor enacted their reforms for the state’s public school system. Among the panaceas was charter schools, a ‘90s education fad that gives individual parents the right to send their children to state-approved public charter schools at public expense. Politicians reasoned that less-bureaucratic charter schools would teach students better than traditional public schools because charter schools wouldn’t be subject to the same mandates that the state had heaped upon public schools. Furthermore, traditional schools would be forced to compete with charter schools as they lured thousands

1.The term "Three Fires" refers to the dominant tribes in Michigan during the early 1600s. The three tribes were:

Michigan is the only state in the union composed to two separated peninsulas. At the closest point, the upper and lower peninsulas are a mere five miles apart. In the early twentieth century, the only way to make the trip across the five miles of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron was to take a boat ride from one side to the other. As businesses expanded and industry grew, the demand to cross the lakes for travel and commerce purposes grew. The only way to cross the lake was by means of a ferry service, which was unable to keep up with consumer demand. Michigan residents were unable to get convenient and frequent transport between the peninsulas. They needed a consistent, fast, and safe way to travel freely from the mainland to the

When determining equity and adequacy fixes for funding public schools in New Jersey and Ohio a framework for assessing must be determined. Starting with equity, both states have a history of litigation that determines the educational objects for the framework. Since the mid-90’s to this decade the most influential New Jersey court decisions are the Abbott v. Burke decisions. The New Jersey Supreme Court ordered the state to bring per-pupil revenues in the low-income Abbott districts up to the per-pupil expenditures of successful suburban districts (National Education Access Network, 2016). In Ohio the DeRolph v. State

Massachusetts has always taken pride in their superior academic standing in comparison to the rest of the nation, showing why there was an upheaval in the system when people began to argue over on how to vote on question two in the election. Question Two focused on expanding the cap on funding for Charter Schools in Massachusetts. This issue was particularly controversial in Massachusetts because not all people are able to recognize the value that Charter Schools hold in expanding the educational opportunities in Massachusetts. Charter schools have proven to have a large impact on educational in urban areas, however charter schools are also extremely beneficial in the suburban communities of Massachusetts. According to Matt Rocheleau from the Boston Globe, “Massachusetts ranks in the top tier nationally when it comes to median household income, but within itself there is a vast range in earnings.” This vast range in income affects many suburban areas in Massachusetts as some communities are at the maximum end of the spectrum, as other suburbs float barley at the middle. Often times, people pin Massachusetts suburbs as white, middle to upper class families with outstanding public schools. However, the gap in average incomes also affects the educational choices for children in these suburban communities, as all of the families in the community are not making the same amount of money. Many of these suburban communities pride themselves in making sure that their children have an

Arizona has failed to provide proper funding for education. This in turn has led to schools not having the proper tools necessary to help their students succeed. In fact, evidence shows that “Despite nearly 20 years of lawsuits that forced the state to provide more-equitable funding for poorer school district. the gap between "have" and "have not" districts is growing again” (Bob Ortega). Fortunately, there are solutions that can help with the Arizona Education Funding crisis.

After analyzing the results of the averages for the five poorest and five richest elementary schools in Columbus, it is clear that an education gap is still very prevalent. As seen in Table 1 below, the five poorest student bodies receive an average of $4939 per student while the five richest schools averaged $6596.2 per student. There is a clear difference here, each student in the richest schools receives, on average, about fifteen hundred more dollars than a student of the poorest schools. In regard to the physical conditions of these schools, Table 1 shows that the poorest schools average a rating, out of one hundred, of 53.4, while the richest schools average a rating of 61.8. Although this gap in physical condition is not huge, it still

Because public school systems are primarily financed by local property taxes, children in low-income, property poor areas, are forced to attend schools with significantly less funding than those in in wealthy, high tax districts. Unfortunately, this can lead to an abundance of poor quality schooling systems concentrated in low-income areas, all plagued with underqualified teachers and critical shortages of academic resources. Faced with this immense disadvantage at such a pivotal stage in their lives, it is no surprise, then, that low-income individuals are often unable to compete with the privileged and heavily prepared students of the upper-class for the jobs necessary to elevate their economic status

Where does all of the money go from the state and federal government that is given to the school district in the name of education for our children? This has long been a debated topic among teachers, administrators, and county stakeholders. Some feel ever dime is spent and accounted for accurately. However, there are others who say “there must be a hole in the bottom of the bucket because our children are not getting what they need or deserve.” In this paper we will look at the issue of schools and money for you to decide whether that money is being spent wisely or not.