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Engler Hits
Political Notes in Final Education Message
from Gongwer News
Service, September 18, 2002
For more articles on disabilities and special ed visit
www.bridges4kids.org.
Governor John Engler, making his last education address at the
Governors Education Summit, hit political notes in calling for
defeat of a ballot proposal he says will doom a state
scholarship program and warning against tweaking Proposal A,
which he recounted as the most significant policy change in
the state in the last four decades. The governor, speaking to
educators from across the state, also praised 29 schools that
he said "beat the odds" by demonstrating improved test scores
even though many of the students are from disadvantaged
backgrounds.
Mr. Engler said Proposal A, adopted by voters in 1994, has
resulted in full funding for schools with the money
distributed more fairly. He noted the gap between rich and
poor districts has shrunk by $1,000 in the nine years from its
adoption to the 2003-04 spending plan for schools already in
place.
"Proposal A, which stabilized school funding and made it
fairer, is without a doubt the greatest achievement in a
generation," the governor said.
But even with test scores up, more choices available to
parents with charter schools and cross-district enrollment,
Mr. Engler said the state is short of his goal of being the
world leader in education.
As for the 29 districts (13 in the Upper Peninsula) that
improved test scores while dealing with high rates of poverty,
the governor said, "I am impressed by the dramatic
improvements in these school districts over the past five
years. Let it be noted: the improvements were achieved without
tweaking Proposal A."
He criticized, without naming, Democratic gubernatorial
candidate Attorney General Jennifer Granholm for calling for
modifications that he said would lead to higher taxes. "When
you hear tweak talk on Proposal A, that's tax talking and
that's the wrong direction," Mr. Engler said.
The Granholm campaign says the changes she would seek would
only permit districts to utilize foundations to enhance
programs and for the state to assist in low-interest loans for
building improvements.
Mr. Engler also urged his audience to work against Proposal 4,
which redirects the state's tobacco settlement money into
health and anti-smoking programs, in part because it would
wipe out the MERIT scholarship program.
Backers of the proposal have accused the state of acting
illegally in sending out letters to students who would receive
the scholarships that they would lose the money if the
constitutional amendment is approved in November, but Mr.
Engler said the state is obligated to warn students that a
ballot proposal could mean the scholarship promise would not
be kept.
"It's very important that we get that message out," he said.
Roger Martin, spokesperson for the proposal, said if that is
true, then the state should also send letters to 45,000 senior
citizens alerting them to the guarantee in the proposal for
funding for a prescription drug program for the next 25 years
and to smokers that funding for tobacco control programs would
be increased to $50 million from $6.5 million. "If someone
would like to call me tomorrow, I would be happy to sit down
and work on language for those letters," he said.
Mr. Engler said future trends in Michigan education will
likely see consolidation of administration functions between
districts, more flexibility in programs tailored more closely
to student needs, and greater use of technology such as the
growing use of advanced placement courses through the Michigan
Virtual University.
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