Opinion: If Michigan wants to lead again, it must reinvest in education’s basics

Michigan has everything it needs to be the best state in the country again. We’ve got smart kids, committed teachers and parents who care deeply about whether schools are actually preparing their children for the real world. But being #1 won’t happen by accident, and it will never happen if we continue to lose sight of the basics. That’s the risk Michigan is taking right now. 

Across the state, school districts are quietly cutting certified librarians and scaling back physical education. These decisions don’t usually generate a lot of noise, but they add up. According to reporting by Bridge Michigan, fewer than 1 in 10 Michigan public schools now has a full-time certified librarian. When schools start treating core supports as optional, students feel it the most. 

To read the full Op-Ed by Michael Markey from Bridge Michigan, please click here.