Lansing, Mich., July 22, 2020 — The Michigan House of Representatives narrowly approved a package of bills today aimed at moving Michigan’s public schools toward for-profit privatization in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. State Rep. Sheryl Kennedy (D-Davison), a lifelong teacher and administrator who served on the governor’s Return to Learning Advisory Council, called on her colleagues in the Legislature to instead pursue real solutions to the challenges facing students and teachers.
“The package that came before us today utterly fails to provide any concrete support for Michigan’s students and teachers during this crisis — it’s merely another partisan power grab to privatize public education masquerading as a ‘plan’. If you need any proof that this has nothing to do with addressing the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, you need only look at the fact that these bills aren’t even scheduled to go into effect until the 2021-2022 school year. Michiganders deserve real solutions, right now, not more political theatre. That’s why my colleagues and I are working alongside Michigan students, parents, teachers and administrators — not out of state lobbying groups — to craft a plan that would actually support our children’s education and get them back on the road to success.”
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