“The decisions made on Monday were tough and emotional, with so much at stake for the parents, students, teachers, school administrators and superintendents of our state. While the package that was passed by the Legislature offered better outcomes than the original bills we voted on a few weeks ago, the package before us this week fell short of offering our schools the certainty and security they need during a global pandemic.
“While no compromise is ever perfect, burdening our students and teachers with additional standardized testing, rigid school population counts and arbitrary interaction requirements will only force districts to focus more on jumping through hoops during an already extremely stressful time, rather than instructing our students. Monthly School Board votes on already approved plans run the risk of increasing tensions in our communities and causing confusion at a time when we need clarity. Unfortunately, with no federal funding deal on the horizon, Michigan’s schools may be facing historic cuts.
“The choices we make right now will determine how long into the future our students will feel the effects of this crisis. For months now, we had the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with our school teachers and administrators on long-term solutions to the challenges we face, but this plan falls far too short of providing the support our students and teachers need exactly when they need it most.”