GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — State lawmakers visited Brookwood Elementary School Thursday to get feedback from students, teachers and administrators.
Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) and Assistant Majority Leader Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) held the roundtable to learn about how the state can better support school operations and meet education funding needs.
“Kentwood educators and administrators have a lot to be proud of and I thank them for welcoming us into their school for a meaningful discussion about the state of education and where we must go from here,” Sen. Brinks said. “For too long, legislators have prescribed unwanted policies to teachers and schools to drive a certain political narrative. We’re telling teachers, support staff, administrators, students and their parents that their agenda is our agenda and we’re going to work hand-in-hand to strengthen our public schools and set kids up for success.”
“Kentwood Public Schools is recognized across the state and nation for high achievement and unique diversity. As the most diverse district in the state and the seventh-most diverse in the nation, we appreciate the opportunity to share our perspective, experiences and recommendations with our state leaders,” Kevin Polston, Superintendent of KPS, added. “We are grateful for the Legislature’s prompt action on punitive education policies, like the third-grade reading law, and recognition that policy decisions must align with research-based recommendations for the needs of our students. We appreciate [Thursday’s] student- and community-centered conversation to help inform school funding decisions.”
Senator Camilleri is the chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on PreK-12 Education.
Thursday’s stop in Kentwood is part of a larger tour that started earlier in the week.
The statewide education tour aims to get insight from a range of Michigan educators and incorporate their feedback into the forthcoming state budget.
“When it comes to the needs of Michigan students, we want to hear directly from the source, and that’s why I’m going directly to schools across our state. Needs vary from community to community, and even from building to building, and we need a PreK-12 budget that empowers school districts to meet those needs. It’s honest conversations like the one we had [Thursday] that shed light on what we’re doing right as a state and what we can be doing better to support our students and their goals,” Senator Camilleri said.
They discussed many topics at Thursday's roundtable, including third-grade reading retention, needs of English-language learners, teacher support, school safety and school investment needs.
