Under an intense sun, 10,000 friends and I marched on the Michigan State Capitol to demand increased funding for public education. Here is a little video for your enjoyment.
http://www.wilx.com/home/headlines/1614037.html
We listened as Governor Jennifer Granholm chided the Republicans for not wanting to close tax loopholes that could save the state tens of millions of dollars.. We listened as Democratic legislatures talked about Senate Bill 246 and House Bill 4582 which would guarantee that school funding would at least receive inflationary increases.
http://www.freep.com/news/education/rally20e_20050620.htm
What is really galling to me, however, is the disparity in funding between districts. I teach in a poor, urban district. At least 60 percent of my students do not speak English at home and please do not get me started on administration. If you want to find out more about my district, click here
http://www.hamtramck.k12.mi.us
Anyway, we receive the bare minimum in state funding – $6,700/student. The teachers are represented by the Michigan Association of Teachers (AFT), which represents 41 districts throughout the state of Michigan. Of those 41 districts, 14 receive the same funding my district does, while 2 receive over $10,000/student? Are my students worth less? Of course not. But they receive less as we laid off 30 teachers in November.
Charter schools are swarming like vultures in my district. At this rate, there will be no public schools in my district in about 5 years. The voters will have lost their collective voices. No one knows this is happening.
This is my first diary, I didn’t mean it to be a rant.