Detroit schools are in bad shape academically and financially, but school choice could help save it, according to one Michigan state representative’s plan.
“Any Time, Any Place, Any Way, Any Pace” is a public school learning model championed by state Rep. Tim Kelly, a Republican.
“Funding needs to follow the student,” Kelly wrote in the plan. “This will help facilitate dual enrollment, blended learning, on-line education and early college attendance. Education opportunities should be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”
The plan would get the state government out of the business of telling schools what to do and then let families choose which school works best for them.
Kelly criticizes Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, in his plan. “For the City of Detroit, the governor has since abandoned his announced education policy and replaced it with a command and control education policy reminiscent of the old big city monopoly districts of the last century.” He adds that the governor’s plan would force state taxpayers to bail out Detroit Public Schools and centralize control.
Instead, Kelly proposes to fix the district by expanding school choice for families. “Within available resources, the parent or legal guardian of each child is entitled to choose among available public or nonpublic schools for some or all of the education necessary to develop the child’s intellectual capabilities and vocational skills in a safe and positive environment,” Kelly’s proposal says.
Under the status quo, about one in 20 Detroit high schoolers are proficient in math and science. Only one in three are proficient in reading.
Kelly does not represent any Detroiters in his district, which is slightly more than an hour’s drive from Detroit. Kelly chairs the state House Appropriations Subcommittee on School Aid and is also a member of the House Education Committee.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
