As you probably know, Governor Rick Snyder gave his annual State of the State address this evening, and I am continually disappointed in the lack of emphasis Governor Snyder has placed on educational funding.
Governor Snyder continues to sign bills into law that drastically cut into our state’s education funding. The legislature and Governor Snyder have cut $470 dollars per student from education funding, which proves to be detrimental to our public education system.
Because schools have less funding from the state legislature, school districts are forced to make funding cuts that are directly impacting to the educational process.
When school districts have less money, that means they also have less funding to pay for teachers. This means less jobs for qualified students, and it turns bright teachers away from Michigan.
As a public high school student, I see the negative effects that occur when schools have to cut teachers. Teachers are forced to teach more classes, and are encouraged to teach right to the test instead of emphasizing intellectual growth. Not only are teachers overworked because they have to teach too many classes, there are also too many students in their classes.
When I was in elementary school, before drastic cuts in funding, 20 students in a single class was considered a big class. Now, in the same school district, I have advanced level classes with over 30 students in them. That doesn’t compute for me.
Large class sizes not only make it harder for teachers to teach, but also harder for students to learn. It is practically impossible to have an engaging classroom discussion, when there are over 30 students in the class. Not to mention the fact that teachers are not able to give the students in such large classes the individual attention they need to be successful.
This also takes away from the relationships between students and staff members, which are so instrumental to a good education. Because teachers are so worn out by the rigor of the teaching schedule and the large class sizes, they lack the time and energy to develop strong relationships with students.
It is clear the public shares our campaign’s views on the detrimental effects of cutting education funding. The Kalamazoo Gazette indicated in a poll that 71% of Michigan residents are opposed to the educational funding cuts. The public understands that Governor Snyder and our legislature need to stop letting special interest groups drudge out money from our public education system.
With technology on the rise, our school districts need funding to buy the technological supplies that will allow students to be adept in the areas of new technology. Technology is one of the fastest growing industries and by continually cutting our public education funding, Governor Snyder and our legislature is taking way from our students access to technology.
Michigan needs a strong public education system because without a strong public education system, we are taking away from the future of our state. My fellow students are the future of our state and by taking away the opportunities made available to us through public education.
When Jon Hoadley is elected as State Representative of the 60th District, he will fight to stop the public education funding cuts. Jon grew up in a family of teachers - his parents are educators and his sister is a teacher - so Jon understands the importance of funding our educational system. By supporting Jon Hoadley, you are supporting a candidate who will fight against Governor Snyder and his outrageous stance against education.