Today, James Craig toured Detroit Public Safety Academy to “highlight” an “education agenda” that has yet to be identified despite months on the trail – but would be detrimental to public education as we know it based on the little Craig has said on this important issue thus far.
During one of his many softball appearances on national network shows, Craig gave a blanket endorsement for transforming Michigan’s public education system with a DeVos style voucher program, describing his support for a system that would increase educational inequality as “absolute.”
Meanwhile, Governor Whitmer recently vetoed “the latest effort by legislative Republicans to create a school voucher system in Michigan” that could have reduced state investment in education by upwards of $500 million annually. Separately, Whitmer also vetoed a $155 million voucher program in July of this year.
Not only is Governor Whitmer protecting public education in Michigan, she’s also exhibiting the strong leadership that it takes to keep our students first. This year, she secured a bipartisan $17.1 billion dollar public education budget that completely closed a decades-long state funding gap between school districts, making it the “largest investment in PreK-12 schools in state history” — all without raising taxes.
MDP spokesperson Rodericka Applewhaite issued the following statement:
“James Craig’s charter school visits today are a stark reminder of how dangerous his agenda would be for Michigan students and families. He’s already expressed support for a DeVos style voucher scheme that would defund and dismantle public education, increasing inequality for our students. Now, he’s doubling down by committing to change Michigan’s constitution in order to make it happen. In the meantime, our students and educators can count on Governor Whitmer to keep putting them first.”
