Delta Township — Republican candidates to be Michigan’s next governor laid out their plans to overhaul the state’s education system during a forum at a conference for homeschooling families in the Lansing area Saturday.
U.S. Rep. John James of Shelby Township, participated in the event, marking his first appearance at a debate of the 2026 primary race. Former Attorney General Mike Cox of Livonia, state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt of Porter Township and longtime Pastor Ralph Rebandt of Elmira also attended.
Businessman Perry Johnson of Bloomfield Hills was the only Republican contender who wasn’t there. He had a family commitment, his campaign said.
Much of the discussion, which took place inside Mount Hope Church, was cordial among the GOP hopefuls and focused on education policy and social issues, including abortion.
James said if he’s elected in November, he’ll work to ensure the State Board of Education and the state superintendent answer to the governor, something that would likely require an amendment to the Michigan Constitution.
“I’m going to be leading to get the Michigan Board of Education to report to the governor,” James said.
Currently, voters separately elect the eight members of the State Board of Education, which supervises public education and hires the state superintendent. Critics of the setup have said it limits the governor’s ability to influence school policies.
James also said he wants to have reading standards third-grade students must meet before they can move forward to fourth grade.
Nesbitt said he would seek “more open school choice” for families and to rip out “wokism” that, he said, has infiltrated schools and government. The Senate minority leader said he knew of a 12-year-old in Wayne County who was sent to the office because he refused to use they/them pronouns for another student.
“God bless this kid,” Nesbitt said.
Rebandt said he aimed to “dismantle the entire public school system” and rebuild it around parental involvement. The pastor also said he wanted to get Christians involved.
“We need to get back into the school system,” Rebandt told the crowd of about 200 people.
Cox repeatedly detailed his desire to improve Michigan’s student reading scores. Michigan’s average fourth-grade reading score was behind 45 other states in 2024, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
Cox said he wants to grade schools’ performance and get students who are struggling as early as kindergarten tutors.
“We need a winner, and someone who can actually get it done next January,” Cox said.
Where the race stands
Republican and Democratic voters will nominate candidates for governor during the primary election on Aug. 4.
Michigan’s current governor, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, can’t run again because of term limits.
The Saturday event was hosted by Citizens for Traditional Values and the Michigan Christian Homeschool Network. Information displayed at the gathering said all of the candidates for governor had been invited.
There were few criticisms launched of the Republicans against one another during the 90-minute discussion that often centered on faith.
Michigan needs systemic change, contended Rebandt, who said he was there to represent the Lord.
“This is an election to save our state,” Rebandt said.
Nesbitt targeted Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, whom many believe will be her party’s nominee for governor.
“If we think it’s bad now, it’s going to get even worse with Jocelyn Benson,” Nesbitt said.
Trump tuition credit gets support
All four of the GOP candidates said they would opt Michigan into Republican President Donald Trump’s Education Freedom Tax Credit.
Nesbitt and James said it would be among their first priorities.
The program enables donors to receive a federal tax benefit for contributing to nonprofits that grant scholarships to students to pay for education-related expenses, such as textbooks, tutoring and after-school programs. The money could also go to tuition at private and religious schools — an aspect that some Democrats have labeled a voucher-like system.
“This is money that is for you that other states are benefiting from,” James said.
Whitmer hasn’t announced whether she will participate in the Trump initiative, and some school and union groups oppose it.
“By creating incentives for contributions to private scholarship-granting organizations, the program would redirect taxpayer-supported resources and attention away from the public schools that educate the vast majority of Michigan’s students,” a recent letter from a group pf Michigan education organizations said.
Abortion and Planned Parenthood
The four Republican candidates also said they were against state funding going to the abortion rights and health care organization Planned Parenthood.
On the general topic of abortion, Rebandt said the other GOP candidates had consultants telling them “not to talk about abortion.”
In 2022, Michigan voters approved a ballot proposal to enshrine the right to an abortion in the state Constitution and the topic was at the center of Whitmer’s reelection victory that year.
“I cannot sit back and watch people say, ‘Well, it’s in the Constitution,'” Rebandt said. “I’m going to fight about this every day that I’m governor.”
Cox called the 2022 proposal “an abomination that came into our Constitution four years ago.”
James said he will always defend the lives of mothers and babies.
In answering a separate question, James said he plans to be a governor who “will submit the Lord and serve his people.”
cmauger@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Shake up Michigan education system, GOP gov candidates vow at forum
Reporting by Craig Mauger, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
