Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan once again highlighted his plan for turning around Michigan’s education system if elected as the state’s first independent governor, vowing to protect K-12 education funding, deliver a state budget for school districts on time and fire school administrators for poor student performance.
Over 60% of third graders did not score proficient on the state’s 2025 M-STEP assessment. Duggan highlighted other troubling numbers, such as Michigan’s fall in fourth grade reading scores compared to other states to landing 44th in 2024, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
“We have a system that’s broken,” Duggan said during an Oct. 28 event at Macomb Community College, where he addressed a room of educators and school administrators. “Problem’s not our children. Problem’s not our educators,” Duggan said later.
His plan promises more funding for education with some strings. He told reporters he has had lots of conversations with superintendents, telling them, “if you want the funding, you want the control, it comes with accountability,” he said. “The public will invest in education if they believe the education system’s accountable for the results.”
Under his watch, Duggan promised a phased in plan to ensure Michigan’s School Aid Fund exclusively funds K-12 education unless student outcomes significantly improve.
His promise comes on the heels of a new state budget approved by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer that appropriates a record level of School Aid funding for post-secondary education, a move that concerns some education advocates. In response to revenue constraints during the Great Recession, state leaders used School Aid Fund dollars to support post-secondary education as a temporary move but have since made the funding shift common practice, according to a Michigan House Fiscal Agency analysis. Duggan said “nothing makes me angrier,” and that a change doesn’t have to pit K-12 against other education funding, saying cuts could come from elsewhere.
Robert McCann, executive director of The K-12 Alliance of Michigan, said the 15-year-long practice of raiding the school aid fund has meant “fewer resources to our classrooms.”
“If we want to really start investing in our schools and our students, then the first thing that someone can do is put a stop to that and say that the money that’s supposed to go to our schools will go to our schools, period,” he said.
During the event, Duggan reiterated his previous call to suspend lawmakers’ pay if they don’t pass a budget on time and said the governor and lieutenant governor should forgo pay too. Such a move would require approval from legislators currently divided on the idea. The budget impasse this legislative session forced school leaders to begin a new school year without knowing the resources they would have from the state.
In addition to trying to hold lawmakers accountable for passing a state spending plan on time, Duggan outlined his plan to give school administrators a runway to improve student outcomes before firing them, which would give school districts some say in their accountability measures.
Duggan acknowledged that the idea is controversial, but he said if education is properly funded, most school administrators shouldn’t have a problem. He likened his proposal for holding educators accountable to how business leaders are held responsible for losing money. When Duggan asked superintendents in the room whether they would sign up for his accountability plan, he had few takers.
Traverse City Area Public Schools Superintendent John VanWagoner raised concerns about the current testing system, saying the M-STEP doesn’t take place until the end of the school year, with results coming out a few months later. He called the test “an autopsy” that doesn’t leave room for interventions during the school year. He expressed openness to Duggan’s plan if it includes changes to the testing system.
Michigan Education Association President Chandra Madafferi attended the event but declined to comment on Duggan’s proposal.
Finally, Duggan said he wants to focus on beefing up Michigan’s career and technical education offerings with increased funding.
Some of Duggan’s opponents in the race to replace Whitmer — who cannot run again — have unveiled their own education plans. The Democratic race features Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson. The GOP side includes former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, U.S. Rep. John James, of Shelby Township, former Michigan House Speaker Tom Leonard of DeWitt and Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, of Porter Township.
Staff writer Lily Altavena contributed to this report
Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Firing administrators, dedicating dollars: Duggan fleshes out education plan
Reporting by Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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