Goodrich – Local parents and teachers plan to demonstrate the need for school funding in a statewide march on Lansing next week.
Students recently brought home letters and maps urging parents to join the June 21 march, said parent Rita Kamieniecki, an organizer of the effort.
‘There are problems with how (education) is funded and we want legislators to make students a priority,? she said.
The march is sponsored by the K-16 Coalition for Michigan’s Future, a group comprised of statewide organizations representing school teachers, administrators, boards, business personnel, colleges, and professors. Also represented are the Michigan Education Association (MEA), MEA retirees, and the Michigan Parent Teacher Student Association.
The coalition supports a joint resolution introduced this spring in the Michigan Senate and House of Representatives, dubbed the ‘educational funding guarantee law?.
The bills, if passed, would create a school aid stabilization fund for Michigan K-12 public schools, community colleges, and universities, guaranteeing funding increases up to 5 percent each year.
Parents and educators will meet at 10 a.m. in the Goodrich High School parking lot to carpool to Lansing for a 1 p.m. pre-rally, with the march from the Lansing Center to the Capitol steps beginning at 2 p.m.
Participants are encouraged to make personalized signs to demonstrate school funding needs to legislators, said Kamieniecki, whose family chose to stay in Michigan partially because of school quality.
‘We see that being affected and changing, and we want to make a difference.?
Registration forms are available online at http://www.MichiganK16.org. More information is available at http://www.stopschoolcuts.com or send an e-mail to rskami@centurytel.net.