Preparing for the November 5th Election
Over the last few weeks, voters have been subject to an endless barrage of ads interrupting their preferred television programming, political flyers stuffing their mailboxes, and text messages lighting up their cellphone screens. Along the way, they have observed a chaotic and constantly-changing race, which has felt more like a roller coaster ride than a bureaucratic exercise with an “attempted assassination,” the late withdrawal of an incumbent president from the Democratic ticket, and the selection of “the first woman of color…ever to be the [presidential] nominee of a major party” (AP; The Guardian; Vox). Soon, it will all be over. Before that blissful end, though, members of the public will make their voices heard in a collection of important elections on Tuesday, November 5th. While, broadly speaking, K-12 education “has been notably absent from debates, policy platforms, and stump speeches,” each of these races could impact school districts across the state and nation (Education Week; Bridge).
On the federal level, one particular race has captured a significant share of the public’s attention – the “razor-thin” contest between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris (USA Today). So far, the candidates have only offered light discussion of K-12 education and “broad” comments over “detailed policy proposals,” which likely reflects the reality that this topic “has never been the driving issue in presidential elections” and that “schools are largely governed at the state and local levels,” especially “since the Every Student Succeeds Act reduced the federal government’s role in school accountability in 2015” (Education Week). That said, the president can influence some elements of education policy, and these two individuals have starkly different visions to consider. For his part, former President Trump “has said he would eliminate the U.S. Department of Education…called for universal private school choice, proposed allowing parents to elect their school principals, and said he would remove funding from schools that teach critical race theory, ‘radical gender ideology,’ and ‘any other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content’” (Education Week). On the other hand, Vice President Harris “has called for raising teacher pay and pushing back on policies that ban books dealing with race, gender, and sexual orientation” (Education Week). As part of the Biden Administration, she has also “expanded LGBTQ student protections under Title IX, creating rules prohibiting K-12 schools from discriminating against students based on their sexual orientation or gender identity” (Bridge).
Beyond selecting the president, November’s elections could shift Michiganders’ legislative representation. Concerning the U.S. Congress, Democrat Elissa Slotkin is running against Republican Mike Rogers to replace Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow in a “competitive” race “that will [help] determine control of the Senate,” where Democrats currently hold a “slim majority” (Time). When asked about K-12 schools during their final debate, both candidates emphasized the importance of education, but they offered contrasting visions for improving schooling, with Rogers calling for reading intervention programs and Slotkin suggesting that the federal government must boost its financial contribution to schools and raise teacher pay (MLive). As with the nominees in the presidential election and various races for the U.S. House of Representatives, these candidates’ potential impact on K-12 education is likely capped by the reality that while “the federal government provides dedicated funding for certain areas such as educating low-income students,” the majority of “K-12 policy is decided at the state and local level” (MLive).
In terms of these state-level legislative races, the most relevant ones are tied to the Michigan House of Representatives. While the Michigan Senate, which the Democrats “hold a two-seat majority” in, “is not up for election this year,” the stakes of this year’s races for the Michigan House are significant (MLive). After two years of “Democrats hav[ing] controlled state government and passed their priorities and agendas largely unabated,” the party is “heading into the Nov. 5 election with a razor thin 56-54 majority, meaning Republicans only have to flip two seats” (MLive). Structurally, “state lawmakers…make many decisions about funding, teacher pay, and restrictions on curriculum and instruction” (Education Week). Consequently, even though this election will not change Democratic control of the governor’s office and Michigan Senate, the GOP “flip[ing] the state House” would “give them the power to block any legislation they don’t want and stronger input in the next two state budgets,” including in the area of K-12 education across Michigan (MLive).
Finally, November 5th will include some education-specific elections that could influence K-12 schools. First, “the only two Republican members of the [eight-person] State Board of Education are up for reelection” (Chalkbeat Detroit). While this body “has no power to pass laws,” it “can make policy recommendations to legislators and has hiring and firing power over the state superintendent of schools” (Chalkbeat Detroit). To help voters with this down-ballot, less-covered race, education journalists have published an overview of the candidates and a guide to their beliefs. Second, most voters will “have a chance to vote for at least one person who will be tasked with setting the overall direction of [their] local school district” (Chalkbeat Detroit). While turnout is generally low for these races, school board members have crucial duties. They “serve as a liaison between parents, students, the community, and their district;” “hold top administrators accountable;” select “their district’s superintendent;” support “contract negotiations with teachers unions;” “decid[e] which specific curriculum districts will adopt;” “work with district administrators to approve a balanced budget and vote on levying local taxes;” enact or reject “new policies;” make crucial decisions concerning school property and transportation; establish “attendance boundaries within districts;” and “help set long and short-term goals for the district, develop a structure to achieve them, and evaluate results” (Chalkbeat Detroit). As such, local school board officials are seen as “the people with the most power over the day-to-day functioning of a school,” and voters will have a unique opportunity to influence the education policy that most closely impacts them (Education Week).
In preparing for these elections, educators have a few possible roles. First, they are encouraged to make their voices heard and vote. Readers interested in seeing a sample ballot that reflects what they will receive on Election Day can visit the Michigan Voter Information Center. Relatedly, folks with questions about the voting process can explore the State of Michigan’s online guide. Second, educators with students of voting age can help their pupils “make well-informed decisions on their ballots and register to vote” (USA Today). They can also connect students to opportunities to “work the polls” and volunteer with campaigns (USA Today). Finally, teachers might face “the challenging position of helping their students make sense of how history unfolds” (Forbes). While the hope is that these races will run smoothly and peacefully, with certain results announced fairly quickly after the polls close, pundits have already talked about the possibility of “uncertainty” on election night due to “ballot recounts in places with tight margins,” “challenges to voting results in hotly contested districts,” “organized vote count denial,” and “violence related to the election” (Forbes). In such a situation, “leading civic experts” have encouraged educators to remind students that “we’ve weathered big storms before,” explore with their classes what “next chapter[s]” could follow unrest, “act intentionally to improve [their] communities and stay mentally resilient,” model how to “maintain respect across ideological lines,” cover “information literacy,” and be open that “no one knows precisely what will happen” (Forbes).
Regardless of readers’ political preferences and desired candidates, the Office of K-12 Outreach encourages every eligible voter to do so either via absentee voting, early voting, or Election Day voting on Tuesday, November 5th. This civic duty is a powerful chance to inform future education policy and honor the legacy of countless groups who fought to expand voting rights and the representativeness of government. Whatever happens in these elections, their results will be covered in future editions of Capitol Perspectives alongside a discussion of the policies they generate in the years to come.
Considering A Possible Mandate to Extend Computer Science Education
All in all, the Michigan Legislature had a relatively quiet October “with the November election approaching” and “members campaign[ing] for local House races” (MASA 10/25 Legislative Update). That said, the Michigan Senate Education Committee did gather and advance HB 5649 by “a 5-0 vote, with two members passing” (MASA 10/25 Legislative Update). As covered in the June 2024 Capitol Perspectives, this bill would mandate that “public high schools…offer a computer science course” that is “aligned with Michigan’s computer science standards” (MASA 6/21 Legislative Update; Chalkbeat Detroit). Notably, if this proposal is adopted, impacted districts would have until “the start of the 2027-28 school year” to implement this change (Chalkbeat Detroit). Previously, the Michigan House “passed [this bill] with bipartisan support by a vote of 87-22,” meaning that approval of the legislation by the Michigan Senate could bring a significant policy change to K-12 education (WKAR).
As explained by legislative analysts, the proposed policy stems from an observation “that only 55% of Michigan schools offer at least one computer science course” despite the “increasingly” large role of computers in daily life and “in the workplaces of many industries” (Senate Fiscal Agency). Hitherto, supporters have added that beyond preparing students for the rest of their lives and the workforce writ large, the development of computer science skills sets pupils up for “high paying computing jobs open in Michigan” (WKAR; Chalkbeat Detroit). Less enthusiastic about this bill, its opponents have “raised concerns about how creating more requirements would impact schools” (WKAR). Somewhere between these perspectives, a collection of computer science (CS) experts have supported the mission of HB 5649 but raised implementation fears, arguing that state leaders must first address the reality that “Michigan lacks enough qualified teachers to deliver high quality in-person CS instruction” by “develop[ing] a CS teaching certification pathway,” “priotiz[ing] the education of teachers alongside investing in localized curriculum and professional development providers,” supporting “in-person and…high-quality online CS learning environments,” and “tracking what CS education is currently being offered, in what schools, and…who is enrolled in these courses” (Bridge). Looking ahead, what happens in November’s elections will likely inform how open the policy window is for passage of this measure and others.
Identifying Potential Lame-Duck Legislative Priorities
Political commentators have estimated that “legislative activity will remain light until after the election,” but it “could be a busy lame-duck session” (MASA 10/25 Legislative Update). Already, a few topics are receiving some buzz and could be considered more formally over the next few weeks. They include:
- Teacher certification: In October, the Michigan Senate Education Committee voted 6-0, “with one member choosing to pass,” to advance with substitute SB 354, which would “replac[e] current teacher certification exams with a State Board of Education-approved licensing exam” and have “the Superintendent of Public Instruction…establish requirements for licensing for out-of-state teachers” (MASA 10/25 Legislative Update). The measure aims to support “Michigan schools [that] are struggling due to a shortage of certified teachers” (Senate Fiscal Agency). Justification-wise, this bill has been connected to SB 161 and SB 162, which the Michigan Legislature approved in 2023 to increase the supply of quality educators in Michigan by “allowing for three years of experience in lieu of a certification examination, removing requirements to obtain an initial teaching certificate, and expanding reciprocity for teaching certificates to Tribes and other countries” for educators along with school counselors (April 2023 Capitol Perspectives; May 2023 Capitol Perspectives; WWMT; MASA 6/23/23 Legislative Update; June 2023 Capitol Perspectives). To become law, the full state Senate and then the state House still need to consider the proposal (Michigan Legislature).
- Cell phones in schools: In September, HB 5921 was introduced to “require districts and charter schools to entirely ban students in kindergarten through fifth grade from bringing wireless communication devices on school grounds,” prohibit students in grades 6-8 “from using [these devices] during the school day, even during breaks and lunch,” and ban “high schoolers…from using devices during instructional time” (Chalkbeat Detroit). Proponents of the change have argued that “it will improve student mental health, reduce bullying, and keep kids more focused on learning” (Chalkbeat Detroit). Conversely, critics have suggested that such legislation would preempt districts’ “local control” and interfere with parents’ ability to conduct necessary communications with their children (Chalkbeat Detroit). Presently, the bill remains with the Michigan House Committee on Education (Michigan Legislature). Independent of any state requirement, many Michigan districts, including the Westwood Community School District, Flint Community Schools, the Lansing School District, and East Lansing Public Schools, have already adopted cell phone limitations or bans (Bridge; The Detroit Free Press; WKAR). Over the next few weeks, it will become clearer whether there is an appetite for an associated state-level policy.
- School safety: In a list of “legislative leftovers” facing lawmakers for the next few weeks, Bridge flagged a package of bills, including HB 4089, which “continues to languish in the House Education Committee.” Together, the reforms “would outline safety and security training requirements for all security personnel, require tips sent to the OK2Say student safety program be forwarded to authorities within 24 hours, [and] require each intermediate district to employ at least one emergency and safety manager as well as at least one mental health coordinator” (Bridge). Most recently, these safety measures were covered in the March 2024 Capitol Perspectives after the House Education Committee heard testimony on a subset of the bills (MASA 3/22 Legislative Update). That said, they still await greater legislative attention.
For questions or more information, please contact Tyler Thur in the Office of K-12 Outreach at thurtyle@msu.edu.