Strengthening Our Schools

I am committed to making a change and strengthening our schools so our students can compete for the good-paying jobs of the 21st-Century. My plan will strengthen our schools at all levels, from before kindergarten "when children are most prepared to learn" to higher education, which is a necessity today to get the high-tech, high-skills jobs of the 21st Century.

This is my plan:

Strengthen the Michigan Merit Scholarship

  • Students will get up to $4,000 when they complete two years of higher or advanced education, such as college, or an associate's degree at community college or technical training.
  • The strengthened Merit Scholarship will keep students in college and significantly increase the number of Michigan citizens with college education or advanced training a key step in strengthening Michigan's workforce and our economy.

Zero-interest college loans
  • Students who take their first jobs in Michigan and stay for 5 years will pay no interest on any college loans when they study in high-growth, high-tech fields like biomedical science, computer science and science technologies.

Protect the School Aid Fund
  • Our plan will block efforts to raid money for K-12 students. Legislators must not take money from our students to pay for other budget items.

Expand high-quality early education
  • In the Legislature, I sponsored legislation that would double the number of children in Michigan's School Readiness Program to 50,000. The goal is to give all our children access to preschool.