MEA Votes

Three gubernatorial hopefuls mingled with MEA members at a Detroit reception Friday, part of MEA's Bargaining/Political Action/Public Relations Conference.

Announced candidates for statewide office were invited to the reception, which featured brief question-and-answer sessions with individuals running for some posts, including attorney general and secretary of state. Several hundred education employees attended, too.

"It is important that we as school employees make our voices heard in the political process," MEA President Iris K. Salters told the crowd.

Michigan voters in November will choose a new governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. None of the current officeholders can seek reelection due to term limits.

Democrats Alma Wheeler Smith and Virg Bernero and Republican Pete Hoekstra all hope to be elected governor in November. Among the topics they addressed were Proposal A and Race to the Top.

Moderator Tim Skubick asked the candidates what one thing they'd do as governor to fix Proposal A, a 1994 ballot measure that failed to deliver promised "stable" and "adequate" revenues for school operations.

Hoekstra said he would work with a wide-ranging coalition representing different interests to find a long-term, sustainable solution for school funding. Bernero said he would synchronize state and district budgets; currently, different budget cycles force schools to adopt their budgets before lawmakers decide how much money the state will grant schools.

Smith said that lawmakers must consider revenues to fix the school funding crisis.

"If we're not talking about revenue, we're not talking about reform," Smith said.

On Race to the Top, Smith and Hoekstra agreed that they would not have signed on to the state's application for competitive grants. MEA previously described the plan as "incomplete and flawed."

Hoekstra described Race to the Top as "the son of NCLB," referring to the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which he did not support as a member of Congress. Smith, a state representative, said she voted against six of seven bills that the Legislature adopted related to the Race to the Top application.

Bernero, mayor of Lansing, said he didn't know whether he would've signed Michigan's plan.
Attorney general candidates at MEA's reception included Democrats David Leyton, Genesee County prosecutor, and lawyer Richard Bernstein, chairman of the Wayne State University Board of Governors, who said that he has established an exploratory committee to consider running.

Three candidates for secretary of state attended, including Democrats Jocelyn Benson and Janice Winfrey and Republican Paul Scott. Benson is a lawyer who teaches election law at Wayne State University's Law School. Winfrey is city clerk in Detroit. Scott is a state representative from Grand Blanc.