Michigan governor candidates offer competing plans to improve education outcomes

Michigan is allocating a record $22.9 billion for K-12 education in the next school year, but students rank 44th in fourth-grade reading and 34th in fourth-grade math. Democratic candidates Jocelyn Benson and Chris Swanson advocate for increased school funding with equitable models, while Republican candidates John James, Mike Cox, and Perry Johnson emphasize accountability, literacy instruction, and parental options. Benson proposes a weighted funding model without raising taxes on middle-class families, and Cox suggests assigning school grades and requiring reading proficiency for third-grade advancement.