Michigan gubernatorial candidates gathered Friday morning at the Renaissance Center to pitch their vision for governor in front of statewide educators
The Michigan Education Association converged at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center for an education forum Friday, where candidates were asked questions submitted by members.
Moderator Zoe Clark of Michigan Public Radio said the MEA invited all major party candidates in December.
The Michigan Education Association is the state’s largest teachers union.
The event was moderated by Zoe Clark, political director at Michigan Public, and the candidates answered questions submitted by MEA members.
Participating were Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, former Republican attorney general Mike Cox, Independent former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, the other Democratic candidate.
Questions probed candidates running to be elected to replace term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in November on how they would handle education matters as governor.
Cox, the lone Republican speaking on stage to a crowd of mostly Democratic voters, drew groans after saying he wants to make education “great again” in Michigan and even laughs when suggesting the average teacher with 20 years of experience makes six figures. Cox was answering a question about boosting starting salaries for teachers.
Swanson criticized the comments, saying that some para professionals make $14/hour.
“That’s not okay,” Swanson said.
Benson said she would advocate starting salaries for teachers to start at at least $60,000.
Cox also received criticism from members of the audience for arguing the children of wealthy parents shouldn’t receive free lunch at school, saying it’s a waste of taxpayer dollars. Proponents of universal free school lunch say removing the means test also removes the social stigma that came with receiving free lunches.
All of the other candidates said they supported free lunches.
“I’ve been an educator at the University of Michigan for 28 years in public health. If i want to raise the level of quality of my class in public health, I need the tools and the ability to do that,” Swanson said.
Swanson, viewed as the underdog in the Democratic primary to earn the party’s nomination, echoed sentiment from Duggan that the state’s school aid fund has been used as a slush fund.
Benson, then Duggan, received the loudest applause from the audience when candidates were introduced.
Benson stressed on stage and in her comments to media after the event, that Michigan must approach education funding with an “equitable model.”
“What is needed in a school in Alpena is different than what is needed in a school in Muskegon, and that’s different than what is needed in Detroit, that’s different than what’s necessary in the U.P.,” Benson said.
Benson said while leading Wayne State’s public law school, “I was able to increase our excellence, raise tuition and increase scholarship opportunity.”
She thinks changing the structure of how we’re funding schools is needed in order to make Michigan public education among the best in the nation.
When asked how she would handle immigration enforcement in schools, Benson said she would, “Stand in protecting the residents of this state, even if it means standing up to the president.”
Swanson said that schools and churches shold be off limits for ICE enforcement.
“ICE is doing it wrong. I’ve worked with the FBI, Secret Service, ATF, DEA for 33 years. We work with the most dangerous of cases. We don’t have people protesting us. We don’t have people scared,” Swanson said.
Duggan said he would continue working with ICE at the state level similar to the way he did as mayor, working with the federal agency to help deport criminals.
“We’ve done everything we can to protect our residents from ICE,” Duggan said on stage.
Duggan said the pain ICE enforcement causes when it’s happening in your community “is real.”
His comments, which come days after Duggan condemned the ICE killing of VA nurse Alex Pretti, drew backlash from progressive activists and the Michigan Democratic Party.
Critics say Duggan didn’t do enough as mayor to protect residents from ICE, pointing to the detainment of four DPSCD students, a chaotic immigration raid in Detroit last summer and his unwillingness to speak out against President Donald Trump.
