Candidate - Michigan
State Board of Education
2004 & 2006
Hello,
My family and I began to home educate our children while we lived in Texas (08/2000
thru 04/2003). Under Texas education law we established and operated our home
school as a private school with subjects in reading, spelling, grammar, math and
good citizenship. There were no requirements for attendance, qualifications,
notice, recordkeeping or testing.
Without any supervision by the Texas Commissioner of Education and/or the Texas
State Board of Education, we successful concluded our eldest daughter's high school
education in April, 2003. She has since completed and Associates of Science
program at Monroe County Community College graduating Cum Laude and is now enrolled
in Eastern Michigan Universities journalism program at Ypsilanti.
Since becoming residents of Michigan in May 2003, we have operated a home education
program providing courses in reading, spelling, mathematics, science, history,
civics, literature, writing and English grammar. We do not operate a home
school as a nonpublic school. There were no requirements for attendance,
qualifications, notice, recordkeeping or testing.
Two more children have completed our home education program, obtained their GEDs
and have enrolled in Monroe County Community College.
Three younger children continue to be enrolled in our home education program.
The 1963 Constitution of Michigan, Article 5, Section 3, states (in part) that, “Leadership
and general supervision over all public education, including adult education and
instructional programs in state institutions, except as to institutions of higher
education granting baccalaureate degrees, is vested in a state board of education.
It shall serve as the general planning and coordinating body for all public
education, including higher education, and shall advise the legislature as to the
financial requirements in connection therewith.”
This constitutional mandate explicitly limits the Board of Education to supervision
of “public education.” So I was surprised in the spring of 2004 when I read on
the State Board of Education web site that this “provision of the State
Constitution means, in effect, that the State Board has many direct supervisory
duties in connection with local school districts and community colleges and
indirect coordinating duties for the four-year state colleges and universities.
Specific state laws and court decisions have detailed the Board's responsibilities and
extended its supervisory powers over nonpublic education.”
I immediately decided that I would support a Libertarian candidate for State Board
of Education or personally seek that office with the explicit purpose of correcting
that error. My 2004 candidacy only received the support of 59,873 voters or
1.2% of all ballots cast for State Board of Education. I could hardly believe
it, but the line about specific state laws and court decisions extending the boards
supervision to nonpublic education was removed.
I again sought office as a member of the State Board of Education in 2006 receiving
the support of 54,838 voters or 1.4% of all ballots cast. My fellow
candidate, Erwin Haas, did slightly better receiving the support of 69,745 voters
or 1.8% of all ballots cast. Third party candidates collectively
received 6.8% of all votes cast for State Board of Education.
It is unlikely that I will be a candidate for the State Board of Education in 2008
or future years. The remainder of this page preserves the information that I
made available to voters about myself and my candidacy in 2006.
Candidate's Formal Education
Bachelors of Science, Business Management (1992)
Park University, Parkville, MO
Magna Cum Laude
Associates of Science, Medical Laboratory Technology (1987)
Community College
of the Air Force, Montgomery, AL
High School Diploma (1979)
Morley-Stanwood
High School, Morley, MI
Honor Roll, Honorary Science Student, Class President
Candidate's Professional Experience
Medical Technology, laboratory, x-ray and EKG services and
analyzer maintenance and repair
Computer Technology, software sales and presales support
Military Service, United States Air Force veteran
honorable discharge, commendation, national defense
Candidate's Birthplace and Hometown
Born in Big Rapids, Mecosta Co, Michigan (1961)
Grew up in the vicinity of Stanwood, Mecosta Co, Michigan
Has resided in Monroe, Monroe Co, Michigan (since 2003)
Candidate's Religious Affiliation
None. The candidate is a Secular Humanist.
Position on Home Education and Nonpublic Education
There is no compelling role for the state of Michigan or the State Board of
Education in taxing, funding, regulating or supervising home education or nonpublic
education. Like many Libertarians, the candidate would prefer that all
education was provided in a free market education system. Innovations and
improvement seldom occur in highly regulated environments. Nonpublic
education models are more likely to produce the highest quality package of services
most demanded by consumers at the best price.
"If you have to tell a lie to tell the truth, it isn't the truth."
The State Board of Education web site states, "Even before statehood, Michigan
was a leader in public education. In 1809 judicial districts created schools and
levied taxes to support them. Twenty years later, The Territorial Council divided
the districts into school districts and gave the State the right to supervise
schools."
Territorial judges ruled that children who had become wards of the court had a
right to an education. The courts ordered taxes to be levied to support
the education of these children. The Territorial Council complied by forming
special taxing districts that corresponded with the judicial districts.
My research has indicated that as late as 1888, the state of Michigan owned and
operated only one primary school located at Coldwater. This which was the
only primary school supervised by the State Board of Education at the time.
However fond Michigan residents may be of the myth of early state involvement in
education, the fact is that education remained primarily a free market activity
throughout all of Michigan's early history. Monroe, Michigan was the home of
a small brick schoolhouse built not by the taxpayers but by the local paper
mill. Parochial schools are in decline but were very important in Monroe's
early history and continue to provide education services to a significant number of
students. Monroe was even the host of a church operated nonpublic college for
women. Many family incomes were supplemented by teaching children at home or
by tutoring.
The promising future that once existed for nonpublic education has been nearly
destroyed by the illusion of a FREE public education system. My candidacy is
in large part about protecting what remains of nonpublic education from State Board
of Education supervision.
Position on Public Education
Like it or not, the Public Education system is here for at least a few more
generations. The residents of the state of Michigan that support the public
school system with their tax dollars and with the patronage of their children, the
school's students, deserve a school system that will provide students with a
quality education without driving the nation, the state and the school district to
financial disaster.
My own public education experience was wonderful. I have always enjoyed
learning and I personally liked my teachers and classmates. Sometimes I feel
that I was in the last generation to benefit from what I call a golden era of
public education. Schools were locally managed, the qualification of school
teachers was higher than for previous generations, a lot of innovation was still
taking place in the education arena.
The priority of schools in the 1960s and 70s was to educate youth; something my
parents referred to as the three Rs: reading, 'riting and 'rithmatic. Schools
had to live within their financial means and did. Schools had to educate
youth and they did.
School Prayer - Pledge of Allegiance - Intelligent Design
Many parents choose nonpublic parochial education as a means of educating their
children in a "Christian" school. Home educators often choose the
home education model for the same reason. In a free market education system
parents would not have any difficulty finding educators with beliefs and values
similar to their own.
I am a secular humanist, an atheist; if my children attended public school I would
not want them subjected to religious promotion as part of the education program.
The most outspoken supporters of school prayer, school pledges and the teaching of
intelligent design would not care to have Hindu prayer wheels in the hallways, they
would not want their children to recite a pledge with the phrase "under
Allah" in it, the would not want the Oriental creation story involving a giant
turtle taught in science class. However the issue is dressed up, it ends up
being religious promotion in a tax-funded institution where most parents feel
compelled to send their children.
Schools need to be a religious neutral zone for children. Prayers can be said
at home. Minors aren't competent under the law to make pledges.
Intelligent design theories can be taught at home. Schools are for education
and churches are for edification. Anyone that can't bear to see the two
separated should feel free to send their children to a parochial school and I will
defend their right to do so with zeal and enthusiasm.
Preferential Treatment Based on Race, Sex, Color, Ethnicity or National Origin
I support the Michigan Civil
Rights Initiative. If adopted, the amendment would, "Prohibit the
University of Michigan, the State, and all other state entities from discriminating
against of granting preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or
national origin."
Sexual Orientation
It is beyond remarkable to me that gender preferences continue to be a serious
issue for many voters. If schools would focus on academics there would be far
less concern over this issue. I do not care what the gender preference of the
math teacher is so long as the students are being taught math and are not being
sexually molested by the teacher.
It is just as true that I do not understand why some people believe that the public
education system should be their tool for promoting their preferred views on gender
preferences. Many people view public education as part of a great social
experiment but I simple see it as a means of educating youth.
Parents should feel free to educate their children at home about many subjects of
controversy, including gender preferences, or to send their children to a private
school that offers courses that are agreeable to the parent's views and I will
defend their right to do so with zeal and enthusiasm.
Parents who send their children to a public school should feel comfortably assured
that their child, regardless of the child's own gender preference, will be safe and
will receive quality academic instruction free of molestation by other students of
by staff members.
School Violence
Recent studies on school violence are very disturbing. It begins at a very
young age with "bullying" and continues throughout a youth's school
experience.
The number one reason for serous school violence among teens initially reported as
"racial differences" was later reported as
"appearance". Apparently many people in the spotlight are reluctant
to admit that race related issues continue to plague our public education system.
The number two cause of school violence was gender preference. Every student
must feel safe in the public school system.
Parental Rights
A school principle once explained to me that the school was my partner in the
raising of my child. I promptly corrected the principle. "My wife
and I are partners", I told him, "You and the others in the school system
are employees."
Every educator must respect parental prerogatives in education. A nonpublic
school understands this very well but sometimes public school officials fail to see
themselves as servants of the people who employ them.
Fiscal Information
In fiscal year 2005, taxes comprised 55.0% of the state's total revenues. The next
largest category of revenues was federal and other operating grants, which
comprised 27.0%. Below is a more complete breakdown of state revenues:
http://www.michigan.gov/budget/0,1607,7-157-40794-139068--F,00.html
In fiscal year 2005, public education accounted for 33.1% of total state spending.
Health services accounted for 23.2% of total state spending. Below is a more
complete breakdown of state spending:
http://www.michigan.gov/budget/0,1607,7-157-40794-139071--F,00.html
In fiscal year 2005, the top three sources of revenue used to fund K-12 education
were sales and use taxes (42.3%), income taxes (15.9%), and property taxes (15.4%).
Below is a more complete breakdown of K-12 funding sources:
http://www.michigan.gov/budget/0,1607,7-157-40794-139075--F,00.html
During fiscal year 2005, the Michigan Lottery contributed $667.6 million to support
K-12 education. Below is a 10-year history of Michigan Lottery contributions to
K-12 education:
http://www.michigan.gov/budget/0,1607,7-157-40794-139076--F,00.html
K-12 spending is the largest single component of the state budget. In fiscal year
2005, Michigan spent $12.4 billion to support K-12 programs. Below is a 10-year
history of K-12 spending:
http://www.michigan.gov/budget/0,1607,7-157-40794-139074--F,00.html
Fiscal Analysis
The public school system is suffering financially because local school boards have
lost control of everything from taxation to spending. The largest and most
significant issue is the acceptance by the state of Michigan and the local school
districts of federal grant money.
It is often said that federal grants can only be paid to states and local school
districts by taxing the people in the state and local school district. If the
problem were only that simple... The federal government collects taxes for one
purpose and one purpose only, to repay its debt. Every tax dollar collected
by the federal government is needed to repay principle and interest on its huge
loan.
So, where does this federal grant money come from? It is loaned into
existence! Accepting federal grants is irresponsible, it generates additional
debt, reduces the value of currency and compromises the constitutionally imposed
limits placed on federal government.
Every federal grant dollar accepted by the state or the local school district comes
with an obligation to operate a program that results in additional expenditures of
funds that must be raised at the state and local school district level.
What is the full cost of accepting federal grant money? I don't know but it
would be one of my highest priorities to find out if I was elected.
The second largest issue is the insatiable apatite of residents for more. In
a private market this insatiable apatite would be curbed by the associated cost but
public education is FREE, While everybody realizes that it isn't really free,
the shark-like frenzy of residents that want more and want someone else to pay for
it continues.
Public education now accounts for 33.1% of state-wide spending and even more when
locally collected revenues and federal grants paid directly to local school
districts is included. It is amazing that many residents of Michigan believe
that the state should spend MORE on education; I will never be the popular choice
of those who believe this.
I have been reviewing documents on the State Board of Education web site and I'm
convinced that every school district is currently employing the most Draconian
measures they can imagine to reduce the cost of education but it just isn't
working. The time has come to think outside the box and look to the past for
understanding of the present.
Judges directed taxes to be collected to provide the children who had no parental
support with an education. The early public education model that most
resembles our current system focused on providing a basic academic education with
some simple and relatively inexpensive extracurricular programs often funded
largely or in part by private donations.
Nonpublic schools offered more and more-expensive services, including more
extravagant extracurricular activities, than public schools and continued to be a
popular alternative for people who had the means to afford them. Nonpublic
schools have also continued to be popular with people who preferred a parochial
education model or were seeking a non-traditional alternatives. Public
schools have behaved as if they were competing with these nonpublic schools.
The result has been higher costs for public schools and unwarranted regulatory
pressure on nonpublic schools.
One of the fastest ways to reduce costs would be to create an environment in which
many people found it attractive to educate their children in a nonpublic school and
to pay for the education themselves. The biggest problem with this approach
is the fact that we reward public schools financially by doing a head count and
that public schools have many fixed expense that extend far into the future that do
not drop with reductions in enrollment ... mainly, debt.
In spite of the financial difficulties for public schools resulting from reduced
enrollment, I remain committed to the idea that nonpublic schools must be sheltered
from state taxation, funding, regulation and supervision. This was the
intention of our founders when they published the following line in the Article of
Compact as part of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.
“Religion, morality and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the
happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be
encouraged.”
For more information on the influence of the Northwest Ordinance of 1887 on public
education, read Non-public
Schools and Home Education: A Position Statement With History, written by
myself on May 9, 2004.
How Can I Support Your Candidacy? or Where Do I Send Money?
You can support my candidacy by joining the Libertarian Party and voting
Libertarian in 2006.
Don't send money, I am will not accept any donations to my candidacy. If
elected to office, I am prepared to serve with distinction however I do not expect
to be elected. Third party candidates generally get about 1.3% of the vote
even when they infuse their campaign with large sums of money and invest tireless
effort in campaigning.
Please send donations to the Libertarian candidate for your state House or Senate
district. Our legislators have more influence over the issues that will
change Michigan's future, especially over the issue of accepting federal grants and
the issue of regulating nonpublic education.
Supporting the candidate for your state House or Senate district will also
help build the party at a level more meaningful to you and will send a strong
signal to the Republican or Democrat that will likely be elected that you want
smaller, less expensive and less intrusive government.
If your supporting a Democrat or a Republican for your state House or Senate
district, let them know that you want Michigan to stop accepting federal grant
money and that you want programs implemented to accept federal grants to be
retired. Also, let them know that you want Michigan to protect its nonpublic
schools and home education programs from taxation, funding, regulation and
supervision by the state.
If You Don't Expect To Be Elected, Why Are You Running?
Every voter that wants government to be smaller, less expensive and less intrusive
deserves to have a candidate to vote for, even if the majority are likely to vote
for someone else.
Every voter that wants to see the State Board of Education take a "hands
off" approach to nonpublic schools and home educators deserves to have a
candidate to vote for, even if the majority are likely to vote fore someone else.
Voters that are willing to support third-party candidates with their vote deserve
to have a qualified candidate that is actually prepared to serve, even if the
third-party candidate is unlikely to be elected.
When third-party candidates begin to get 3%, 5% or 7% of the vote, Republicans and
Democrats will modify their behavior to avoid losing their franchise on public
office.
It sure is funny how candidates who don't expect to win the election measure
success!
Does it really matter whether a Democrat or a Republican get elected? They
will likely do about the same thing once elected. Go ahead ... waste a vote
on someone that you actually agree with!
Links
Michigan Education Report, News and Analysis for Parents,
Educators, and Policy-Makers.
MichiganVotes.org, Michigan's Legislature at your fingertips. Search
through this session's legislation, check your legislator's voting record, or even
stay updated by email as bills move through the legislature.
With Clear Eyes, Sincere Hearts and Open Minds, A Second Look at
Public Education in America, by Mr. Andrew J. Coulson
Seven Principles of Sound Public Policy, Remarks before the
Economic Club of Detroit, by Mr. Lawrence W. Reed
The Six Habits of Fiscally Responsible Public School Districts,
by Dr. Kirk A. Johnson and Ms. Elizabeth Moser
School Choice in Michigan, A Primer for Freedom in Education, by
Mr. Matthew J. Brouillette
Sinking fund legislation could balloon local property tax millages,
by Mr. Jack P. McHugh
Legislative Bill Tracking
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