Education

Appropriate? Mich. School Students Write Letters to Gov. During Class Time About Budget Cuts

Appropriate? Mich. School Students Write Letters to Gov. During Class Time About Budget Cuts

Screenshot from Wallen Lake School District's website calling parent's to action.

Like many schools throughout the state of Michigan — and around the country for that matter — Walled Lake Consolidated School District in Oakland County, Mich., has suffered budget cuts. With that it has called upon parents of its students to write letters to legislators and Gov. Rick Snyder’s office in protest of the cuts — but parents aren’t the only ones doing the letter writing.

According to Michigan Capitol Confidential, a news service from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, elementary school students spent class time writing letters voicing their dissent over the cuts to the elected officials — and some parent‘s aren’t happy:

Walled Lake parent Ernie Hughes said he didn’t think the assignment was appropriate.

“Don’t bring politics into the school and use the kids as pawns,” Hughes said.

Michigan Capitol Confidential has more on the letter writing, which was confirmed by the school on Thursday:

The students were told the best letters would be forwarded to the governor. One parent said the teachers prepped the students with what the budget cuts entailed because some weren’t aware. Students also were asked to speak in front of their classmates about why they didn’t like the budget cuts.

Parents‘ weren’t the only ones disagreeing with the use of classtime to write such letters:

District Spokesman Judy Evola said in an email it wasn’t appropriate for the elementary age students to write the letters.

“The District neither supports this writing assignment or believes it was age appropriate for elementary students,” she said. “Further, Walled Lake Schools does not blame the governor for the decisions to cut positions and programs in the district for the current year or for the past five years.”

[...]

“It’s completely inappropriate to use students in this way,” [Michael Van Beek, director of education policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy,] wrote in an e-mail. “But if teachers are going to force them to write letters, maybe they should address those letters to union bosses and school board members who maintain and defend an unsustainable cost structure that forces schools to reduce the level of services they can provide to students and taxpayers.”

Here are a few comments on the article:

Appropriate? Mich. School Students Write Letters to Gov. During Class Time About Budget Cuts

Appropriate? Mich. School Students Write Letters to Gov. During Class Time About Budget Cuts

The Michigan Capitol Confidential reports that the school district did have to layoff some teachers due to the budget cuts but Evola is reported as saying the school is committed to “living within our means.” Still, as the publication points out, the school’s website says that cutting funding is “not acceptable” and that the district will be taking action “either by calling or emailing” to protest current and prevent proposed cuts.

At the same time, Snyder announced earlier this week that with some surplus state money, he wants schools to compete for more funding — a growing trend — based on performance.

With Michigan heading into a new budget year without the chronic deficits that plagued it for the past 10 years, Snyder wants to reward schools for how well they educate, not for merely having the best and brightest students. Several states have tied financial incentives to standardized test scores, but Snyder’s plan is somewhat different.

“This year we had a surplus, so we had a lot of requests for funding,” Snyder said. “But good budgeting isn’t about taking that surplus and giving everyone a little bit more money … (it’s about) rewarding success and results.”

While critics praised Snyder for spending more on education, they argued his plan leaves schools without the resources to make the improvements he wants.

“Any money that will be funneled back to our schools is, of course, a step in the right direction,” said state Rep. Ellen Cogen Lipton, the top Democrat on an education spending subcommittee. “However, these funds will only provide the bare minimum in restoring the drastic and unnecessary attack on our children’s education that left our schools to increase class sizes and without money for books, teaching materials and support staff.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Do you think students should be allowed to use class time to write letters to legislative officials?

Comments (94)

1 2 3
  • ddg7
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 8:07pm

    Do you know how a letter from Michigan school children TO THE unions begins?

    “Enclosed, please find my lunch money. Please don’t beat up my daddy!”

    Report Post »  
    • the_truth_or_not
      Posted on February 11, 2012 at 7:20am

      I think that you are absolutely right!

      Report Post » the_truth_or_not  
    • Secret Squirrel
      Posted on February 11, 2012 at 11:59am

      .
      “Students Write Letters”
      Wait a minute! I’m calling B.S.
      Kids in gub‘ment school can’t write.
      Somebody wrote them for them.

      Report Post » Secret Squirrel  
    • Secret Squirrel
      Posted on February 11, 2012 at 12:02pm

      .
      Deer Guv.
      I be in yo school. Send me some of dat Obama money.
      I needs some new Air Jordans.

      Report Post » Secret Squirrel  
  • I.Gaspar
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 8:03pm

    Their education is in jeopardy as long as the progressives and the unions control public education.

    Report Post »  
    • progressiveslayer
      Posted on February 10, 2012 at 8:33pm

      That‘s it in a nutshell with these teacher’s unions,and the only way to get rid of these bad teachers,which is most of them is to abolish the teacher’s union.The government shouldn’t be in the business of teaching kids anything,it always ends bad.

      Report Post » progressiveslayer  
    • GrayPanther
      Posted on February 11, 2012 at 9:23am

      Amen to that! As a former resident of Michigan, the state has ALWAYS been in the hands of organized labor. Only a ball busting effort by the new governor and Tea Party faithful will do. Look to Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin, people of Michigan and help the cause. If not YOU, who? If not NOW, when?

      Report Post » GrayPanther  
  • lukerw
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 7:42pm

    If they have Time to do this… Cut their Funding!!!

    Report Post » lukerw  
    • MCDAVE
      Posted on February 10, 2012 at 8:21pm

      Its always been the strategy of government to cut funding on necessary services first..god forbid they cut welfare having said that,I do applaud his efforts to live in a budget

      Report Post »  
  • nighttrainno9
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 7:33pm

    This is exactly why we need to fire every teacher currently teaching.
    It’s not readin, writin and arithmitic anymore. It’s all political
    agenda and global warming, teachers today are worthless and you
    only have to look to the dumbed down children to see it.
    Kids are graduating that cannot read, cannot write a legibal
    sentence and can’t make change.

    Report Post »  
    • db321
      Posted on February 10, 2012 at 7:59pm

      nighttrainno9 – I agree! Too think these teachers look everyday square into the eyes of the kids that will have to one day pay for the ridiculous spending of Teachers and their rip off union thugs. Shane on Teachers.

      This Teacher should ask their students to wright a letter to the Union Thugs asking them what do they do for their Teachers other than get a peace of their salary and BK the Government.

      Report Post » db321  
  • Patriot Z
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 7:22pm

    its not appropriate. Teaching kids about politics is a wonderful thing and neccesary when you want to live in a free society. HOWEVER, the unions and teachers are using kids as foot soldiers for their agenda and not telling them the whole story or all the facts. they should be fired for it. any teacher or school official who uses class time to have their students engage in political games , regardless of the side, needs to be diciplined. kids need to be getting the ‘3 ’R‘s’ down NOT writing letters so their teachers extravagant benefits can be made even bigger.

    Report Post » Patriot Z  
  • PFN
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 7:21pm

    Government sponsored public educational brainwashing. Nothing more, nothing less.

    Report Post »  
  • hoopsgulch
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 7:15pm

    Dirtbag union thugs.

    Report Post »  
  • Baddoggy
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 7:11pm

    I am sure that the kid that would write to them to tell them to balance the budget will get an F.

    Report Post » Baddoggy  
  • disenlightened
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:47pm

    So many teachers today. If they’re not raping their students, they’re using them to get raises. I can describe only with the same vulgar terms I’d use for pedophiles.

    Report Post » disenlightened  
  • rbcintexas
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:44pm

    This is a prime example of our schools being used as indoctrination camps instead of educational facilities. Every teacher that asked a student to write a letter should be fired immediately.

    Report Post » rbcintexas  
  • Fightforlife
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:42pm

    I think we should look into some “separation between school and state legislation”

    Report Post » Fightforlife  
    • CatB
      Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:48pm

      Oakland Co….. DETROIT!

      Report Post »  
    • Ray2447
      Posted on February 10, 2012 at 7:38pm

      When taxpayer paid teachers have their students write letters in support of the corrupt, Marxist based, educational system, that’s an enormous conflict of interest. Many, if not most, public education teachers in America are Democrat party shills who are working primarily for their own financial self interests over student’s educations. Public employee teacher‘s unions are the enemies of student’s educations. It’s no wonder these public education systems turn out so many brainwashed, leftist “graduates” who can barely read and write, or do math. I’m sick of these overpaid, Democrat party hacks, pushing their leftist agenda in classrooms, instead of teaching – as shown in “Marxist Valley College” at Youtube. http://tinyurl.com/7gpjp44

      Report Post »  
    • joanct
      Posted on February 10, 2012 at 10:05pm

      Very clever!

      Report Post »  
  • EKV
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:33pm

    As a parent of one of the Walled Lake students who was seduced into writing one of these letters, I know that the teacher spent class time over the past 5 DAYS working on these letters, which the district then said wouldn’t be sent to the governor. Now they’re talking about sending in a video instead.

    Our child knows her parent’s political views. Yet because she wanted to please her teacher, she wrote a letter to Governor Snyder saying how she didn’t like the budget cuts and how they could be changed. In the evening, she told us and we sent an email to the teacher with the Detroit Free Press article on how the Governor has increased funds. That information probably didn’t get through to the students.

    Strangely, the teachers are more concerned about themselves than the students. They’re also willing to manipulate their students for their own financial gain. These are the people we trust with our children every day. Next fall, we will be out of the public school system entirely.

     
    • CatB
      Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:57pm

      Good for you! I also pulled my son our of Michigan Public Schools .. a long time ago .. I got sick of the me me me teachers who failed to “teach” but were very interested in idoctrination and more perks. They actually called when the new school year started … they apparently didn‘t believe me that he was leaving and only cared when he wasn’t going to be in the count for the MONEY!

      Report Post »  
    • kentuckypatriot
      Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:58pm

      I’m thrilled you are standing your ground. You don’t seem like the type of person to be bullyed. Way to go. Good luck in non public school, or home school, which ever works best!!

      Report Post » kentuckypatriot  
    • sta
      Posted on February 10, 2012 at 9:22pm

      That’s why I homeschool here in Macomb county.

      Report Post »  
    • jaylew
      Posted on February 11, 2012 at 5:16am

      What I would like to know is why Michigan keeps re-electing the likes of Carl “I got these cheap glasses from K-mart” Levin, John “my wife is in jail” Conyers, Dick “dick” Durbin… the prior governor was a canadian….the 3 prior mayors of Detroit who have all been convicted or jailed of felonies……why why why does Detroit continue to be the poster child city of “How Not To Do It”? I just don’t get Michigan politically at all. As a person in Pennsylvania with no roots in Detroit…I do read the Detroit Free Press everyday and post on their forum often….if for no other reason than to beg anyone from there for an answer as to why the same do-nothing politicians keep getting re-elected over and over. The median price of a inner city house in Detroit is barely 7 thousand…that’s seven thousand dollars…less than a crumby used car or four 22 inch Lincoln Navigator wheels. Michigan is a place that has become truly sad to watch the last 10 years for sure….and now this letter writing thing? I really feel bad for hard working people who live in Michigan. Someday I hope the state restores it’s once famous and very proud luster. But for now….it is just so sad. Using kids to write the Republican governor…when we all know not once did those same teachers compel the kids to write whiny letters to the previous Democrat governor Jennifer (The Canadian) Granholm who is doing what now after her term limit? Teaching at USC Berkeley of course. Truly sad.

      Report Post » jaylew  
  • jonhova
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:31pm

    Not appropriate.
    Not as inappropriate as: “mmm mmm mmm barack hussein obama”…remember that little Public School number? After watching 1984 on Netflix last night I think another firearm purchase is necessary. Need more ammo too…much more ammo.

    Report Post »  
  • Patriotmom54
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:26pm

    As a 12 year veteran of a public school board, my opinion is that this is TOTALLY inappropriate and should not be allowed. Politics like this should not be in the schools. Mackinac Center is exactly right….if these teachers weren’t demanding pensions and benefits that were unsustainable there would not be a problem with school budgets. Only UNIONs continue to expect and receive increases in a very bad economy. I’m so sick of this attitude and how public schools are being turned into political propaganda machines to benefit teachers and the hell with students. So much for putting kids first!

    Report Post »  
  • glashole
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:25pm

    This is great, where else should this be taught, the Church? There goes the churches exempetion because of that. If kids are taught abuolt our political process in school, then there would be a much better educated voting populous.

    Report Post » glashole  
    • concealled9mms
      Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:34pm

      i think you mispelled your name shouldnt it be *******

      Report Post »  
    • spirited
      Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:49pm

      You are correct! –As long as what is taught is done with objectivity ….history ……facts.
      Teach about various countries’ governments; sucesses and failures …but mostly, our own.

      >Otherwise, give each political ‘side’ equal school room time. (period)

      Report Post » spirited  
    • glashole
      Posted on February 10, 2012 at 7:00pm

      @Con man 9mm

      Really, are you an uneductaed voter, Idiot or just a cluesess citizen? I for one wish that I was taught well about our system of government in the government school I was indoctinated by. That said, I now have my kids in private school, and they arre learnig about our system, so that they are able to understand the constitution and corruption. I hope you are not too quick to judge others who love this country, and hope for a better educated voting population. How are you helping educate others, are you attending the opportunities to become involved in the “system” of our next election, or are you all talk?

      Report Post » glashole  
    • Mtroom
      Posted on February 11, 2012 at 1:25pm

      @glashole…School or church?…Those are the only two you can come up with to teach your children?…Than you go off and say this…”Really, are you an uneductaed voter, Idiot or just a cluesess citizen?” (it’s clueless by the way)..Sounds to me you learned nothing of life, just what the books from the church and schools taught you…I teach my child..Have you ever thought of that?. You as a parent…It isn‘t anyone’s job but the parent..Not the government, not the school, not the church…It’s my job to make sure MY child is ready for the world…The school and church help ME accomplish this..Not the other way around…You sound educated, but you lost common sense somewhere along the way..Did the school or the church rob you of that?..How many questions did you answer for your child today?..Home is where they should learn the most..Stop expecting someone else to raise your children..It’s not their job.

      Report Post » Mtroom  
    • glashole
      Posted on February 11, 2012 at 6:15pm

      @ MTROOM
      Yes we do a significant amount ot teaching in our home, and we are very blessed to be in a community of God fearing, constitution loving teachers and other parents who are using other formats to help educate our children. We all realize that no one knows everything and between Chruch, school, other families and programs like TeenPact, and World View Academy, we beleive our children are far better prepared to take on the world than the government and many private schools can provide. We also teach them many crazy things like how to hold a rifle and pistol, and how to use the wooden dummy for training in self defense. So to answer your question, yes private school and church are the beggining and very important part of how we are preparing our children to be leaders.

      Report Post » glashole  
    • Mtroom
      Posted on February 12, 2012 at 12:52am

      @ Glashole…Very nice…I hope our children can come together better than this generation…Teach them well, they will need it.

      Report Post » Mtroom  
    • yohannbiimu
      Posted on February 13, 2012 at 1:32pm

      Glashole, our system of government isn‘t even what it’s supposed to be. We escaped Europe in order to leave the autocrats who were subjugating us, and we’ve BECOME even worse than the nations that we left. If kids were learning our ORIGINAL system of government (formed to protect the rights of all citizens with a rule of law, rather than the dictates of a mob or an oligarchy), then I would agree with you. They aren’t being taught the truth of our REPUBLIC (rather than tyrannical democracy or oligarchy), so they are being indoctrinated into believing that the United States is something else. Why would I want children to support tyranny, over protection of the rights of citizens under a standard of laws against the power-hungry or the mob?

      Report Post » yohannbiimu  
  • Scottscobig
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:20pm

    johntaylorgatto.com

    Get the real story and history of our govt school system from a 30 year veteran teacher.

    Our schools are like any bureaucratic beast. The beast seeks only to protect and increase its power.

    Come on, people. THINK. Do you need your money to be taken from you and spent on your kids’ behalf for their education? Hell, no! The schools…that’s where they begin to sow the seeds of dependency on a central authority figure, the teacher, who’ll be replaced in the future by the union boss. It’s institutionalized socialism. Cradle to grave begins in the schools. Shut them down!

    Report Post »  
  • Wartface
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:20pm

    Unions suck…!!!!

    Report Post »  
  • HKS
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:20pm

    Is this not a violation of child labor laws? If conservatives were involved it would be. Just sayin.

    Report Post » HKS  
  • NancyBee
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:11pm

    They are hitting us from all sides…and they are not going to stop…we must stand up against them

    Report Post » NancyBee  
  • spirited
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:10pm

    Keep it coming! –They are getting the message out themselves.

    Asking parents AND little kids to write letters. More of the “Yes WE Can”. Ha! –not funny.

    Guess it didn’t occur to them that many of those parents have been directly affected by the housing scam, increased national debt, job losses, investment losses, injured or killed family member and/or friend’s –due to on-going war, etc…. negative proganda.
    Heck, there are so many problems; didn’t it occur to them that people have gotten tired of words….promises, party-politics, blaming somone else –and being used???

    Keep it coming.

    >Can’t wait to see and hear how the millIONS of Obama campaign money is spent.

    Report Post » spirited  
  • Hoosier
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:09pm

    Seems ok if the teacher can be impartial.

    Report Post » Hoosier  
  • grandmaof5
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:05pm

    I‘m sure there isn’t even a P.S. mentioning the ongoing pensions the teacher’s/public unions have set up and all the other perks that are draining the coffers dry. It is amazing (not really) that they overlook this small fact.

    Report Post »  
  • Lawrence7
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:05pm

    That’s right. Politics has no place in public education, unless you’re liberal and Aetheist. Then it’s okay.

    Report Post »  
  • HKS
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:01pm

    Did the unions pay for that labor? Is it not the unions and its members that are benefiting from such an exercise? If this was a gainful employer pulling such a stunt the sky would be falling. Where is the outrage? Wonder why Michigan is dying? Wake up or die.

    Report Post » HKS  
    • 2theADDLED
      Posted on February 10, 2012 at 6:40pm

      Believe me Michigan is awake and the left is screaming because the new Governor is a republican and are no longer courted to. I see a lot of the old Governor Granholm’s tactics in Obama simply raise taxes on every aspect of your life. I wonder if that is where he gets some of his ideas. Tax us until we can’t be taxed no more. They have have always used the kids, Police and firefighters as a tool to get their way I don’t think Governor Snyder is playing there game and they despise him like Governor Walker in Wisconsin.

      Report Post »  
  • smood8
    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 5:54pm

    Bout 6 or so years ago while we were living in Las Vegas, our daughter’s teacher at Centennial High School did a 2 day education on overpopulation and abortion complete with articles that our daughter shared with us and a demonstration having the kids all stand on one side of the room and show the numbers if they had babies and had them walk across the room to demonstrate. At the completion she had all of the kids write a letter to our Senators about the benefits of abortion and so on. When my husband and I found out, we made calls, faxed a letter or two and tried to raise awareness. The crazy thing is is that people who had kids in that class with the same beliefs as us, wrote it off as no big deal and just a weird teacher. Two years later she was gone. Thank goodness. Progressives at work. . . .

    Report Post »  
1 2 3

Sign In To Post Comments! Sign In

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!

Glenn Beck Radio

Listen to Glenn Beck 24/7 Listen Now
Restoring Love