Virg Bernero
Michigan's gubernatorial primary is Aug. 3 -- and it's important that public education employees go to the polls.
Why?
• Because you understand that a strong economy needs a strong education system. Education is economic development.
• Because the next governor will make important decisions that will impact you and your students.
• Because Michigan needs a leader who believes education should be a top priority -- and then actually makes decisions that support it.
Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero agrees. And that's why MEA members and leaders who serve on the association's Statewide Screening and Recommending Committee voted unanimously to recommend Bernero for governor.
Bernero faces House Speaker Andy Dillon in the Democratic primary. In the Republican primary, five candidates are competing: Mike Bouchard, Mike Cox, Tom George, Pete Hoekstra, and Rick Snyder.
Bernero, 46, is the best candidate for public education in the 2010 election.
As a lawmaker and mayor, Bernero distinguished himself as a leader who shares the values of many working families. He is the son of a GM retiree, an Italian immigrant who lived the American Dream and provided for his family by running a grocery business and then taking a job at GM. Bernero's wife, Teri, is an elementary school principal in Lansing.
Bernero served as a county commissioner, state representative and senator, and as the executive director of a statewide non-profit association that helps families and children with mental illness.
When it comes to public education, Bernero:
• Supports stable, appropriate, and timely funding for education.
• Opposes proposals to force all employees into a state-run health plan.
• Opposes the outsourcing of public school employees' jobs to private companies.
• Recognizes the vital importance of early education for children from birth to age 5 and supports investment in early education programs.
• Believes we need quality alternative educational opportunities for students with disciplinary problems.
• Wants students to have limited classroom sizes and teachers to have quality, up-to-date instructional materials.
In the coming weeks, MEA Votes will provide in-depth information about Bernero's position on key issues, including education funding, public employee health care, and the outsourcing of educational support professionals’ jobs.
School funding: Where does Virg Bernero stand on this key issue?
Public school employees and gubernatorial candidate Virg Bernero have something in common: They understand how important state funding is for students -- and for Michigan.
In fact, Bernero is slated to address thousands of MEA members attending the association's Enough is Enough rally tomorrow in Lansing -- an event that aims to rally support for efforts to secure adequate, stable, and equitable funding for public education.
MEA recommends Bernero, a Democrat who currently serves as mayor of Lansing, in the Aug. 3 gubernatorial primary. Voters will choose between Bernero and House Speaker Andy Dillon. Five Republicans are vying for the Republican nomination.
MEA Votes recently asked Bernero questions about education funding. Here are his answers.
Q: Do you believe that public schools, colleges, and universities need adequate, stable and equitable funding?
A: Stable and equitable education funding is essential to return Michigan to greatness. We must invest in our young people to ensure they are prepared to succeed in the new global economy. Michigan is only as strong as its ability to train, educate and innovate.
Q: Will you protect education funding from further budget cuts?
A: Yes. Education is one area that requires strategic investment, especially in tough times. A strong public education system is also a vital tool for economic development. I am committed to protecting education funding, beginning with pre-K and extending through high school to higher education.
Q: What is your budget experience?
A: As mayor of Lansing, I balanced five straight budgets, on time, without raising taxes and without spending all our reserves. By making the tough choices instead of quick fixes, we reduced the size of government by nearly 20 percent without laying off a single employee and we still have our double-A-plus credit rating.
Q: What is your plan to fix Michigan's broken school funding system?
A: Fixing our school funding system will require careful analysis and reasoned consideration of the alternatives. We must find ways to continue making strategic investments in education that reward innovation, teaching excellence, and student achievement. Our schools must have a predictable, reliable source of funding.
Q: Should money be shifted from the school aid fund to pay for other budget priorities?
A: Absolutely not. While I fully understand the magnitude of our state's fiscal crisis, I am not willing to balance the budget on the backs of young people or teachers.
Q: Michigan voters are open to the idea of using tax increases to help resolve Michigan's budget deficit -- are you open to this idea?
A: I believe we must exhaust all reasonable alternatives before we seek higher taxes. I am willing to consider expanding the sales tax base to certain services with a lower tax rate.
Q: Do you support the four-point priority plan from A Better Michigan Future that calls on the Legislature and governor to implement a graduated income tax, audit government contracts, close tax loopholes and giveaways, and modernize the state's sales tax?
A: I support auditing government contracts and closing tax loopholes and giveaways. As stated above, I am willing to consider changes to the sales tax. I am not supportive of a graduated income tax.
Q: As governor, how quickly will you address the school funding crisis?
A: From day one.
Q: Do you have any plans to make postsecondary education more affordable for students?
A: We must make postsecondary education affordable for all Michigan residents. As governor, I will work with our colleges and universities to freeze tuition. I will find a way to fund the Promise Scholarship. I have also proposed a state bank that would make low-interest loans available to students.
Q: Do you support legislation to require the school aid fund budget to be completed by June 1, so districts know what the per pupil allowance will be?
A: Absolutely. Our school districts have been held hostage as current state lawmakers have failed to complete the budget on time, leaving our school districts playing a guessing game to complete their budgets. This is unfair and unacceptable.
Q: What is your position on Senate Joint Resolution U, which would cut the pay of public employees by 5 percent and impose a wage freeze?
A: I am opposed to legislative mandates that cut and freeze the pay of public employees. We all must make sacrifices in these challenging economic times, but the proper venue for those discussions is at the collective bargaining table, not in the Michigan Legislature.
Q: How would you restore the promise of Proposal A?
A: There are no simple answers to fixing our broken system of funding schools. As governor, I will consult with all stakeholders to determine the best way forward so we can in fact restore the promise of Proposal A.