Mr. McCready: What do you think about public education?

Dear Mr. McCready:

I am writing to you in your capacity as State Representative of the 40th District in Michigan.

I am also writing to you as something of a contemporary: like you, I am a husband and father of two in Bloomfield passing well in to "middle age."

My question is rather straightforward and simple or, at least, it would have been even ten years ago for someone in your role.

Do you support the idea of geographically defined school districts as that has been been interpreted since the 1963 state constitution, an understanding that has allowed Birmingham and Bloomfield to thrive and flourish as communities?

Or do you support Governor Snyder's 2011 call to "unbundle" Districts, a political effort that failed in legislation in December 2012 but has continued in "piecemeal" fashion under his direction since Winter 2013?

As you know, every parent has to plan some education for their children and many like me have worked to be able to choose Bloomfield Schools. But if the Governor's efforts succeed then that option won't be available. If you don't support Districts then the prognosis for survival is not good at all and it would be helpful for my family to know that.

In short, I would like your leadership here.

Public education can survive party battles we grew up with -- pro-union, anti-union, more funding, less funding, etc. -- but it can't survive when the state decides to declare war and end public education as we knew it, particularly when it decides in advance -- like the Governor has -- the whole system is failing.

I hope you see my point and I hope I am not putting you in too difficult a spot. I see this very much as a public matter and am strongly opposed to backdoor political deals when it comes to educating children.

Your predecessor, Chuck Moss, was "torn" about this when confronted with a comparable choice in December 2012. I know he would like another chance to decide again in 2014.

But I voted for you because I hoped someone who benefited from a pre-Prop A Seaholm education and a state subsidized undergraduate education at Western Michigan and someone who had chosen to live and raise his family in this area very much defined by the "schools" would be less conflicted between party politics and community.

I look forward to your answer,

Ken Jackson