When elected officials start playing word games with children’s well-being, it’s time to call it what it is: disingenuous, dangerous, and unacceptable.
Recently, state Rep. Ann Bollin (R-Brighton Township) misquoted the Michigan Education Association (MEA), twisting a statement about scheduling professional development for staff into a justification for not feeding hungry kids. That’s not just “taking things out of context.” That’s using dishonesty as a political weapon — and kids end up as collateral damage.
Here’s the truth. The MEA made it clear: “We do believe in local control — and we believe the state has a responsibility to every Michigan student to provide the resources to succeed, including school meals, special education support, and more. Those aren’t mutually exclusive ideas.”
But Bollin isn’t interested in the whole truth. She wants you to believe this education budget is an “increase” in per-pupil funding. In reality, it eliminates dozens of critical programs by rolling them all into one bucket (Section 22f), with no guarantees for how that money is spent.
Here’s what gets lost in that shell game:
- Universal school breakfast and lunch
- Early childhood supports like Great Start Collaboratives and home visiting
- Career & Technical Education (CTE) and Early/Middle College programs
- Per-pupil mental health and school safety grants
- Adult Education
- Special Education equalization & incentive funding
- Vision, hearing, and dental screenings
- Out-of-School Time programs
- Early literacy teacher coaches
- College & Career prep initiatives
…and more.
These aren’t luxuries. They are the basics that help children succeed, families stay afloat, and schools function. When kids can eat, learn, and feel safe, they thrive. And when children thrive, so does our entire community.
We have the data to prove it. When schools and communities are funded the right way — with support for mental health, after-school programs, and early literacy — youth crime goes down. Crime overall goes down. Kids grow into adults who contribute more, give back more, and strengthen the state we all call home. I wonder why that is. Maybe because when you actually invest in children and schools, it makes people better overall. It unlocks greatness and potential. That is what our community, and our state, should want.
If anything, I want my tax dollars to help children. That’s the whole point of being better than those before us — making the world safer, kinder, and more supportive for the next generation. If we really believe it “takes a village,” then let’s act like it. A village feeds its children. A village makes sure kids can see, hear, and learn. A village invests in their safety, their literacy, their mental health, and their futures.
If Rep. Bollin actually understood education, she would know that every program on that list is imperative for Michigan’s kids. Instead, she’s trying to sell us a budget shell game that pretends to increase funding while stripping away dedicated support.
We should never be debating whether children deserve to eat at school. Regardless of a family’s income, every child deserves a meal, a safe classroom, and the chance to reach their potential.
This is where we need to pay attention. When critical programs are rolled into one giant pot with no guarantees, our kids lose. Families lose. Communities lose. That’s not an “investment” in education — it’s an abdication of responsibility.
Look deeper than the headlines from politicians. Ask where the money is really going. Demand transparency. Demand that our tax dollars be invested where they make the biggest difference: in the children who will shape Michigan’s future. Because if we can’t even agree to feed our kids and support their learning, then who are we, really?
Rep. Bollin may want to play politics, but our children’s futures are not a game.
Kasey Textor-Hilton is an educator and parent in Livingston County. She is passionate about building a stronger future by investing in kids and public education.
