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Written by Dedria Humphries Barker
When my student returned from spring break, she told me that her parents were planning a family trip to Hawaii during her brother’s school spring break. Can she go?
Was she asking me for permission? Was she betting that I would forget my sketchy attendance and fail one more class? Was she betting that I would react impulsively and say, “Yes, that sounds great?” It was good!
She should be very lucky.
I told him that if he was absent one more time, I would remove him from the class.
People often have high hopes for seemingly impossible things and may gamble to make their dreams come true. Like when President Joe Biden made part of his 2020 campaign promise to forgive $400 billion worth of student loans for college. Student loan payments could be temporarily delayed during school closures due to the coronavirus, but the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling does not permanently delay them.
he didn’t give up. Last week, Biden announced his SAVE plan, which would forgive $1.2 billion in student loans for 150,000 Americans. It was the work of educated staff who researched the law and found groups eligible for pardon.
That wasn’t lucky for Biden. The bet was that by freeing young people from paying high debts, they would be able to contribute to society.
People complain about the cost of quality schools and universities, but the cost of uneducated people is much higher in prison budgets. Good education at all levels remains the best way to ensure a better future for individuals and communities. It’s something to invest in.
The Michigan Department of Education is advocating for continued investment in education and holding on, even after two years of record government spending. In January, the department reported significant investments by the governor and the Legislature in public education, including mental health services, school lunches, and teacher workforce programs like Proud Michigan Educators.
Gambling should not be a major part of public education funding. That is an inappropriate way to finance education.
For example, the Michigan Lottery raises a lot of money for the Michigan School Aid Fund ($1.3 billion in fiscal year 2023). This funding for K-12 public education is made up of state taxes, federal funds, and lottery revenues. This lottery receives funds from people who play instant scratch-off games, daily games, and his two multi-state games (PowerBall and Mega Millions).
The Michigan Lottery is rightly proud of its contributions to the School Aid Fund. We are proud to have established the Excellence in Education program in 2014. The lottery will recognize one school employee each month and year.
Michigan Lottery, stay in your lane. Regulate legal gambling in our state and donate the proceeds to help educators do their jobs.
Michigan should not rely on gambling to fund education. Parents with money and income save to pay private school tuition fees. Parents who do not have private tuition or who prefer public education rely on the state to ensure that their children attend good schools.
People have been gambling consistently for over 2,000 years, and sometimes people are encouraged to gamble with the lottery saying, “If you don’t do it, you won’t win.”
Its latest version can be found on the Lottery website. It says, “Where the money goes: If you play, students win!”
The natural conclusion that follows from this is that students lose if they don’t play.
I don’t think most people who play the lottery are playing to fund schools. I don’t. I play to win money. When I think about school funding, I think about my tax bill, my home’s valuation, my children’s teachers, their report cards and transcripts, and how they make a living.
Gambling is playing games for money. A photo of a black boy appears in a lottery advertisement. But for African Americans, school is not just play. It is a solid foundation for great results and progress for them and all Americans.
This Black History Month, I observed Black women using their power to educate.
The Michigan Department of Education recognized Matinga Ragatz as Michigan’s Teacher of the Year for 2010-2011. She received the award while a teacher at Grand Ledge High School in Eaton County. In 2017, she was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame. I met her through her Eastern High School “Future Proud Meatigan Educators” program in Lansing.
Ragatz is an action figure. This term is rarely used to describe someone with a Ph.D. Rather, they are thought to study problems for too long. But Ragatz was part of the Lansing Eastern program, which creates a network to support problem-based learning approaches to education. She wasn’t relying on her luck. She made her case to a representative of Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate.
Her success has something to do with luck, which is defined as an opportunity for a preparatory meeting. Her preparation was an investment in her education. I support the Michigan Department of Education’s call for “adequate and equitable school funding.” Instead of hoping the numbers don’t go our way, continued investment in public education will ensure we rebuild and sustain Michigan’s good schools.
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