The Skillman Foundation

This op-ed was originally published in The Detroit News.

On Mackinac Island this month, Michigan’s Republican leaders will gather for their biennial conference to debate politics, strategy, and power. It comes at a time when Washington D.C. politics have filled the air, dividing, distracting, and drowning out many of the issues that matter most here at home. 

But Mackinac offers fresh air, and with it, an opportunity. Our leaders have a chance to shift the conversation from the politics of personality to the policies that shape our children’s future in the state. While so much oxygen and ink have been given to the current state of national politics, the real story we need to write together is about education.

Michigan’s public schools are filled with smart children and hardworking teachers, surrounded by caring parents and community members. But every system needs maintenance and updating. The time is now for Michigan to upgrade K-12 education—and to do that, we need our state leaders to put policymaking before politics. 

Education is the backbone of our communities and the engine of our economy. Nine in ten Michigan students—more than 1.3 million children—attend public schools. These schools aren’t just where students learn; they are the largest employers in many communities, the anchors of civic life, and the gathering places for everything from sports and concerts to town halls and voting.

When we strengthen education, we strengthen our neighborhoods, workforce, businesses, and shared future. Strong public schools prepare young people for jobs that keep our economy competitive, keep families rooted in their communities, and help towns and cities across Michigan thrive. Simply put, the state of our schools is the state of our future.

At The Skillman Foundation, our focus has always been on young people, their power and their potential, especially in Detroit. But our commitment to children extends across Michigan. The future of every community depends on how well we prepare our kids, because their success is our state’s success.

That’s why we must work alongside those closest to education — students, parents, and educators — to shape policies that reflect their real needs and aspirations. Kids spend most of their hours in schools and after-school spaces. If we care about what the future looks like, we need to invest in and strengthen those spaces so every child can thrive.

This is not about quick fixes or political wins. It’s about making Michigan’s education system strong, consistent and modern for the long haul. That requires listening to the people who know schools best and putting their solutions into practice.

Michigan needs one big plan for education. Not a plan for Democrats. Not a plan for Republicans. A plan for all of the state’s kids. A plan strong enough to last beyond political winds, fine-tuned as we go, but never abandoned when power shifts. We have the infrastructure and the talent. What we need now is courage and conviction: leaders willing to put kids—not politics—at the center of decision making.

That’s the challenge and the opportunity facing the leaders meeting this month on Mackinac Island. We don’t need them clouded with noise from D.C. We need Michigan clarity, vision, and action to ensure children have the schools they deserve.

So as the 36th Biennial Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference convenes, I hope that the loudest conversation is not about party figures or partisan battles, but about children. Michigan’s future depends on it.