SE Oakland News

The Birmingham Public School Board of Education welcomed Michigan Sen. Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield) and Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak), both of whom serve parts of the school district, to learn more about the school board's operations during the board's April 18 meeting, which can be viewed on YouTube.

McMorrow's 8th District includes Birmingham. Moss, who represents the 7th District, is also a Birmingham district alumnus. Both said they wanted to attend a meeting to show their support for the schools and community, as well as to give some updates from what is going on in the Michigan Senate.

“We are both here. I'm proud to be a Birmingham Schools alum, a Groves High School graduate," Moss said. "This campus and this district mean a lot to me. And so we are excited to provide a voice for this school district. I know the curriculum that comes out of this school. I know the opportunities for the students in this school district and the opportunities you have ahead of you from the education that you're going to receive. We also just want to let you know, we want to be engaged with the school district. We are watching what goes on in the school district, and we are listening. So we want to be an extra resource.”

McMorrow serves on the appropriations committee, which deals with funding and allocations for public schools in the state. She apologized for not being able to attend a meeting earlier in the year, saying she has been too busy to do so until now. She reminded the board of some legislation passed back in 2019 that made it a state goal to have their budget finalized by July 1 instead of the mandated Oct. 1, which gives schools more time to learn and plan what to do with the funds they receive. Though the district has yet to hit that goal due to the COVID-19 pandemic, McMorrow assured them that the appropriations committee was doing its best to submit its budgets to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) by early this summer.

“We are hoping to get our budget done and presented to the governor by the summer so that we can hit that July 1 deadline, so this is our call to make sure that you're all aware," she said. "Please send us your ideas, your feedback. We want to continue the record investments that we have seen on a bipartisan basis over the past few years, increasing funding for our public schools. We are also keenly aware that many of our students were struggling, especially in the wake of COVID-19 learning loss. We know that there are mental health concerns with many of our students and families, and we are looking for ways to address them in partnership with our schools, within our schools, as well as within our community.”