Ali Bazzi is the president and superintendent of schools at Hamadeh Educational Services, an educational service provider that works with four charter schools in southeast Michigan. (Courtesy photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe reason we\u2019re seeing this emphasis, of course, is that things are not going well. As a state, we rank near the bottom of most K-12 education metrics, particularly in literacy. In fourth-grade reading, Michigan ranks 44th. That\u2019s inexcusable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We need to find solutions, and we need to find them now. The first thing we should do is look at the schools in Michigan that are working (there are a lot of them), look at the states where things are working (Mississippi), and do what they\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In terms of the schools that are working, as a charter school educator, I\u2019m proud to say that a lot of them can be found in our sector. Star International Academy in Dearborn Heights, one of the charter schools our organization works with, is an excellent example. We serve a largely Middle Eastern student population that includes many English Language Learners, but our test scores are among the best in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the most recent SAT, our students scored an average of 974.9, well above the state average of 945, despite the fact that nearly 94% of our students are economically disadvantaged. At the same time, our students have earned over $100 million in scholarships through the years. Star International Academy is now ranked the No. 2 high school in all of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights by U.S. News and World Report, ahead of many far more affluent schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We also believe strongly in Career Technical Education, so we have our own CTE center that includes a fully functional radio station, robotics\/engineering garage and a working health clinic. Our students regularly interview state and community leaders at the radio station, broadcasting in both English and Arabic, the robotics\/engineering garage is leading students to engineer award-winning robots and the clinic gives students hands-on experience working alongside health professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve succeeded at Star International Academy because we provide an individualized education with rigorous academic standards; our teachers have the flexibility to innovate, and we provide multiple pathways to student success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are success stories like this throughout Michigan \u2014 at charter schools and traditional schools alike \u2014 and our politicians and policymakers need to study what\u2019s working so that we can do more of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We also need to look at what\u2019s been working in other states, and there\u2019s no better example than Mississippi. In 2013, Mississippi was 49th in the nation in fourth-grade reading. In 2024, the state had improved all the way to ninth place. Among children living in poverty, Mississippi has the highest fourth-grade reading scores in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How did they pull off the \u201cMississippi Miracle\u201d? By doing what Michigan can (and should) be doing. They provide research-based literacy training for teachers and hold schools accountable for outcomes. Kids can\u2019t learn if they can\u2019t read. Mississippi showed us that implementing a reading-based strategy over 10 years works. No student should be allowed to fall through the cracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mississippi also has consistent student-outcome performance standards that don\u2019t change every time new people are elected to office. We need that in Michigan, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other states are showing us that student success is built on a clear and proven funding structure for the long term. We spend plenty of money on education in Michigan, but overall as a state, we aren\u2019t getting results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How funding is distributed needs to be predictable and stable for schools to plan for student impact. Funding also needs to be flexible. Every district is different and its needs are different. We need expectations for student outcomes that consider the fact that schools are currently over-burdened with compliance rules and regulations to qualify for needed funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We need to adopt a multiyear plan for school funding that includes a per-pupil, weighted formula. Instead of picking winners and losers based on political favors, we should fund students based on their needs (students who need more support should get more support). We should also stabilize funding by allowing districts to use either their current student count or a three-year average, whichever is higher, to determine their per-pupil funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like many educators in Michigan, I\u2019m in this fight for the long haul. We have the brightest students and some of the best teachers in the country in our state. They deserve the flexible, stable, predictable funding, the infrastructure, and the support they need to succeed. Let this be the year we finally solve the puzzle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Instead of picking winners and losers based on political favors, we should fund students based on their needs <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1979,"featured_media":73229,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":true,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2026-02-27T16:01:10Z","apple_news_api_id":"01454d17-c453-49bf-8eb5-6b824589153f","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2026-02-27T16:01:10Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AAUVNF8RTSb-OtWuCRYkVPw","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"hidden","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[2442],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[4469],"class_list":["post-73200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guest-commentary","entry"],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Opinion | Michigan school funding needs to be predictable and weighted - Bridge Michigan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/guest-commentary\/opinion-michigan-school-funding-needs-to-be-predictable-and-weighted\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Opinion | Michigan school funding needs to be predictable and weighted - Bridge Michigan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Instead of picking winners and losers based on political favors, we should fund students based on their needs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/guest-commentary\/opinion-michigan-school-funding-needs-to-be-predictable-and-weighted\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Bridge Michigan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BridgeMichigan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-27T16:01:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-27T16:01:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/022726_ALI-BAZZI-MUG_courtesy-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ali Bazzi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@bridgemichigan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@bridgemichigan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ali Bazzi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/guest-commentary\/opinion-michigan-school-funding-needs-to-be-predictable-and-weighted\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/guest-commentary\/opinion-michigan-school-funding-needs-to-be-predictable-and-weighted\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ali Bazzi\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6efd5a92fccca3b622916d9f85aec743\"},\"headline\":\"Opinion | Michigan school funding needs to be predictable and weighted\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-27T16:01:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-27T16:01:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/guest-commentary\/opinion-michigan-school-funding-needs-to-be-predictable-and-weighted\/\"},\"wordCount\":849,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/guest-commentary\/opinion-michigan-school-funding-needs-to-be-predictable-and-weighted\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/022726_ALI-BAZZI-MUG_courtesy-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=1\",\"articleSection\":[\"Guest Commentary\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/guest-commentary\/opinion-michigan-school-funding-needs-to-be-predictable-and-weighted\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/guest-commentary\/opinion-michigan-school-funding-needs-to-be-predictable-and-weighted\/\",\"name\":\"Opinion | Michigan school funding needs to be predictable and weighted - 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Michigan\u2019s effort to make it easier to find school information.","rel":"","context":"In "Talent & Education"","block_context":{"text":"Talent & Education","link":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/category\/talent-education\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/online_school.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/online_school.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/online_school.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/online_school.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/online_school.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 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Commentary","link":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/category\/guest-commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/jack_smith20180522-jacksmith-0001.jpg?fit=500%2C333&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1693,"url":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/guest-commentary\/opinion-michigan-doesnt-need-another-election-year-reform-help-schools\/","url_meta":{"origin":73200,"position":2},"title":"Opinion | Michigan doesn\u2019t need another election-year \u2018reform\u2019 to help schools","author":"Shawn K. Wightman","date":"March 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Improving education demands a commitment to evidence-based strategies, not another proposal with \u2018superficial political appeal.\u2019","rel":"","context":"In "Guest Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Guest Commentary","link":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/category\/guest-commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Man's headshot","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/wightman.jpg?fit=400%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7888,"url":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/guest-commentary\/opinion-fix-damn-schools-michigan\/","url_meta":{"origin":73200,"position":3},"title":"Opinion | Fix the damn schools, Michigan","author":"Mike Addonizio","date":"September 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"A Wayne State professor takes political leaders to task for the sorry state of Michigan\u2019s schools.","rel":"","context":"In "Guest Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Guest Commentary","link":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/category\/guest-commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Michael Addonozio","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/addonozio.jpg?fit=400%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":62776,"url":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/report-give-governor-more-control-improve-michigan-schools-test-scores\/","url_meta":{"origin":73200,"position":4},"title":"Report: Give governor more control to improve Michigan schools, test scores","author":"Ron French","date":"July 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The state paid $500,000 for a report on how to improve Michigan schools. Not all are thrilled with the recommendations.","rel":"","context":"In "Talent & Education"","block_context":{"text":"Talent & Education","link":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/category\/talent-education\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Teacher in front of the class.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/school-teacher.jpg?fit=1200%2C642&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/school-teacher.jpg?fit=1200%2C642&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/school-teacher.jpg?fit=1200%2C642&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/school-teacher.jpg?fit=1200%2C642&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/school-teacher.jpg?fit=1200%2C642&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":486,"url":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/michigan-schools-make-k-12-education-gains-still-battle-impact-covid\/","url_meta":{"origin":73200,"position":5},"title":"Michigan schools make K-12 education gains, still battle impact of COVID","author":"Victor Wooddell, Capital News Service","date":"December 27, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The state Department of Education reports progress toward achieving its educational strategic plan, including higher graduation rates, but the pandemic widened performance gaps, according to the CDC.","rel":"","context":"In "Talent & Education"","block_context":{"text":"Talent & Education","link":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/category\/talent-education\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A group of kids drawing on the floor","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/classroom-shutterstock.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/classroom-shutterstock.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/classroom-shutterstock.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/classroom-shutterstock.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/classroom-shutterstock.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1979"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73200"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73230,"href":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73200\/revisions\/73230"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73200"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=73200"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=73200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Man](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/022726_ALI-BAZZI-MUG_courtesy.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1\")