Two Mich. Lawmakers to Propose Amendment to Ban For-Profit Schools

Two Michigan state senators plan to introduce a constitutional amendment that would ban for-profit elementary and secondary schools from the state.

In a press release, state senators Rebekah Warren and Hoon-Yong Hopgood, both Democrats said their proposal was in response to a bill passed this October by the Senate that would lift the cap on the number of charter schools that could open in the state.

That bill passed 20-18 in the Senate, with all affirming votes from Republicans, according to MichiganVotes.org.Twelve Democrats and six Republicans voted against it. The bill is currently in the education committee of the Michigan House.

Hopgood and Warren said the constitutional amendment "aims to protect children from having their education compromised at the expense of corporate profits."

Michigan currently has 255 charter schools in operation, according to the Grand Rapids Press.