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LANSING, Mich. (AP) — State Superintendent Brian Whiston presented a plan Tuesday aimed at catapulting Michigan schools to among the top educational systems in the country.
The plan seeks to offer every child access to a high-quality early childhood and post-secondary education. It would involve industry, labor and higher education leaders, according to State Board of Education documents released Tuesday.
The plan also aims to foster better instruction and improve the education workforce, reduce the impact of poverty and create stronger relationships with employers.
Whiston said some of the measures outlined in the proposal require legislative action, and he hopes for bipartisan cooperation.
"We're going to meet with Republicans and Democrats and the leadership ..." Whiston said. "We're really trying to keep this about kids and making this a top-10 state, and trying to keep the politics out of it, so obviously we want to work together."
The new plan includes a "full-implementation" of the National School Lunch program, which includes breakfast, lunch, after-school snacks and supper for some schools identified as "high risk."
It would also expand school nursing and mental health services, along with school-based health centers to ensure systemic disparities between schools are reduced, the plan says.
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