A version of this column originally appeared in The Alpena News.
If your experience is anything like mine, you can’t go outside these days without being approached by an enthusiastic individual with a clipboard asking if you’ve signed this or that petition drive. These include positive proposals to make voting more accessible, cap payday loan fees and rates, and raise the minimum wage. Coming from Texas, which has no such citizen initiative process, Michigan’s practice of signature collection struck me as delightfully democratic.
But there’s a catch to the process. With only 340,047 signatures (representing less than 5% of Michigan voters) and a simple majority vote in the Legislature, policymakers can enact and amend legislation based on a citizen initiative without voters ever seeing it on a ballot and without the governor’s signature.
And right now, this process is being used to jam through an unpopular and constitutionally dubious school voucher program that allows state funds to be used for private school tuition. The Let MI Kids Learn initiative would both harm Michigan’s public schools and the state budget while giving substantial tax breaks to wealthy individuals and businesses.
And the tax benefits really are substantial. Wealthy taxpayers who make a donation to a “scholarship-granting organization” can claim a tax credit worth 100% of the donation. Unlike the charitable donations deduction most regular folks are familiar with, which limited us to $300 in donations on our 2021 federal taxes, this credit has no limit for an individual or business so long as the total amount of state credits does not exceed $500 million annually.
For the wealthiest donors, the tax benefits could actually exceed the donations they make. For taxpayers subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax, who generally earn over $200,000 annually, the combination of state and federal credits will result in a risk-free return of up to 28% for every dollar wealthy taxpayers “donate”—a $100 donation will lead to $100 decrease in the taxes they owe Michigan as well as a $28 decrease in what they owe the IRS.
As a result, wealthy individuals and businesses are the most likely to take advantage of this tax break. In Louisiana, where a similar voucher scheme exists, nearly 400 individuals reduced their taxes by roughly $30,800 on average, costing the state more than $12 million in revenue. It’s probably obvious to most Michiganders, but the average worker does not have a $30,000 tax bill. Let MI Kids Learn is undeniably a tax cut for the wealthiest individuals and businesses masked as a fight for “school choice.”
On the recipient side, the benefits are substantially greater for students attending a private school. While the proposal allows scholarships for families with low incomes of up to $500 for students at public schools (or up to $1,000 for those with special needs), students attending private schools can receive up to 90% of the minimum foundation allowance, currently set at $8,700, diverting up to $7,830 per student away from public schools each year for private school tuition.
Meanwhile, private schools are not available to everyone. In Michigan, most private schools are in the more urban counties in the southern part of the state. Smaller student populations in rural districts make school competition unsustainable and many rural counties in Michigan, including in the Alpena area, have little to no private school options. Public schools in low-income and rural areas have a lot to lose in funding but little to gain.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, 2020
For the 90% of students enrolled in public schools across the state, these millionaire tax breaks are not a solution. Instead, our policymakers should work on fixing the School Aid formula to better serve students in households with low incomes, English language learners and children with special needs.
Having missed the June 1 signature filing deadline to go to the ballot in November, the petition’s supporters have all but confirmed they will try to push it through the legislature rather than send it to the ballot, a loophole over 90% of Michiganders oppose. So, if the petition signatures are validated and sent to the Legislature, I hope our lawmakers will be able to ignore the $3.4 million in pressure being exerted by special interests and wealthy donors and make Let MI Kids Learn go through the normal democratic process instead. It should be up to voters to decide whether these tax breaks represent our state’s values.
Jay Cutler joined the League in March 2026 as the Kids Count Senior Data Analyst, where he collects, analyzes, and prepares data for Kids Count in Michigan.
Danielle Taylor-Basemore joined the League as the Development Data and Stewardship Coordinator in June 2025. She brings with her five years of nonprofit experience with a special focus on community engagement, data visualization and strategic programming. Prior to joining the League, Danielle served as the Business District, Safety, and Digital Manager at Jefferson East, Inc.
Scott Preston is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Michigan League for Public Policy, where he leads the organization’s immigration and criminal justice reform portfolios. In the three years prior to joining the League, Scott facilitated the Southeast Michigan Refugee Collaborative and managed a small business economic development program at Global Detroit. His work included launching Michigan’s first Refugee Film Festival and building on a trusted connector model that linked marginalized communities with crucial resources. Scott’s work at the League is informed by his background in journalism and research. He spent four years covering the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East for publications such as The Economist, and later worked with unaccompanied refugee minors through Samaritas. Scott holds a master’s degree in international migration and public policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Kate Powers joined the League as the Chief Development Officer in February 2025. Prior to joining the League, Kate held leadership positions at many Michigan nonprofit organizations, most recently serving as the COO and Chief Development Officer of Ele’s Place. Kate has spent the bulk of her career in fundraising, with a short stint in the state Legislature as a legislative aide to members in both chambers. Kate is a graduate of Michigan State University’s James Madison College with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Relations and has a certificate in fundraising management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. Additionally, Kate served on the East Lansing Public Schools Board of Education and is a past President of the Junior League of Lansing. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and her son and saving outfit of the day and home decor ideas on Pinterest. 
Nicholas Hess joined the League as the Fiscal Policy Analyst in September of 2024. In this role, Nicholas focuses on tax policy, government revenue, and their impact on working families and racial equity, including the effects of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC). Nicholas values the role that judicious fiscal policy can play in the improvement of people’s lives and the economy, alleviating inequities along the way.
Audrey Matusz joined the League as the Visual Communications Specialist in September 2024. She supports the team with implementing social media strategies and brainstorming creative ways to talk about public policy. She brings with her nearly a decade of experience in producing digital products for evidence-based social justice initiatives. 
Jacob Kaplan 
Donald Stuckey 
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
Mikell Frey is a communications professional with a passion for using the art of storytelling to positively impact lives. She strongly believes that positive social change can be inspired by the sharing of data-driven information coupled with the unique perspectives of people from all walks of life across Michigan, especially those who have faced extraordinary barriers. 
Yona Isaacs (she/hers) is an Early Childhood Data Analyst for the Kids Count project. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, she began her career as a research coordinator in pediatric psychiatry using data to understand the impacts of brain activity and genetics on children’s behavior and mental health symptoms. This work prompted an interest in exploring social determinants of health and the role of policy in promoting equitable opportunities for all children, families, and communities. She returned to the University of Michigan to complete her Masters in Social Work focused on Social Policy and Evaluation, during which she interned with the ACLU of Michigan’s policy and legislative team and assisted local nonprofit organizations in creating data and evaluation metrics. She currently serves as a coordinator for the Michigan Center for Youth Justice on a project aiming to increase placement options and enhance cultural competency within the juvenile justice system for LGBTQIA+ youth. Yona is eager to put her data skills to work at the League in support of data-driven policies that advocate for equitable access to healthcare, education, economic security, and opportunity for 0-5 year old children. In her free time, she enjoys tackling DIY house projects and trying new outdoor activities with her dog.
Rachel Richards rejoined the League in December 2020 as the Fiscal Policy Director working on state budget and tax policies. Prior to returning to the League, she served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Department of Treasury, the tax policy analyst and Legislative Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy, and a policy analyst and the Appropriations Coordinator for the Democratic Caucus of the Michigan House of Representatives. She brings with her over a decade of experience in policies focused on economic opportunity, including workforce issues, tax, and state budget.
Simon Marshall-Shah joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a State Policy Fellow in August 2019. His work focuses on state policy as it relates to the budget, immigration, health care and other League policy priorities. Before joining the League, he worked in Washington, D.C. at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), providing federal policy and advocacy support to nonprofit, Medicaid health plans (Safety Net Health Plans) related to the ACA Marketplaces as well as Quality & Operations.
Renell Weathers, Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) Community Engagement Consultant. As community engagement consultant, Renell works with organizations throughout the state in connecting the impact of budget and tax policies to their communities. She is motivated by the belief that all children and adults deserve the opportunity to achieve their dreams regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or economic class.
Emily Jorgensen joined the Michigan League for Public Policy in July 2019. She deeply cares about the well-being of individuals and families and has a great love for Michigan. She is grateful that her position at the League enables her to combine these passions and work to help promote policies that will lead to better opportunities and security for all Michiganders.
Megan Farnsworth joined the League’s staff in December 2022 as Executive Assistant. Megan is driven by work that is personally fulfilling, and feels honored to help support the work of an organization that pushes for more robust programming and opportunities for the residents of our state. She’s excited and motivated to gain overarching knowledge of the policies and agendas that the League supports.
