• At a christian homeschooling conference, GOP gubernatorial candidates laid out their vision of schools and social issues
• Candidates pledged to increase parental oversight of children in schools, at the doctor
• Michigan has some of the loosest homeschooling rules in the nation — something candidates vowed to protect

DELTA TOWNSHIP — A Christian homeschooling conference offered four Republican gubernatorial candidates a chance to pitch their education plans and tout their conservative bona fides on Saturday.

The four Republican candidates attending — former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, US Rep. John James, state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt and Pastor Ralph Rebandt — had no substantial disagreements on any topic, from protecting religious freedoms to promoting school choice to opposing protections for abortion in Michigan.

James described himself and fellow candidates as “four men who agree with you probably on 99%” of issues. 

“We’re all on the same team, we want the same things for our state, for our country,” he added.

The 90-minute forum was part of a larger homeschooling convention for Christian families, and the forum’s questions were tailored to attendees’ interests: education, culture issues and religious protections.

James has made what he called “parent’s rights” a pillar of his campaign. He has released a so-called “parent’s bill of rights” that seeks to expand school choice and eliminate confidentiality protections minors currently have with some educators and medical providers, forcing disclosure to parents.

At the forum, James called his candidacy an opportunity to make Michigan “the free state of Michigan once again.” He drew from his plan to argue all school curriculums should be opt-in and said the state Board of Education and superintendent — independent positions under the state Constitution — should answer to the governor.

Rebandt told the audience that homeschooling children is “the most important work being done in Michigan right now,” and said as governor he would “dismantle the entire public school system and rebuild it with parental involvement.”

Nesbitt focused heavily on what he called “the woke trans nonsense” in Michigan’s schools — referring in part to a contentious sexual education requirement that involves classroom discussion about the existence of gender identities. All candidates were opposed to it, and Cox said he would “defund the state Board of Education” and any school district that implemented the curriculum. 

Michigan is among the least regulated states for homeschooled children. With no oversight, testing or notification required from parents who choose to homeschool their children. They do require parents to teach certain subjects, however.

All the candidates pledged to maintain the system as it is, affirmed they were against any registration requirements and pledged to consult with Citizens for Traditional Values — one of the forum organizers — and other conservative education groups before considering any education laws.

All the attendees — along with all other major gubernatorial candidates — responded to a series of policy questions in March as part of Bridge Michigan’s Bridge Listens series, providing detailed answers about how they would respond to Michigan’s most pressing education issues.

Tax credits

Opting into the federal Educational Freedom Tax Credit was universally supported at the forum. The credit allows parents to be annually refunded up to $1,700 through scholarship-granting nonprofits that pay for educational expenses, from classroom materials to private school tuition — but states have to opt in.

It has been seen as a historic victory for school choice advocates, but harshly criticized by teachers’ unions and others who contend the program is a “school voucher scheme” designed to siphon funding from public schools. 

Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has said she’s “studying” the credit, and wants to see if public schools can benefit, something former Detroit mayor and independent gubernatorial candidate Mike Duggan has echoed, without taking a stance. 

“If this can be done in a way that has a dramatic increase in the quality of teaching at the public schools, it’s something I’m going to support,” Duggan said on a call with reporters Tuesday. “If it can’t, I won’t.”

Democratic gubernatorial candidates Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson have said they would not opt Michigan in.

Cox noted he was the one candidate who took the opt-in stance before the Michigan Education Association, a public school teachers’ union, and James emphasized he helped write the law — saying implementing it would be his top priority if elected

All candidates invited

Organizers said they invited all gubernatorial candidates who submitted signatures to make the ballot, along with Duggan.

Benson and Swanson were in Detroit attending a forum from the Coalition to End Gun Violence. Perry Johnson, the lone Republican to not attend, had a family obligation, his campaign said.

Candidates had no opportunity for rebuttals at the event. James, a leading candidate in the race, had drawn the ire of his opponents — and the consternation of some Republicans — for skipping debates. He has pledged to begin attending debates once the gubernatorial field is set.

Cox has leaned on an embrace of Mississippi’s approach to literacy, noting the recent success that state has seen in boosting literacy, saying “we have a moral responsibility” to improve. It was something James echoed. 

Faith, action against abortion

Candidates were asked about their faith and how it would guide their decisions in office.

“The solutions to the problems we have today are not going to come from any manmade power, but from the power of Christ himself,” James said.

All four candidates noted they were Christians — Rebandt has worked as a pastor for decades — but belonged to different denominations. 

On a question about vaccines and the COVID-19 pandemic, Rebandt said he would bring state charges against former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci for his public health guidance during the pandemic. Michigan’s governors have no ability to issue criminal charges under Michigan’s constitution; it’s a power reserved for the attorney general.

James noted he would create a committee to study actions taken during the pandemic and expunge the records of Michiganders charged for violating public health orders during that time. 

While all the candidates said they were pro-life and against the ballot measure that enshrined abortion protections in Michigan’s constitution four years ago, Rebandt accused the other candidates of avoiding the topic on the advice of political consultants. 

That provoked an admission from Cox, who said that, when he was 19, he had gotten a woman pregnant, “something that no consultant ever told to me to do.

“I was with a young woman, and I, and we actually faced the choice, and we chose life,” Cox said. “That’s who I am, and I defended life.

None of the candidates, however, called for the outright repeal of the constitutional amendment, which passed with nearly 57% of the vote in 2022.

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