WGVU’s Decision 2018 continues the countdown to the August 7th primary profiling the gubernatorial candidates. WGVU asks Democrat Gretchen Whitmer three questions.
Q: What is your plan for expanding the state’s economy?
A: “The first thing we’ve got to do is invest in ourselves. We’ve got to invest in infrastructure and jobs skills. That means better education for our kids and ensuring everyone has a path to a high wage skill.”
Q: What is your plan for improving the state’s educational outcomes?
A: “First, and foremost, we’ve got to stop the raids on the School Aid Fund. Right now $3.25 billion is stolen from our kid’s education and I’m going to stop that. Second, we’ve got to insure that everyone’s got access to a pre-kindergarten. That means every student will be ready to learn when they come into kindergarten. I’m going to triple the number of literacy coaches so our kids are literate and support people who go into education. All of those are critical components to having an education system that prepares our kids.”
Q: How would you improve and fund the state’s infrastructure?
A: “I’ve created a Rebuild Michigan Infrastructure Bank. In my first budget I’m going to write a budget that puts $2 billion into rebuilding our road smarter, with better mix, better materials and using it as an opportunity to lay conduit, get us all connected, and fix the water problem in Michigan. It leverages another billion from the feds and there’s more details on gretchenwhitmer.com. ”