If the school is unable to provide these services, then funding will follow the youth to the entity providing appropriate opportunities. Many young people who come into contact with the social services system have been failed by the educational system. Many have never completed high school because they either dropped out or were expelled. Job opportunities and the outlook for these youth are dismal. If youth are unmotivated or unsuccessful in standard classroom programs, the state must develop new programs targeted specifically to the problems faced by these students.
Every child is capable of learning.
We must be responsible for these youth and their education. If a public school decides it cannot cope with particular students, then a way must be found to move them into alternatives that can and will address their learning and behavioral needs. We want Michigan's children to be competitive in the classroom. Competition between educational facilities may be necessary to meet the needs of some of our students. School funding will follow a student to the alternative chosen to meet that student's needs.