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Teacher hopes to set example in Lansing for Mich. students

Written by Christopher Behnan Daily Press &Argus

If the Michigan Legislature were a classroom, teacher Dale Rogers would reprimand GOP lawmakers for diverting money from public schools and raising taxes.Im afraid our Republican Party is doing that, and I dont like it, said Rogers, who last week announced his second run for the state House seat currently filled by Rep. Bill Rogers, R-Genoa Township. I just want to be a good Republican that believes in low taxes and local control and respect for the individual. If I see things that arent right, Ive got to step up and make them right, setting an example for my students that way, added Rogers, who is not related to Bill Rogers.Dale Rogers, a Novi High School vocational teacher and Hamburg Township resident, ran for the GOP nomination for the Brighton-area House seat in 2012 but handily lost to Bill Rogers in that years primary election. This time around, the east Tennessee native faces a new slate of GOP challengers on the Aug. 5 primary ballot for the seat because Bill Rogers cant run for re-election due to term limits. To date, fellow Republicans Brighton Township Treasurer Lana Theis and Brighton Area Schools Board of Education President Nick Fiani have filed for the GOP nomination. A Democratic candidate has yet to be announced. Dale Rogers stands apart from many far-right Republicans in Lansing, particularly on education and tax policy. He said the GOP-led Legislature and Gov. Rick Snyder continue to violate the intent of Proposal A, which many argue was to use school-aid dollars exclusively for K-12 schools. Under Snyder, the revenue is also being used to help fund community colleges and universities. I think people are tired of politicians playing shell games with things they vote for, Dale Rogers said. He said he would push for reforms to Michigans high school graduation requirements to allow students to take classes in their chosen disciplines in place of unrelated required courses. He said current graduation requirements are contributing to a growing number of jobs that dont require four-year degrees going unfilled. Today, vocational students are instead pushed to attend college and leave with tens of thousands of dollars of debt, Dale Rogers added. There are good jobs that dont require a four-year degree, and we need to make an effort to point people in the right direction and provide support for people to go that route, he said.He said lawmakers dont understand the ramifications of major education policy changes because they usually dont have classroom experience. Dale Rogers, like many Republicans in Lansing, opposes a minimum-wage increase because it potentially burdens businesses.

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Unlike most Republicans in Lansing, he argues the state should instead return the cut portion of the state Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income families. He said he didnt approve of making sweeping decisions in lame-duck session without hearings or full reviews, most notably the 2012 right-to-work laws that prohibit requiring union membership. Dale Rogers said his views represent a more traditional Republican Party he associates with the administrations of former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford. The 42nd state House seat represents Brighton and the townships of Brighton, Genoa, Green Oak, Hamburg and Putnam. Contact Daily Press &Argus reporter Christopher Behnan at 517-548-7108 or at cbehnan@gannett.com. Follow him @LCLansingGuy on Twitter.

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Mar 08, 2014 06:35:56AM MST