"Passing legislation without ensuring that there is proper funding is a recipe for disaster in our public schools. The required testing has little meaning without a pretest to compare with the end-of-year posttest. Of course, this means twice the testing and more money.

"If a chemistry major who teaches middle-school science is no longer eligible to teach sixth-grade general science because the chemistry major needs an endorsement in general science, the federal government should supply the scholarship monies.

"In the state of Michigan, funding is so tight that our school district in Troy has been forced to cut 26 custodial jobs and will not be filling the positions of some retirees. Our building sizes are not changing, but half the custodial workforce will be expected to do the same job.

"The more riches you put into education, the more enriching that education should be for our students and future leaders. Please consider revamping this legislation to include more funding, so that our children will benefit from well-qualified teachers, meaningful tests, and a safe and healthy environment in which to thrive."

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