DIGITAL TOOLKIT

This is here to help draft language for sharing with your friends and community – on social, through your email, or just with the family group chat. Make sure to include your personal story!

We can build a better Michigan. We can raise $1 billion to fund our schools and provide students with what they need regardless of whether they are in the southeastern corner of the Lower Peninsula or the northwestern corner of the UP. And when our schools are flourishing, whole communities benefit.

From Detroit to Grosse Pointe, from the Soo to Ironwood, all Michigan students deserve good schools and a great start to life. Through Invest in MI Kids, we can create schools with smaller class sizes even in our largest cities. We can make sure that even our most remote schools never have to choose between having safe buses and keeping their classrooms warm in the winter. We can build up job training through career and technical education to create the workforce we need for today and tomorrow. And we can give all our students a chance to succeed.

But right now, the Devoses and the special interests of millionaires are holding us back. Politicians in Lansing aren’t funding our schools. Our state has fallen to 49th out of 50th in funding increases – and as a result we’re 44th in reading and 44th in graduation attainment rate.

That’s why a coalition of parents, educators, small business owners, and community leaders are stepping up to take matters into our own hands.

Here’s how it would work. For the 99% of Michigan families who are not millionaires (or an individual filer making above $500,000), nothing happens! You pay your taxes as you always did, but get to rest easy knowing that millionaires are now paying their fair share and that your schools are getting more of the funding that they need to set children up for success.

For millionaires, a fair share surcharge gets applied on taxable income starting with your million and first dollar. Again, this only applies to you if you file above $1,000,000 in taxable income jointly (or $500,000 individually.)

Right now, the top 1% in our state make more than 20X everyone else – and take home nearly a fifth of the total income of our state. Millionaires have a lower effective tax rate than teachers. This is unfair – and it’s holding our state back. That’s why it’s time for us to raise $1 billion for Michigan schools by taxing the 1%.

We don’t have to resign ourselves to always having lower school funding just because of what politicians in Lansing do. By volunteering for Invest in MI Kids, we can take action. We can create better schools, a better state, and a better future.

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These are examples – edit and revise them to make them your own! Don’t be afraid to include your own personal reasons for supporting Invest in MI Kids.

• I’m supporting @InvestInMIKids because it is good for our state. Better schools help everyone. That’s why I’m volunteering and hope you will too! @InvestinMIKids

• I’m ready for a better Michigan. By volunteering for Invest in MI Kids, we can get the very rich to pay their fair share – and raise over $1 billion for Michigan schools. @InvestinMIKids is a win-win!

• When Michigan schools are funded fully & based on student need, we pave the way for our collective future. That’s why Invest in Mi Kids is asking voters to help us ensure the rich are paying their fair share to fund schools where all students thrive. @InvestinMIKids

• The wealthiest Michiganders are not paying their fair share in taxes in Michigan. The top 1% pay a lower percentage of their income in taxes than middle and working class families.  Michigan voters have an opportunity to join us in taxing the wealthy few who have rigged the rules against our collective wellbeing. Our public schools have been chronically underfunded for over a decade, depriving our children of the resources they need to thrive. @InvestinMIKids

• Wealthy Michiganders have rigged our budgets, leaving our public schools at least $4.5 BILLION short. But can you imagine what our schools would look like if we had all that we need? Instead of dividing us against each other, based on race, place, and genders, and letting the rich take the wealth we create, MI voters can sign the Families shouldn’t have to fundraise to educate our children. @InvestinMIKids

• From Detroit to Dearborn, Holland to Sault Ste. Marie, and everywhere in between, our children deserve healthier & happier learning environments. Join us in demanding full and fair funding for Michigan schools. @InvestinMIKids

• Fully funded schools = a stronger Michigan. That’s why families are demanding wealthy Michiganders pay what they owe to fund our classrooms so that all students have the resources they need to thrive - no exceptions. @InvestinMIKids

• We have a recipe for excellent schools, and it’s the wealthy paying their fair share to get kids what they need to thrive! Working families shouldn’t have to fundraise to educate our children. @InvestinMIKids

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Making videos and sharing your story is so important because you are one of the most powerful for your friends, neighbors, and coworkers to hear from. These organic selfie videos are also one of the most effective ways to reach our community on social media.

Some Talking Points/Brainstorming

• Why are you as an educator circulating this petition?
• What would smaller class sizes mean for you?
• How would more funding for career and technical education improve your students’ lives?
• Emphasize that collecting is fun and easy, especially with friends!

Some Best Practices to Remember When Filming:

• Keep your video short and sweet - no more than 2 minutes.
• Mention your name, where you live, and think of 2-3 reasons why you are part of theInvest in MI Kids movement and how this funding would impact you when the amendment passes.
• When taking a video of yourself, make sure you are in vertical mode!
• Find a quiet place without a lot of background noise, and also in good lighting so that we can see you — no dark corners, no in front of windows either - something just right!
• If you want to wear a school funding or supportive union local T shirt that’s great. You can also wear whatever you would usually wear.
• Position yourself so you fill most of the frame - head and shoulders - not too much room above your head and not too little.
• You can be outside if you want. Extra credit for talking while walking down the street in your neighborhood, or outside of your local school on public property if you have a friend to help hold the phone for you walking backwards (just do it safely!).
• ●  Your tone should be warm and energetic - which can be difficult because you are talking
  to nobody. So imagine yourself speaking to a group and then hit record.
• You can do as many takes as you want. If we need to edit them to be shorter or combine
  the best moments from two different ones, that is fine.
• You can post on your own platforms and send them to us by using this form.

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