Rural schools in the Upper Peninsula are in danger of closing, and I heard it firsthand in Grand Marais.

Rural schools in the Upper Peninsula are in danger of closing, and I heard it firsthand in Grand Marais.

While on the campaign trail across the U.P., concerned citizens of Grand Marais, including the principal, business director, and teachers of their single K-12 school, met with me to air their concerns. They were clear that not many politicians even bother to come through here, much less listen to them. 

Their team showed me how the per-pupil formula punishes rural districts because the bills that keep a small school alive don’t shrink just because enrollment dips. 

The heat still has to run in February, the buses still have to cover long routes, and students who need hands-on support still need professionals in the room. 

One sudden cut can close down an entire school, turning a town’s future, and that of its students, into guesswork.

These island schools hold a town together. Close the building and the jobs go, families move, and the community loses its anchor. 

That is what happens if the doors stay shut in September.

Some states fixed this years ago. Minnesota built a small-school model that recognizes long distances, severe weather, and thin staffing so classrooms stay open. 

Michigan can adapt that playbook without waiting for another “blue-ribbon panel” to study what everyone already knows.

What makes this worse is that under the Trump administration — and on my opponent Jack Bergman’s watch — federal money is arriving late or getting cut midyear with almost no notice. 

Superintendents and administrative staff are left plugging six-figure holes after bus routes, staffing, and heat are already set. 

MAGA politics come first for Jack Berman, so he props up this failed approach.

Chip in now to join the fight to keep schools open, shield families, and put Bergman’s MAGA loyalty on the ropes.

Here is what I will push instead the moment I get to Congress: 

Set a stability floor so that small rural schools do not collapse when enrollment dips. 

Provide emergency bridge funding when outside dollars vanish midyear. 

Guarantee transportation and special-education support that does not disappear with a press release. 

And build real broadband so homework gets done at the kitchen table, not in a parking lot.

Let’s get back to a place where Principals plan a school year, not a closure.

By the way, if this sort of thing is happening in your town, I want your story in my hands so we can take it to Lansing and to Washington! 

If you want a representative who will fix the formula instead of reading talking points while your school fights for air, join this campaign and chip in today. 

I may not have all the answers yet, but I will use my platform to get the word out.

We will keep school doors open, we will keep these towns alive, and we will put Bergman on notice that Northern Michigan is done carrying the cost of his loyalty to the failing MAGA agenda.

Wayne Stiles

Democrat for Congress

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Wayne Stiles is a lifelong Michigander raised on blue collar Midwestern values running to flip Michigan’s 1st district. If you’re sick of political extremists trampling on our rights and dismantling our democracy, follow Wayne’s campaign and help us flip this seat.

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