Ish Ahmed

DEARBORN — Ismael “Ish” Ahmed, a veteran in organizing and mobilizing communities to fight for social justice and equal opportunity education, wants to equip schools statewide with the tools to nurture creative and highly adept students – from the ground up.That is why Ahmed, a Democrat, is running for the State Board of Education in tandem with fellow democrat and current president, John Austin. They are vying against two Republican candidates and members of other parties for two 8-year terms.An education movementAhmed told The AANews one of the most viable elements to ensure a community –especially an immigrant one – can propel itself to prosperity is public education.”It is the one opportunity for them to excel, move forward in this society, raise their children and make a better life for themselves,” he said.In return, well-coached community members can organize and move through the ranks to ensure their voices are heard.Case in point: the passing of a historic Crestwood School District bond to update and future-proof all facilities in Dearborn Heights, which Ahmed said was primarily the result of an organized Arab American community.Those efforts sound promising and most residents and officials like the idea of better schools, but Ahmed said Michigan is among the lowest in public education funding. It’s 49th.What earns the state a low-tier rank is the funding “formula” that does not seriously consider the student populations’ needs in each district, he said. Extra dollars are not considered to cater to Detroit’s population, a quarter of whom have physical and learning disabilities.He added that it costs five times as much to educate each developmentally disabled student, many who are locked into their zip codes and cannot attend more accommodating schools elsewhere.As lawmakers compete for diverse interests in Lansing, Ahmed said he has the experience to work across the aisle to make things happen.Having been the director of the state’s Department of Human Services, the largest cabinet and bureaucracy, from 2003 to 2011; co-founder of ACCESS and helped found the Arab American National Museum and a handful of unions, Ahmed knows that change is most effective when there is “a human element at work.””We have to build a movement for investment in education, so there is democracy in Detroit schools,” he said. “I believe that we have built a coalition that does that.”Ahmed pointed to a coalition to save Detroit schools he helped establish that included entrepreneurs, government officials, charter and public schools, unions and foundations. They presented a plan to the governor, but the strategy fell though because the State House took up only a portion.The plan addressed ways to cut the state’s deficit, 40 percent of which goes to paying interest; democracy and transparency in Detroit schools and implementing an authority that decided where and when charters schools were established and that they held to the same standards as public schools.Ahmed said although many exceptional charter schools exist, the majority of those and online schools deliver lower standards of schooling. He calls for the strengthening of public education. As he puts it, it is at the core of a society’s democracy.He added that 12 private charter schools operate in Detroit, many of which look to make profit rather than fill a gap in adequate education.Updating the formulaAhmed also believes that current teaching methods are greatly outdated, meant to foster the types of careers students’ grandparents pursued.”We have to create creative people who can cross lines, triangulate information, work in diverse workforces,” he said. “[Students need to] have work experience way before they get to college. Part of that is investment and part is unleashing the creativity of teachers, principals and community.”Ahmed’s wife is a teacher in the Dearborn School District, so he said he knows firsthand how undercompensated they are.As teachers often spend long hours helping students, spend out of pocket for material and are held responsible for the future’s leaders, the candidate stressed the importance of reinstating their creativity.For one, Ahmed said too much weight is placed on standardized exams, although he thinks such tests have their place in the classroom.He criticized lawmakers in Lansing for stripping away creativity and personalized teaching methods and for being overly hawkish in determining curriculum.Ahmed also said parents are the most essential ingredient and the base for students’ success.With parenting programs like one run by his wife, immigrant parents and others are taught skills to assist their children with homework, as well as language skills, Ahmed said. He added that about 150 families currently benefit from the program.In Detroit, 40 percent of parents are unable to function at a sixth grade literacy level, Ahmed said.Dearborn Heights had a comprehensive ESL program for adults, but that program is no more, as the state has ended ESL courses for adults.Ahmed said he would encourage and compensate schools that bolster their ESL and dual language programs, aligning the children and parents with a global career market.”We have to put the public back into public schools,” he said. “I trust them much more to focus on their school than I do a right wing legislator.”