Charter schools advocate recounts daughter's reading struggles, urges statewide phonics, teacher training

Alicia Urbane, vice president of government and legal affairs for the Michigan Association of Public School Academies and a Brighton Area Schools board member, told the House Education and Workforce Committee she spent years seeking help after her daughter struggled to read despite early signs and repeated interventions. "There were the red flags," Urbane said, pointing to low DIBELS scores in first grade and inconsistent phonics instruction.

Urbane described how her daughter's progress fluctuated under balanced literacy approaches and district intervention plans she called "cookie cutter." She said targeted assessment by a tutor trained in the science of reading identified a deficit in phonemic awareness; after four years of private tutoring the student eventually tested proficient. "This isn't just a poverty issue," Urbane said, arguing that children across income levels can fall through gaps in instruction.

Urbane urged the committee to expand teacher training in phonics and structured literacy and to work with teacher preparation programs so new teachers learn evidence‑based methods. She cited Michigan's bipartisan 2024 dyslexia package as a step forward and said districts such as Waterford have required elementary teachers to receive letters/structured literacy training.

On funding, Urbane recommended tying resources to student need — for example, a weighted funding formula that directs more money to special education, at‑risk and English‑language learners — and warned against layered grant requirements that create administrative "red tape" and divert time from instruction. "If you 1 thing that's not talked about very often... almost all of them also do a weighted funding formula," she said.

Committee members asked for comparative data on reading outcomes across school types; Urbane said she did not have detailed breakdowns for private or homeschool sectors but maintained that reliance on balanced literacy is widespread. The committee did not take formal action on Urbane's recommendations; members thanked her for the testimony and moved on to a separate bill hearing.