Peter Groff, former Colorado Senate president and Obama administration official, testified in front of the Michigan House Education Committee in support of Senate bill 619.  The bill moves to expand public school options for thousands of families across the state of Michigan.  Currently the state has arbitrary caps that only allow online public schools to enroll a certain number of students.  Michigan has 10,000 children on waiting lists to enroll in the state's online public schools.

In his testimony, Mr. Groff explains the ongoing growth of online public schools is sparked by parents looking for more opportunity for their children to succeed in the public school system.  He sees the positive impact online public schools are having on public education. And while cyber schools are not for every student, they do work for many children.  He notes that public cyber schools offer a "life-line" to students and an opportunity for families that was never previously available. 

Mr. Groff also discussed Michigan's strong authorization laws telling lawmakers, "You also now have that great ability as policy makers to look at hindsight and figure out what are the best practices to create a stronger foundation for these cyber schools to succeed. The incredibly strong law here in Michigan can allow you to lift the cap and allow more cyber options for students and the quality of your public school choice programs will not suffer."

Members of the Michigan House of Representatives have the opportunity to embrace online learning by passing Senate bill 619 and expanding education opportunities for Michigan students.