John James

Samantha Sayles, Senior Digital Producer

Michigan gubernatorial candidates John James and Jocelyn Benson faced questions about education in a debate.

In the 2026 Michigan gubernatorial debate hosted by WDIV and moderated by morning co-anchor and Flashpoint host Jason Colthorp, the candidates answered questions on topics Michiganders care most about, particularly education.

Michigan students trail much of the country in reading and math. The candidates were asked what the state has done wrong in the last decade and what they would do that hasn’t been tried yet.

James said children need mastery before they reach fourth grade, and they need opportunities to get there. He also said there needs to be accountability and that Michigan needs to cut overhead.

“50% of the dollars that we’re spending on our declining school-age population, as we’re paying more administrators, are not going to classrooms, not going to kids, not gonna teachers,” James said. “We need to change that.”

Benson said she has a five-pillar education plan aimed at turning things around in Michigan’s education.

“My goal at the end of my first term is for people to be talking about the Michigan miracle and how we’ve transformed our public schools as opposed to the Mississippi miracle and everything else,” Benson said.

You can listen to the candidate’s full statements from the Oct. 15 debate on Michigan’s education by watching the video at the top of this article.

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Samantha Sayles is an Oakland University alumna who’s been writing Michigan news since 2022. Before joining the ClickOnDetroit team, she wrote stories for WILX in Lansing and WEYI in Flint.

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