LANSING- Gov. Jennifer Granholm's education proposals face a cautiously optimistic response from lawmakers and education lobbyists.

The proposal where Granholm may find the most consensus is her endorsement of the state Board of Education's recommended curriculum requirements. Currently, the only state requirement for a Michigan diploma is one semester of civics.

Granholm's proposal would mandate 18 credits in subjects like English, math, science, social science and world languages.

"Only one-third of the students who graduate from our high schools right now have taken the math, science and communication courses we know they'll need to compete in our new economy," Granholm said in her State of the State address.

"It's certainly something to look at," said Sen. Michelle McManus, R-Lake Leelanau, adding that several school districts already meet or exceed Granholm's proposed standards.

"We want to make sure that students can do reading, writing and arithmetic."

McManus said she will meet with superintendents throughout her district to see what they think of Granholm's proposal.

Clare High School Principal Kim Kolde said the proposal is “the most ludicrous thing” he’s seen.

“If the Legislature wants to do this, why don’t they set the requirements for college admissions?”

Kolde said that he while he is in favor of more rigor in high school standards, students who aren’t on the collegiate track would be disadvantaged by the some of the specific requirements.

Clare High School's graduation requirements now meet or exceed most of the governor's standards, said guidance counselor Kathy Howard.

However, Clare students are required to complete only two years of math and two years of science.

Howard, a former math teacher, said "I know that kids have strengths in different areas, and I don't see some of them making it through four years of math."

The Michigan Education Association (MEA) said there might be a conflict between Granholm's curriculum proposal and federal No Child Left Behind requirements.

No Child Left Behind requires that teachers be certified as "highly qualified" in each subject they teach, something that the MEA says will be difficult for small rural schools that can afford only one science teacher.

The MEA is the state's largest education union.

Rep. Tim Moore, R-Farwell, agreed with the MEA's stance, saying that people should "expect our schools to educate our kids," but questioned whether Michigan will have enough teachers available to comply with the changes.

"Let's make sure we don't have a gym teacher teaching math," said Moore.

But House Democratic Leader Dianne Byrum, D-Onondaga, backed the curriculum changes, saying that current standards aren't stringent enough.

"It's not good enough for Michigan students," said Byrum.

Granholm also proposed expanding the Michigan Merit Scholarship, adding math, science and computer after-school programs for middle-school students, requiring parental notification for children who miss school or fall behind academically, and mandating anti-bullying policies.    

McManus said she had already proposed anti-hazing legislation and that many schools already notify parents when their kids struggle academically.

"It's a lot of fluff, not enough detail," McManus said of Granholm's education plan.

McManus and Moore both said they would wait to see how Granholm intends to fund her programs before they will support them.

"I'll be interested to see how her budget presentation goes and how she plans to pay for some of the things she wants to do," said McManus.

The governor is expected to present her budget to the Legislature Feb. 9.