The governor’s race: where they stand (in 3 minutes or less)

From charter schools to business taxes and gay rights, the Schauer-Snyder race gives voters plenty of differences to mull in voting for Michigan’s next governor.

With the exception of Medicaid expansion and, possibly, puppies, Gov. Rick Snyder and challenger Mark Schauer have presented Michigan voters with sharply different approaches to how they would run the state. Here are some highlights on where each candidate stands:

CHARTER SCHOOLS

Snyder: Signed legislation removing the state cap on charter schools.

After a Detroit Free Press series revealed lax oversight of Michigan charters, state School Superintendent Mike Flanagan put 11 charter school authorizers (which approve, oversee and provide accountability for charter schools) on notice that they may be banned from opening additional charters unless performance improves at their schools. Snyder declined to single out charter schools as a problem, saying he believes all schools should face greater accountability.

Schauer: Calls for a halt to “unrestricted expansion” of charter schools in Michigan and increased transparency in how taxpayer dollars are used in charter schools.

EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AUTHORITY

Snyder: The EAA, which is a reform district for the worst-performing schools in the state and currently operating only in Detroit, has shown mediocre-to-poor results so far.

Snyder favors expanding the EAA to failing schools around the state.

Schauer: Would eliminate the EAA, calling it a “failed model.”

BUSINESS TAXES

Snyder: Signed a tax reform that cut business tax by $1.8 billion by removing what he called the “job-killing Michigan Business Tax”.

Schauer: Has called the business tax reform that included the elimination of the MBT a “corporate tax giveaway,” but hasn’t said whether he would push to increase business taxes.

PENSION TAX

Snyder: Signed a bill that eliminated a past exemption that allowed Michigan seniors to collect pensions without being taxed. Snyder called the removal of that exemption a “more simple, fair and efficient tax system” that treated all income the same.

Schauer: Says he would reinstate the pension tax exemption.

UNIONS

Snyder: Signed right-to-work legislation, making it illegal to require workers to pay union dues as a condition of employment. Snyder said the labor reform protects “"the rights of hardworking Michiganders" and makes the state more attractive to business.

Schauer: Wants to repeal right-to-work, saying that the legislation hasn’t created jobs.

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE AND LGBT ISSUES

Snyder: Says he will wait for the courts to decide the issue of whether to allow same-sex marriage in Michigan, and declined to give his personal view in a debate earlier this month. In March, after a federal court overturned Michigan’s same-sex marriage ban, Snyder said that the marriages of 300 couples married before the ruling was delayed by an appeals court were legally performed, but would not be recognized by the state.

Snyder said he hopes the Legislature considers amending the state Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to include protections to stop those who are gay or perceived to be gay from being fired from their jobs, but has not taken a position on it himself.

Schauer: Supports amending the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to protect those in the LGBT community, and supports same-sex marriage.

ROADS

Snyder: Supports $1.2 billion in increased funding to fix Michigan roads, suggesting repairs could be paid for through increased fuel taxes or registration fees.

Schauer: Supports fixing Michigan roads, and has suggested paying for improvements through cutting waste and requiring businesses that “benefit from our roads” to “pay their fair share.”

DETROIT

Snyder: Signed a bundle of bills that were part of a “grand bargain” in Detroit’s bankruptcy, providing $195 million in state funding to the city. The bargain included some pension cuts to Detroit retirees, but less drastic cuts than what had been feared.

Schauer: Says he would have never agreed to pension cuts for Detroit retirees, but hasn’t said what his alternative plan would have been.

ENVIRONMENT

Snyder: Supports fracking, a drilling process in which large amounts of water, sand and chemicals are injected deep into wells at high pressure to extract natural gas deposits. Snyder says Michigan conducts fracking in a safe way.

Schauer: Opposes fracking and wants increased investment in alternative energy sources.

EDUCATION FUNDING

Snyder: Has shored up the teacher pension system, but per-pupil allowance, which better represents money going into the classroom, hasn’t kept up with inflation since he took office. Taken together, education funding, when including pension spending, is up by roughly $1 billion.

Schauer: Says he would increase funding for Michigan schools by restricting the use of the School Aid fund to K-12, rather than using some of the fund for higher education, as it has in recent years.