I'd like to take you through some of the reasoning behind the k-12 budget. It's important to remember that this budget is still very fluid.
It's also important to remember that with the exception of 2004, The School Aid Fund (SAF) has gone up every year since 1999. I think this demonstrates that education is a top priority for members of the House of Representatives, regardless of party.
But state government is spending more money than it is taking in, and we need a budget that reflects the economic realities of the state. Families across Michigan are also making tough spending decisions and it's time for Lansing to do the same.
As it stands right now, the SAF is facing a 3% cut. To compare this, the Dept. of Human Services budget was just cut 29.9% and Community Health is facing a 25% cut.
The reality for Michigan is that we've seen such a huge drop in revenue, because of plummeting property values and lower sales taxes. A total of 99% of the school aid fund is determined by the people through the constitution and still the budget is held nearly harmless at 3%. (I’ve included a chart to show the commitment to education over the past ten years.)
In one school district, stiff collective bargaining could put $400,000 into the classroom. There are many programs that the governor can suspend to add dollars to the school budget.
We're still waiting for the administration's support in this area.
To make things worse for Michigan residents, anything we don't fix this year will come back harder in next year's budget. I will do what I can to minimize damage to the budget for this year and for next year.
It's also important to remember that with the exception of 2004, The School Aid Fund (SAF) has gone up every year since 1999. I think this demonstrates that education is a top priority for members of the House of Representatives, regardless of party.
But state government is spending more money than it is taking in, and we need a budget that reflects the economic realities of the state. Families across Michigan are also making tough spending decisions and it's time for Lansing to do the same.
As it stands right now, the SAF is facing a 3% cut. To compare this, the Dept. of Human Services budget was just cut 29.9% and Community Health is facing a 25% cut.
The reality for Michigan is that we've seen such a huge drop in revenue, because of plummeting property values and lower sales taxes. A total of 99% of the school aid fund is determined by the people through the constitution and still the budget is held nearly harmless at 3%. (I’ve included a chart to show the commitment to education over the past ten years.)
In one school district, stiff collective bargaining could put $400,000 into the classroom. There are many programs that the governor can suspend to add dollars to the school budget.
We're still waiting for the administration's support in this area.
To make things worse for Michigan residents, anything we don't fix this year will come back harder in next year's budget. I will do what I can to minimize damage to the budget for this year and for next year.
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