LANSING – Wayne County lawmakers today voted for a plan that will restore $184 million in funding to schools and help ease deep cuts to education that could seriously impact Michigan's ability to prepare children for future jobs. The lawmakers also voted to move the state's School Aid Budget deadline to June 1, in order to prevent the type of budget chaos that ensued when legislators failed to reach a budget accord by Oct. 1 this year.
"Restoring this funding will help ease the effect of Lansing's budget bomb that blindsided our community schools and put our children's education at risk," said State Representative Dian Slavens (D-Canton). "As a mother and grandmother, I know that if we want to move Michigan forward and create jobs, we must ensure that our schools and students have the resources they need."
The plan passed by the House today will leverage $184 million in federal funding helping to ease the per-pupil cuts that were imposed on Michigan schools last month.
In addition, the House voted to move the date that the Legislature must complete the School Aid Budget from Oct. 1 to June 1. This change will better allow Michigan schools to plan for their academic school year before it begins, rather then waiting until it has already begun.
"Michigan's kids are the workforce of tomorrow and their education is worth much more than a line item on a budget," said State Representative Deb Kennedy (D-Brownstown), a member of the House Education Committee. "In these tough economic times, it's more important than ever that we invest in our schools in order to prepare our children to compete for the good-paying jobs of the 21st century global economy."
The plan also makes it a priority to provide an additional $25.7 million for Michigan's 20j schools and $25.7 million for Michigan's under-funded schools. This $51.4 million would be funded through the Michigan Future Fund once revenue is identified. Local schools that would benefit include:
- Dearborn City School District
- Grosse Ile Township Schools
- Lincoln Consolidated School District
- Romulus Community Schools
"We must do everything we can to give our kids the opportunity to get a top-notch education," said State Representative Douglas Geiss (D-Taylor), a member of the House Education Committee. "Michigan's future depends on our kids, and their future hinges our investment in Michigan schools. This plan will not only provide that much-needed investment, it also brings the Legislature in line with school districts to prevent our kids from being collateral damage of Lansing's budget games."
State Representative Gino Polidori (D-Dearborn), a member of the House Education Committee said: "By taking advantage of economic stimulus dollars, we will help lessen the blow for many of Michigan schools, especially the nearly $4 million funding cut slated for Dearborn City School District. We cannot get our economy back on track by downsizing our children's education and blocking our schools from getting the resources they need to teach our kids."