LANSING – Macomb County State Representatives today passed 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 House 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.
"We cannot allow partisan bickering to come before the educational needs of our children. We have to make sure they receive the high-quality education they need to prepare them for the demands of working in the 21st century global economy," said State Representative Sarah Roberts (D-St. Clair Shores), member of the House Education Committee. "By giving our schools adequate funding we are making sure our children can compete against the rest of the world, we're ensuring the success of our young people, our businesses and our state. We must make it a priority that our schools are fairly funded."
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.
"Right now, too many of our schools are asking whether they have enough funding to keep teachers in the classroom and provide the supplies and resources necessary to educate our children," said State Representative Jennifer Haase (D-Richmond), a former teacher and member of the House Education Committee. "Lansing's budget failures have put schools across the state in a difficult position – one that could seriously harm our children's future and state's future – and we must never let this happen again. Requiring that the Legislature complete the School Aid Budget by June 1 will help make sure that our children are never again the victims of budget breakdowns."
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. The local schools that will benefit from the funding are Warren Woods Public Schools, Algonac Community School District, Anchor Bay School District, Marysville Public Schools, Memphis Community Schools, Richmond Community Schools and Yale Public Schools.
"The days of walking out of high school and into a good-paying job are over," said State Representative Jon Switalski (D-Warren). "It is our responsibility to ensure that today's students are prepared to lead the workforce of the next generation. When it comes to education, we have to put political bickering aside and make sure our kids come first."