FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan
June 28, 2016
Contact: Sam Inglot, 616-916-0574, sam@progressmichigan.org
Report: MI Republican Budgets Don’t Properly Fund Education
Study shows 89 percent of school districts left behind in Snyder/GOP Budget
LANSING — A report released today shows that the education budget signed by Gov. Rick Snyder on Monday continues to leave students in poorer districts behind and doesn’t adequately fund the vast majority of public schools throughout the state.
“This report reinforces that Gov. Snyder and the Republican-controlled legislature have the wrong priorities when it comes to investing in our kids’ future. Not only does this budget continue to siphon necessary funds from our community schools to private schools that have little or no accountability, this report shows the funding in this budget falls woefully short,” said Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan. “Since 2011, our community schools have seen larger class sizes and cuts to important student developmental programs thanks in large part to the Michigan Republicans’ $1.8 billion tax giveaway paid for by cuts to public education.”
The report found that the base amount every district should receive is $8,667. However, only 11 percent of districts are able to meet that standard currently, according to MIRS News.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the Republican education budget just signed by Gov. Snyder is not enough to meet the base funding level recommended by the report: “The budget includes increases of between $60 and $120 for the per-pupil foundation allowance. At the low end of per-pupil funding, the increase went from $7,391 to $7,511, and at the high end, it went from $8,169 to $8,229.”
“The Republicans that control every aspect of government can continue to say that they are committed to our kids, but their actions speak louder than words and their budgets show their true priorities,” Scott continued. “It’s not hard to figure out that when you put the interests of CEOs and wealthy donors ahead of children’s education, schools fail. Hopefully now the Michigan GOP figures out what the rest of the state has known for years.”
A copy of the report can be found here.
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