LANSING — Today, the House of Representatives approved the School Omnibus Budget for fiscal year 2018-19. State Rep. Kristy Pagan (D-Canton) voted against the School Omnibus budget. In response, Rep. Pagan issued the following statement:
“A budget like the one we passed today will never make Michigan a top-10 state in education. The missed opportunities characterized in the School Omnibus budget are more than just disappointing, they show that we have failed the young people of this state. This budget not only encourages the for-profit motive plaguing public schools in Michigan, but if struggling schools do not meet certain benchmarks, it also forces them to cut their staff, including teachers, by 25 percent. In addition, this budget raids $908 million of school aid fund dollars meant for our K-12 classrooms and sends money to other places in the budget. I cannot support a budget that takes school aid dollars meant for our K-12 students and diverts it elsewhere. It is our constitutional responsibility to provide our public schools with the tools they need to succeed. In order to do so, we must increase funding to the continually studied and recommend levels.”
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