LANSING – Last week, the House of Representatives voted on School Aid budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Despite House Democrats introducing a number of amendments, House Republicans ultimately rejected them, resulting in a budget that fails to adequately fund Michigan schools. In response, state Rep. Kristy Pagan (D-Canton), the Democratic Vice Chair of the School Aid and Department of Education Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement:
“Michigan continues to sink toward the bottom in revenue growth for education funding. Study after study has shown that Michigan is actually underfunding its schools by $2,000 per student. Unfortunately, the budget that came before us last week continues to perpetuate this lack of investment. This budget doesn’t even keep up with inflation. It falls short for the families, students and educators of our state. But most appalling of all, this budget takes school aid dollars meant for our K-12 students and diverts it elsewhere in order to plug holes created by years of disinvestment. As elected officials concerned with the future and prosperity of every Michigander, we cannot expect their success when year after year, we set them up for failure through a chronic diversion of funds and resources. I will continue to fight to see the final budget fully fund Michigan schools and put our state’s future back on track.”
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