There’s no rest for the weary
Even though the Governor has signed the school budget, the battle for public education is far from over--legislators are being urged to restore the drastic cuts to education funding; school reform bills that that will ultimately devastate struggling schools are still very much alive; and the hearings on Speaker Dillon’s plan to place all public employees in a state-mandated health care plan are scheduled through December.
The issues we’ve been fighting haven’t gone away and those who would attack public education are still active. Your message to legislators mattered before. Make your voice heard again by contacting your legislators and let them know that public education must be a priority if Michigan is going to survive. Tell them it’s time for critical reform that brings a fair, equitable tax structure to fund education.
A $165 per student cut, followed by a $127 proration, topped off with an end to funding for 20j schools led to an outcry by parents and the education community that forced legislators to look for immediate sources of revenue to restore money to schools.
On Thursday, the House approved a supplemental that would free up the remaining $184 million of stimulus money to reduce the governor’s $127 per student proration and restore half of the 20j funding cuts. HB 4860 would trim the proration to $117 so the per pupil cut would be $175 this year. Senate Majority Leader Bishop (R-Rochester) still questions the wisdom of tapping into the federal stimulus money to soften the cuts to K-12 schools. He predicts a bigger funding gap next year with no stimulus money to bail out schools.
While HB 4860 is a short-term fix, a stable revenue source for schools still remains out of reach. To avoid the annual budget crisis that keeps chipping away at a quality education for students, we must push for reform that brings a fair, equitable and stable tax system to fund education. Whether the solution is ending tax loopholes for businesses or taxing services, it’s clear that we can’t continue to hold education hostage to Proposal A.
But the budget isn’t the only threat we face.
School reform legislation that would cripple already-struggling schools is hiding behind a seemingly innocent concept of “neighborhood schools.” The real agenda here, however, is to create more charter schools that be allowed to function with little oversight or accountability and will rob the neediest schools of the resources they need to succeed. This legislation also impacts collective bargaining agreements and teacher tenure and establishes alternative (fast-track) routes to certification.
And our health benefits are still at risk while hearings on the Michigan Health Benefits Program continue. Even though committee members regularly hear testimony that questions any savings that could come from placing all public employees in a state-mandated health care program, the threat to our bargaining rights and quality health care still looms. If HB 5345 is discharged from committee, the battle to prevent our health benefits being gutted and health care costs skyrocketing will be a fierce one.
Updated: November 6, 2009