On October 23, 2009, Board of Education Vice-President Dave Hazekamp and I represented our school district at a round-table meeting with Governor Jennifer Granholm at the MAISD. Governor Granholm called the meeting in an attempt to inspire voters to contact their legislators with an impassioned request that the recent hole in the school budget be filled within the next 30 days. If it is not filled, schools will be cut another $127 per student on top of the $165 we were cut when the Governor signed the school aid budget. This proration would amount to approximately $400,000 and put our overall deficit for this year at $2,600,000. Below is an email coming from the Michigan Association of School Boards which offers more detail.
“Call Lawmakers NOW!
Take Action! Visit this page:
http://capwiz.com/masb/utr/1/OCROLMPIFM/MTUFLMPITH/4130472966]
Late Thursday afternoon, Gov. Granholm initiated the proration process
for schools. Under state law, the legislature has 30 days to act to
fill the hole in the School Aid Fund to prevent this mid-year cut. If
legislators fail to act within this period of time, local districts
will see a $127 per pupil cut in addition to the $165 reduction already
in the budget.
As you recall, when the legislature adopted the 2009-10 budget, it
included over $184 million in ARRA stimulus money and a promise to come
up with $100 million in new revenue. By spending this money and finding
new revenue, it’s possible for the legislature to prevent the mid-year
proration.
Spending that revenue will only solve the immediate problem. The
legislature must use this time to work on a long-term solution to the
perennial budget shortfalls in the School Aid Fund. Schools need a
reliable source of funding that fulfills the promise of quality
education for all of Michigan’s children.
We must unite and demand a solution that puts students first. Schools
are in imminent danger and your action is imperative to save your
school from bankruptcy. Please contact your lawmakers and demand that
they fulfill their obligations to Michigan’s schools.”
Our representative is:
Mary Valentine
N 119 House Office Building
PO Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7414
(517) 373-7514
maryvalentine@house.mi.gov
Our senator is:
Gerald D. VanWoerkom, Jr.
605 Farnum Building
PO Box 30036
Lansing, MI 48909-7536
(517) 373-1635
sengvanwoerkom@senate.michigan.gov
In communicating with Representative Valentine and Senator VanWoerkom it is important to emphasize the following points:
- Please fill the $127 funding gap in the school aid budget within the next 30 days.
- Cuts to school funding such as this hamper our district’s ability to provide optimal programming for students. The $127/student proration would cost our students $400,000 in programming.
- Once this funding gap is addressed, please dedicate yourself to fixing the structural problem with the way schools are funded. Our children should not bear the brunt of a broken school funding system.