Posted on Thu, Dec 10, 2009 : 5:26 p.m.
Gov. Granholm rescinds cut to school aid in December
By AnnArbor.com Staff
School districts will get a Christmas gift from the state: a $127 per pupil cut in state aid won't occur - at least for December, the Detroit Free Press reports.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm rescinded the aid cut she ordered last month because the School Aid Fund has at least $150 million more than was expected, the Free Press said.
But the aid cut might take place in January.
And school districts will still absorb a $165 per pupil reduction in state aid as part of the new, 2009-10 budget. Also, 39 school districts with higher property values will still have to absorb additional cuts, some as much as $600 per pupil, which Granholm imposed as part of budget-cutting, the Free Press said.
Comments
John Agno
Thu, Dec 17, 2009 : 8:56 a.m.
Beyond sustaining the funding for Michigan public schools, K-12 leadership needs to systemically develop local missions for educational improvement. For example, Say Yes to Education values and realizes the promise and extraordinary potential of Syracuse City School District students according to Ned Deuel, chair of the Board of Education. The Say Yes to Education: Syracuse program combines comprehensive, high-quality and sustained academic, social, emotional, health and family supports throughout the K-12 years, and culminates with the incentive of free college tuition for SCSD graduates who meet residency and college admission requirements into one of nearly 100 higher education institutions in the Say Yes compact. The Say Yes Higher Education Compact eliminates the most significant obstacle faced by families across the income spectrumthe high cost of a quality post-secondary education. K-12 supports include after-school and summer camp programs, tutoring, mentoring, family outreach and engagement, social work/counseling services, health and wellness programs and legal clinics. The mission of Say Yes is to value and realize the promise and extraordinary potential of economically disadvantaged youth and families. Say Yes recognizes the daunting challenges faced by children living in poverty, but knows through experience and field tested results that children can overcome these challenges when given holistic support. Syracuse is making history, implementing the only program of its kind and scale in the nation. By innovatively linking the chain between the public, private, and non-profit sectors, Syracuse Say Yes is not so much a program or a project, but rather a citywide college-access movement poised to rejuvenate the city and build a sustainable model for developing our most precious asset---our children and youth---and, ultimately, positioning the Syracuse economy to compete globally. To download the December 2009 Say Yes Update, go to: http://wpbdc.syr.edu/email/sayyes/enews12-09.pdf That's the kind of thinking that needs to happen throughout Michigan to insure the U.S. will be competitive in tomorrow's global economy.
Earnest
Fri, Dec 11, 2009 : 8:29 p.m.
Are these posts representative of citizen thinking locally? Conspiracy theories abound. With so many optional activities in Ann Arbor (http://www.annarbor.com/events/) why are there so many people with seemingly nothing better to do?
judy
Fri, Dec 11, 2009 : 4:47 p.m.
I live in Toledo and our school public school system is horrible. I am considering moving to Ann Arbor and was especially impressed in regards to the Public Schools. I am a substitute teacher, trust me you don't know what you have until it's gone. Fight for your schools. Note: I was a probation officer before being laid off and began teaching.
Martin Church
Fri, Dec 11, 2009 : 12:52 p.m.
Just wait till May when the revenue for Cigeretts drop because of the ban she just signed. figure in may we will have another 21 Million shortage. She needs to save the money and give it back to the tax payers. Or that's right I am just a slave to the Lansing Queen.
xmo
Fri, Dec 11, 2009 : 8:50 a.m.
Thank God the elected officals are spending time writing a law about texting. Money for schools is such a low priority. I am surprised that someone covered this story. Texting Laws have a lot more impact! (This is a Joke)
ptrcklttl
Thu, Dec 10, 2009 : 10:56 p.m.
Hey everyone, newsflash! The reason the Gov did this is so districts can pay the bills for January 1st. It is a cashflow issue. The fed. government money (stimulus) has not been paid out yet and districts are worried that they dont have the cash flow to pay the first week of January bills and payroll. We all know that the January fiscal news will be poor, thus the $127 will be back on the radar. Now that schools don't have fund equity to borrow from themselves for these situations, it creates a cash flow problem. No matter how you feel about all of the funding, we should all agree that Lansing must get budgets set in July for the school year, stick with it, and roll cuts formerly made mid-year into next year's budget. Then, cuts can be planned for in a logical way.
DonB
Thu, Dec 10, 2009 : 9:45 p.m.
That's a good start Governor. Now rescind the rest of the cuts, and cut spending on state prisons (we spend more on them than all higher education in Michigan) by putting all non-violent drug offenders on parole, and consolidating the entire penal system in the state. Tax dollars for education instead of incarceration.
TruBlue
Thu, Dec 10, 2009 : 9:35 p.m.
Still blowing me away after all these years. Good thing that millage didn't pass.
AMOC
Thu, Dec 10, 2009 : 8:19 p.m.
So when her blackmail attempt extract more tax money from Michigan's citizens failed, Gov. Granholm decides to believe the original tax revenue estimate after all? But probably just for December, so the schools can't/won't make their cuts (and the associated changes to classrooms if needed) at the Mid-Winter Vacations or the semester break, when many students are already going to be changing teachers and classes. The cynicism of the governor and her party, playing "chicken" like this with the welfare of children and the efficient operation of our community schools, is utterly appalling.
Steve Norton, MIPFS
Thu, Dec 10, 2009 : 6:24 p.m.
While there is a bit of encouraging news on non-homestead tax collections in November, it is almost certain that this proration will be reinstated after the January revenue estimation conference. What surprises me (only a little) is that the Senate has refused to act on a House bill that would replace half of the 20j money that goes to higher spending districts as well as covering nearly all of the $127 per pupil cut. The only way to do this without new revenues is to draw down the federal stimulus dollars. The Senate has been hoping to save them to avoid bigger cuts next year, an election year. So for AAPS, this means that the current cuts equal $165 + the full $233 in 20j money, for $398 per pupil or about $6.5 million. FOR THE CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR ALONE. This is on top of the $2 million in hard cuts and other measures to cover a $7 million deficit in the school budget originally passed in June. This is a welcome reprieve, but a very small and short-lived one. Hard work remains in front of us.
alarictoo
Thu, Dec 10, 2009 : 5:54 p.m.
Well, if they don't take it away again, that will put about 2.1 million back into AAPS's budget. Reducing the 8.7 million dollar deficit to 6.6. I wonder how much less the fund will have in it next month, and how hard they will put it to schol districts then...?
a2grateful
Thu, Dec 10, 2009 : 5:53 p.m.
And the games continue... which hat has our school funds?