A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, teachers unions and school officials voiced opposition to the education budget that was signed into law by Michigan's Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday.
Whitmer's Education budget It's part of a statewide budget that includes millions of dollars earmarked for “enhancement grants” and “critical infrastructure projects.” according to To Bridge Michigan: Lawmakers and school leaders from both parties criticized Gov. Whitmer's $83 million budget for cutting funding for mental health and school safety from $328 million to $26.5 million. according to To the Detroit News.
Critics say the new budget undermines efforts Michigan schools have made to ensure school safety, including hiring police after the 2021 Oxford school shooting, according to The Detroit News.
Many educators across the state believe cuts to school budgets will have a negative impact on students' mental health, according to The Detroit News. The State Board of Education on Thursday called on lawmakers to “reverse” cuts to mental health and school safety. (Related: 'You should be angry': Charmagne tells Gretchen Whitmer Biden is making Democrats look bad)
“But we cannot celebrate every aspect of this budget,” Chandra Madafferi, president and CEO of the Michigan Education Association, said in a June statement. press release“Classified budgets for school safety and student mental health have been significantly cut, and cuts must be addressed at the local level to keep schools safe learning environments for all students and staff.”
Republican state Rep. Jamie Green, vice chairman of the state Assembly's Education Committee, expressed frustration with the new budget, saying Michigan needs to change its approach given its poor academic performance.
“She [Whitmer] “The Whitmer Administration has not prioritized the needs of Michigan's students and teachers,” Green told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “When our education is strong, our economy thrives, and it's unfortunate that this is not being prioritized by the Whitmer Administration.”
“You'd think we'd be a little more aggressive with our education budget and how we approach education and our focus on reforming education in Michigan,” Green told DCNF, “but that's not the case. We're closing the gaps in Michigan by cutting teacher pensions, school safety and mental health, and support services like tutoring and additional support services, among other things.”
Michigan's school system ranks 41st out of 50 in the nation, with one in five students failing to graduate from high school on time. according to According to a study conducted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Is this a parody account? The state budget has provided zero per student funding increase and Michigan has the lowest education standards in the nation.
— Sweet Home Michigan (@sweethomemich) July 10, 2024
“Teachers unions and associations are outraged by this, and even more bizarrely, superintendents are outraged,” Republican state Rep. Cam Cavitt told DCNF. “I mean, everybody's outraged. And they're core Democrats. So they've let them down.”
Six members of the House Democratic Caucus expressed disappointment in the budget proposal, feeling they were misled by Democratic leadership, The Detroit News reported. reportSome did not want to be identified for fear of retaliation.
Six Democrats said they were told a separate bill to guarantee future funding for schools would be sent to the Senate for a vote in June, according to The Detroit News. The Senate adjourned without a proposal being sent, and two Democrats said they voted in favor of the bill under the assumption that a longer-term measure would move forward.
The budget cuts come after the Legislature voted to freeze per-pupil spending for the next school year, according to The Detroit News.
“Our children deserve to be treated better,” Cavitt told DCNF.
Whitmer has been talked about as a possible running mate for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, but she has denied being interested.
Governor Whitmer's office did not immediately respond to the DCNF's request for comment.
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