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1
Jul 2010
The odd number
Posted by Scott Spielman
at 2:32 PM | Comments
The Michigan Legislature approved the School Aid Fund today—a day after the Michigan Senate adjourned at 2:30 p.m. with the issue unresolved.
The vote was approved 37-1 in the Senate, and 98-6 in the House. School Districts will receive a portion of the $165 in per-pupil funding that was taken from them in the middle of the 2009-2010 school year. How much? $11.
Eleven bucks out of $165. That’s an odd number in a few ways.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm had this to say: “Today’s passage of the school aid budget with a small increase in funding is another important step in ensuring that we have a strong public education system that prepares every child for success in college and the workplace. The completion of the budget together with the passage of retirement reform legislation, which will save millions of dollars next year, provide schools with the financial certainty they need. I thank lawmakers for their action and am hopeful that with this important step behind us, we can move quickly to finalize the rest of the fiscal year 2011 budget.”
This, too, is odd in a few ways. Since when is restoring $11 of a $165 per pupil cut a small increase in funding? Isn’t that like leaving the pennies on the table as a tip, while taking the bills?
I also like the bit about the retirement reform saving millions and providing schools with the financial certainty they need. Maybe in a way it does provide certainty—a certainty that help won’t come from Lansing.
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