K-12 Faces a $330 Per-Pupil Cut, Double the Current Budget Figure

Kudos to the Adrian Daily Telegram for being the first to put some documentation to this story. Yesterday, Treasurer Bob Kleine reported that current K-12 budget as passed is off to the tune of $264 million. (Also keep in mind that they haven't even passed the funding for that yet.) The Michigan Association of School Boards crunched that number, and is reporting that it would mean an additional $165 per-pupil cut - double the number that is on the table now.

They are very unhappy, and said so in no uncertain terms.

Schools are being held hostage to the outrageous antics and games with the school budget. Yesterday the state treasurer sent a memo to Gov. Granholm indicating that the predicted shortfall in the School Aid Fund (SAF) was much larger than expected. According to the memo, Treasury now estimates that the shortfall will be approximately $264 million for fiscal year 2009-10. To view the memo, click here.

To put that in perspective, that’s an additional $165 per pupil reduction on top of the $165 cut that the legislature passed last week. Without serious action by the legislature and governor in coming months, schools face total cuts of $330 per pupil.

It’s an understatement to say that this is a devastating blow to public education. The legislature and governor need to quit playing games and finalize a budget so schools can focus on student achievement. Schools can’t absorb the magnitude of cuts without severe consequences to students.

Wow. It's a shame that Mike Bishop absolutely refuses to make any compromises when it comes to saving the public schools, isn't it? An estimated figure of 120 school districts operating in the red with the current budget figure is going to explode at $330 per-pupil.

How many Michigan school districts will Mike Bishop and the Senate Republicans destroy with their refusal to make any changes to their sacrosanct "bipartisan" budget agreement? Stay tuned...