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West Michigan lawmaker says Democrats will push today to restore K-12 funding; The Grand Rapids Press-April 28, 2011
Topic Started: Apr 30 2011, 11:08 PM (318 Views)
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West Michigan lawmaker says Democrats will push today to restore K-12 funding
Published: Thursday, April 28, 2011, 10:44 AM Updated: Thursday, April 28, 2011, 11:15 AM
By Monica Scott | The Grand Rapids Press MLive.com
http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/04/west_michigan_lawmaker_say_dem.html


State Rep. Brandon Dillon, D-Grand Rapids, said school districts can't achieve the reforms Gov. Rick Snyder spoke of in his speech without adequate funding.

Dillon said Snyder's message of education improvement and reform is one everybody is interested in because there is a need to make education as efficient and effective as possible for student achievement. However, he said, with the budget cuts proposed, school districts are scrambling to figure out how to balance budgets next year.

"The most critical issue is we are trying to make sure we can keep school districts open," Dillon said. "There is not going to be a chance for real reforms if we don't have real funding for school districts."

Dillon, who sits on the Appropriations Committee, said House Democrats today plan to make amendments to the budget to restore all the categorical funding, special purpose grants, to the K-12 budget.

Grand Rapids Public Schools could lose $6 million to $8 million in categorical funding, including $2.9 million designated for keeping class sizes small in kindergarten through third-grade.

Grants for bilingual education and special education are also among those at risk. The hit to GRPS from categorical funding is actually more than cuts to per pupil funding, estimated at more than $5 million. The district is facing a $23.7 million budget hole next year.

The governor proposed a $300 cut in per pupil funding, on top of the $170 already budgeted. Wednesday, a bill to cut K-12 funding by $340 per pupil passed the Senate with the lieutenant governor casting the tie-breaking vote.

E-mail Monica Scott: mscott@grpress.com

http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/04/west_michigan_lawmaker_say_dem.html
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