State plays bait-and-switch with school money

 

By Donald A Spencer, Ed.D

The following op-ed appeared in the Monroe Evening News on June 15, 2010.

Many of us remember when Michigan voters approved the state lottery in 1972 for “school state aid” and then had the Legislature reduce the school aid fund by the same amount the lottery provided at its first opportunity.

This “bait and switch” tactic still rankles many of Michigan’s taxpayers who frequently ask educational leaders, “Whatever happened to the lottery money that was supposed to go to our schools?” Of course the answer to that question is that the lottery money, in effect, was taken by the Legislature to use for things that they deemed to be more impor­tant, like prisons.

Well, lo and behold, our poli­ticians are set to do the same thing to Proposal A, which was passed by Michigan voters in 1994. Monroe County citizens will recall that Proposal A raised the state sales tax from 4 percent to 6 percent to fund “school state aid” for K-12 public education and simultaneously provided property tax relief.

As most everyone knows, except possibly the governor and seem­ingly some legislators, the schools have been in quite a serious financial decline. Last year people pretty much quit buying things they didn’t need, such as new cars, and the state aid fund, which now relies heavily on sales taxes, took quite a hit. Every pupil received $165 less for his or her education in 2009-10.

This cut, which took place after the school year started and fol­lowed many years of funding de­cline due to Michigan’s prolonged recession and the Legislature’s nearly constant tweaking (gut­ting) of Proposal A, was devas­tating. As a result teachers and administrators have been laid off, schools have been closed, fees have increased for music and sports and many programs have been eliminated.

Now the school aid fund, because we are starting to buy things like cars again, is show­ing signs of recovery. There is a small surplus emerging for next year that might allow our schools to avoid further cuts and perhaps even to replace some of that $165 cut to our students and families.

Well, our legislators are at it again. Under the “leadership” of Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop and House Speaker Andy Dillon, they are now preparing to do what has never been done before; that is to raid the funds Proposal A set aside for school aid in order to fill gaping holes in the state’s general operating budget. To my knowl­edge only state Rep. Kate Ebli, D-Monroe, has stated her opposi­tion to this version of “bait and switch.”

Why is the Legislature consider­ing raiding the school aid fund?

I believe there could be several reasons:

1. They think there are more important priorities than our community schools.
   
   
2. Most of these elected “lead­ers” won’t be there next year (term limits).
   
   
3. They think you don’t care or aren’t watching (summer vaca­tion).

For whatever reason, it appears that they might not keep their fingers out of the K-12 school aid cookie jar unless they think they might get caught by voters. I ask residents to let their legislators know that they expect them to maintain the funding provided to K-12 schools under Proposal A for just that purpose. They should let them know that another “bait and switch” con job, such as was done with the Michigan lottery, won’t work this time.

Most importantly, they need to let them know they are watching and they can’t steal from their community’s schools.

Dr. Spencer is superintendent of the Monroe County Intermediate School District.