Reblooged from AFT Michigan
AFT Michigan Statement on Governor’s Proposed Budget
Union speaks out for prioritizing Pre-K through college public education
LANSING — Today, Gov. Rick Snyder unveiled his proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. AFT Michigan is pleased to see some education funding increases in the governor’s budget, but there are still some major concerns with what was rolled out today.
“We’re gratified that the governor had the sense to abandon his plan to raid the School Aid Fund through a tax refund scheme after thousands of parents, educators, and support staff fought against it in December. However, we still have some serious concerns,” said David Hecker, president of AFT Michigan.
“What was proposed today in regards to higher education is still not enough,” Hecker continued. “The amount outlined by the governor is still not enough to get our institutions back to pre-Snyder funding levels in absolute numbers, let alone real dollars. The mission of these public universities is to provide high-quality higher education that is affordable to working families. This budget falls woefully short of that mission and puts educators and support staff in a continued position of doing more with less, for less.”
“We know that K12 funding in Michigan is not enough and not equitable across the state based on recent studies, and this budget does not adequately address those short falls,” Hecker continued. “Public education needs to be a priority for this administration and legislature and we’ll be working with leaders in the House and Senate to fight for public education priorities from preschool through college.”