LANSING – State Representative Rebekah Warren (D-Ann Arbor) today criticized the latest political maneuverings between Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop (R-Rochester) and the Governor that has led to another proposed cut to education and community schools. Warren said the time for political brinkmanship has long passed and it is time for both parties to work together to protect schools, kids and Michigan.
"The education of our children in Ann Arbor should not be jeopardized because politicians in Lansing are too busy bickering," said Warren, whose Ann Arbor Public School District would lose more than $3.7 million as a result of the Governor's veto of parts of the School Aid Budget on Monday. "In this moment of uncertainty, we need our leaders to step up and ensure the protection of our kids and the education they will rely on to prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow."
As budget negotiations continue to drag on past the Oct. 1 deadline, Bishop has delayed sending the Governor all the departmental budgets until today, while the Governor is vetoing funding for the schools in order to get the Senate to come to the bargaining table.
As part of the Governor's veto, so-called 20j schools across the state would face $52 million in cuts – including more than $3.7 million to Ann Arbor Public Schools. Those cuts come on top of the $165 per-pupil cut already included in the School Aid Budget.
"In order to pave the way for new investment, new businesses and new jobs in Michigan, we need to ensure that every school has the resources it needs to give our children the best education possible," Warren said. "We need to put an end to this political infighting and concentrate on what really matters – our kids and the future of our state."