Gov. Whitmer will veto Michigan GOP's school voucher proposal

[SouthBayDem]

Source: Detroit Free Press

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will veto the latest effort by legislative Republicans to create a school voucher system in Michigan, a new proposal that may skirt a constitutional ban on using public money to fund private education.

Bills fast-tracked in the House and Senate on Tuesday create a system where private donors would give money to specially created organizations, which in turn would divvy up the funds for qualified students to use for educational purposes. However, all of those contributions would be entirely tax deductible, resulting in hundreds of millions less in tax revenue, according to legislative projections.

"The bill would reduce state revenue by as much as $500 million in the first year it was effective, with the potential for the revenue loss to increase 20% per year in later years," states an analysis conducted by the nonpartisan Senate Fiscal Agency.

In a statement, Whitmer spokesman Bobby Leddy did not directly say the legislation violated the state Constitution. But he suggested the potential tax deductions from the bills violate the spirit of the constitutional provision.

Read more: https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2021/10/20/school-voucher-michigan-gop-whitmer/8535487002/

[Diamond_Dog]

1. Always trying to grift public funds for their private schools

Schools that are not always held accountable for what they teach or for diversity

Sickening.

[IbogaProject]

2. Anti Union

Those private schools are never unionized.

[JustAnotherGen]

3. Good for her!

The Michigan Legislature is going in the wrong direction.


I think every state should raise property taxes and implement/raise state income taxes to a minimum of 10K per tax filer unless one is NOT a home owner. This will even things up and a lot of people will be much happier about the SALT Cap.

Bonus - we will fully fund education.

[DownriverDem]

4. Without

Gov Whitmer, AG Nessel and SOS Benson the repub run MI House and Senate would push restrictive views.

[ExTex]

5. I've never forgiven the Michigan Catholic Church for their "Parochaid" ballot scam of the late 1960s

State tax funding at the time was limited to the public schools. The Catholic-sponsored ballot language was weasely and densely written so the only way to vote AGAINST dedicating public funds to parochial schools (Parochaid) was to vote "Yes". A "No" vote was to adopt parochaid. It was easy to imagine the sermons in Catholic churches the Sunday morning before election day. Parochaid failed; but by the time I returned from the Army in 1974 it had been fully implemented. Score one for the Church.

My antipathy towards the Church was rekindled during the last election when the language on the marquee on the lawn of Catholic church at the end of our street was a thinly veiled Trump endorsement.

My family has an ugly relationship with the Catholic church which need not be rehashed here. My wife is a dedicated Catholic so it's not as if my irritation runs unchecked-- although she and her daughter were badly treated also. I don't even like Quakers; but that's a different subject.

[JI7]

9. Organized religion is mostly a scam

and that's the least of their offenses.

[paleotn]

6. A scam to get....

taxpayers to foot the bill for their religo-nut "schools."

[bucolic_frolic]

7. Hollowing out the tax base for the public good to pay for luxury for the wealthy

Yeah, that's privilege for ya

[kimbutgar]

8. Can the repukes overturn her veto?

[LogicFirst]

10. In Arizona we already have this in place.

Two of the Cstholic grade schools in my are each receive about $1 million a year in donations. This is money that could have gone to the public schools.

[Buckeyeblue]

11. There is a major teaching shortage in MI right now

Republicans in the state have been after public education for years. Good teachers are retiring and/or finding new careers. They are sick of dealing with their students fascist scum parents.

The state has had to make emergency changes in teacher qualifications. My kid's biology class is taught by a young guy who majored in golf course management.