Comrade Snyder looking to raid Michigan School Budget Surplus

[MrScorpio]

From now on, That's my name for him; "Comrade Snyder".

SUN APR 17, 2011 AT 06:05 AM PDT

Michigan Dems Strike Back As Snyder Tries to Raid $500 Million Education Surplus

bysurelyujest

The Michigan State Aid education fund expects a $500 million dollar surplus (which some are reporting to be actually be as high as $670 million) for the next fiscal year, according to the non-partisan House Fiscal Agency. That is enough to provide a $260 funding increase per student capita across the state. So what’s the problem then? If there is no deficit, why would Governor Snyder want to cut funding and potentially push Michigan schools into insolvency? To funnel that money to for profit higher education and to hand a $1.8 billion tax break to businesses.

Michigan House Democrats are rallying for battle with the Governor and MI Republicans over drastic budget cuts to K-12 funding. Snyder has proposed to reduce funding to public schools by nearly $900 million in the new budget plan expected to be adopted May 31st, a move that would be nothing short of devastating for Michigan children and school districts.

Snyder’s plan would cut funding by $300 per student, in addition to the $170 per student already in place from the prior year. According to the Ludington News, this $470 will be much higher as districts also have to pay an additional $100 per pupil in state mandated retirement payments (the current rate schools pay into retirement is 20.66%, Snyder will raise it to 24.5%) and an additional $240 per pupil in retirement costs next year. The total combined cuts will take a staggering $710 per student out of MI school districts, 150 of which are already on the brink of bankruptcy, with 43 schools and charters already there.

On April 12, 2011 MI Democrats tried to pass a bill that would have reduced those cuts by $270 million, but the bill was rejected by the Republican majority. On his website, Representative Brandon Dillon (D-Grand Rapids) said:

“We need to restore education funding now instead of using it to finance Governor Snyder’s massive business tax cut next year. There is more than enough money in the balance sheet at the end of the fiscal year to restore these cuts that have hampered our students for the past two years; cuts which would never have passed had lawmakers expected such a surplus. An overwhelming majority of Michigan’s residents know that this vital school funding should go toward our children’s education, not to subsidize tax cuts for corporations. It’s too bad House Republicans don’t agree.”

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/17/967691/-Michigan-Dems-Strike-Back-As-Snyder-Tries-to-Raid-$500-Million-Education-Surplus-

Is there no end to this madness?

[Angry Dragon]

1. They just want all the money and don't care who suffers for it

[Faygo Kid]

2. Snyder is a snake. Comrade Snake.

He ran as a moderate. What a joke. Michigan will be destroyed by that a-hole.

[white_wolf]

3. I find using the term Comrade is an insult to members of the various

socialist parties of the US. How about Fuhrer?