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Politics & Government

Berkley Superintendent: House Vote to Cut Schools Funding 'a Betrayal'

House passes bill cutting education funding.

In what Berkley schools Superintendent Michael Simeck called "a betrayal of voters' intent," the Michigan House passed sweeping budget cuts Thursday night that would trim aid to Michigan public schools by 3.5 percent per student. The House bill passed 57-53, with six Republicans voting against.

Simeck has warned that budget cuts could mean the elimination of programs, fewer teachers and larger class sizes.

“The vote represents a betrayal of voters' intent when they voted on Proposal A to 'dedicate' the additional revenue to schools,” Simeck said Thursday night, stressing that the school aid fund was supposed to be used for K-12 funding. “If the Legislature would leave the pot of money alone, schools would get a $260 per pupil increase instead of a $470 decrease.” 

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Simeck also pointed out that Snyder's budget calls for a 4.1 percent increase to corrections while it cuts K-12 schools by 7.3 percent. 

 “Michigan residents overwhelmingly oppose cuts to schools, and the governor's proposal (now backed by the House) violates the intent of the voters and does not represent their values,” he said.

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The bill will next go to the Senate, where it will likely end up in a conference committee to come up with a compromise.

The vote follows on the heels of several in the district, including at , Anderson Middle School, and , opposing the cuts.

 PTA President Conny Coon was saddened by the action. "I feel ill," she said Thursday night. "And I'm so sorry for the administrators, the teachers, the staff, and most important, the kids. I also believe that those parents who were uninformed or apathetic about the issue will, sadly, be in for quite a shock next year."

Gov. Rick Snyder's 2012 fiscal year projections include a $1.4 billion general fund shortfall for the state of Michigan, which he is working to close through a series of proposed cuts and changes.

His budget plan would alter the way Michigan's 1994 Proposal A school funding law is implemented. The plan would shift $195.9 million worth of dedicated K-12 funding to community colleges and $699.7 million of funding to higher education.

The governor's proposal, coupled with increased costs for health care and retirees, could cost the Berkley School District approximately $1,000 per pupil. Simeck has warned that could mean the elimination of programs, fewer teachers and larger class sizes.

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