By Staff
Dowagiac Third Ward City Councilman Leon Laylin first brought this issue to our attention at a council meeting earlier this summer, well before the Aug. 8 primary election.
Now with attention turning to the Nov. 7 general election, it's time to examine how the K-16 ballot issue, designed to stabilize education funding, threatens police and fire protection and other critical services.
But it does. Here's how.
As several members of a coalition formed to stop the K-16 spending mandate testified Aug. 16 in Lansing before the Board of State Canvassers, automatic, inflationary boosts in school funding would not only jeopardize the state's ability to fund other critical services, but it would almost certainly lead to tax increases on Michigan citizens.
The Board of Canvassers held the meeting to discuss wording the K-16 Educational Funding Mandate for the ballot.
Under this statutory amendment, education funding would rise regardless of state revenues.
The non-partisan House Fiscal Agency last year estimated that this proposal would cost state government approximately $1.1 billion above current spending on education – in the first year alone.
More recently, the House Fiscal Agency estimated that this proposal would cost $700 million more per year above the proposed FY 2006-07 school spending appropriation bills, which total approximately $400 million.
"The cost of the K-16 is extraordinary," according to Tricia Kinley, director of tax policy and economic development at the Michigan Chamber of Commerce.
"No matter how you cut it, we are still staring at a plan that costs $1 billion more than is spent right now on K-12, community colleges and other higher education. Regardless of the cost, we also oppose this money grab because it is bad public policy to allow one special interest group to have its funding put on an auto-pilot mechanism, which will jeopardize funding for other critical services, and inevitably lead to tax increases on working families and job providers."
The coalition opposing the K-16 spending mandate is a diverse group of 57 statewide organizations, including law enforcement, firefighters, health care providers, social service organizations, taxpayers and local governments.
The coalition supports adequate funding for Michigan's K-12 school districts, community colleges and state public universities, but maintains this plan would be poison for Michigan.
Under this initiative, if school aid fund revenues fall short of what the mandate requires, revenues would need to be shifted from the state general fund, siphoning off limited dollars available to also fund other critical services.
"This K-16 money grab simply pits public education against law enforcement and other critical services," said David Bertram, legislative liaison/manager of the Michigan Townships Association. "Education spending has gone up where other areas in the budget have gone down. This money grab would devastate local government, Medicaid and public safety."
"This broad-based alliance supports keeping education funding a priority, but it is opposed to the K-16 money grab because it provides no accountability or guarantee that the money will be spent to improve education in Michigan," said Robert Campau, vice president, public policy and legal affairs at the Michigan Association of Realtors. "The only guarantee provided is that $360 million will be earmarked for teachers retirement. K-16 does not promise $1 to education. Not $1 has to be used to improve education. One billion dollars with zero accountability."
We're sure Michigan citizens want accountability as part of the equation rather, than granting any sector a blank check at the expense of critical services such as public safety, and will reject the K-16 spending proposal Nov. 7.