Education, student safety suffer setbacks in misshapen budget

State Rep. Mike Harris on Tuesday reiterated his opposition to cuts for school safety and mental health, stagnant per-student spending, and a raid on the teacher pension fund in the partisan state education budget that became law today.

The governor on Tuesday afternoon signed House Bill 5507, which passed the Legislature along party lines and has received sharp criticism from parents, school leaders, and teachers’ unions, who have said the budget will lead to program cuts and layoffs. Although the education budget bill spends a total of $23.4 billion, Democrats slashed school safety and mental health funding by 92% while raiding the teacher pension fund and refusing to increase the per-pupil foundation allowance, which is the primary source of funding for K-12 schools.

“Education and school safety will both suffer setbacks under this misshapen spending plan,” said Harris, R-Waterford. “This budget fails Michigan students and teachers by blocking an increase in per-pupil funding for the first time in more than a decade. It puts teachers’ retirements at risk by raiding the pension fund. And it guts funding for school safety and mental health. I voted against the budget because I’m focused on helping kids learn, supporting good teachers, and keeping students and staff safe.”

The impending program cuts and staff layoffs come as Michigan students continue to struggle academically. Seven in 10 fourth graders aren’t proficient in reading, and seven in 10 fourth graders also aren’t proficient in math, according to recent assessments.

The budget raids teacher retirement funds by reducing total contributions to the pension and retiree health care system, even though the pension fund still owes about $30 billion in unfunded liabilities. The raid could jeopardize the state’s future ability to pay teachers’ pensions and force cuts to classroom funding to make up the difference.

The legislation marks the first budget since 2011 under which schools will receive no increase to the per-pupil foundation allowance, even as inflation diminishes the impact of each dollar. At the same time, the overall budget spends more than $400 million on earmarked pork projects, such as zoos, entertainment venues, and a public radio station — enough to offset the effects of inflation if the dollars were invested instead in per-pupil funding.

The $302 million cut to school safety and mental health funding jeopardizes the jobs of school resource officers and counselors. Rep. Harris previously highlighted the millions of dollars schools in his area will lose under the new budget.

The budget takes effect Oct. 1.