MichiganRadio

Governor, Senate Majority Leader Continue To Spar Over School Funding Cuts LANSING, MI (MPRN) -

Governor Granholm continued to press her campaign to get Senate Republicans to approve plans to raise more revenue for schools. She says rolling back business tax breaks and targeted tax increases on tobacco and beer could generate funds to avoid looming cuts to schools.

Cuts of 165 dollars per student take effect next week, and high-spending school districts are in line to lose even more. In December, the school cuts could grow to almost 300 dollars per student.

"These cuts are not acceptable," says Granholm, "We have a short-term problem and we have a long-term problem. Short term, there are some relatively painless votes that the Senate could take that the Senate could take to prevent these cuts from taking effect. Long term, there needs to be a more-stable form of funding for public education in Michigan."

But the governor says it may not be possible for the Legislature to create a plan for funding schools. She says parents and educators may have to go to the ballot to fix the state's school finance system.

Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop says the governor's efforts are making it harder to resolve the school funding crisis.

"It's making us go at each others' throats at a time when we can least afford it," says Bishop, "This is a time when we all ought to be working together to figure out how to solve this in the long term, and that's why I've asked the governor to stop these road shows, where she goes out and stirs the pot because it's not helpful; it's counterproductive."

Bishop says Senate Republicans want to see cost-saving measures such as benefits pooling and bigger co-pays instead of more revenue. He also says the governor can reverse some of the cuts being made to schools. © Copyright 2012, MPRN