SAGINAW -- Governor Jennifer Granholm was in Saginaw Monday, encouraging residents to speak out against the additional $127 cut per pupil in the state’s budget.
Governor Granholm says she signed the budget that included nearly $300 per pupil in cuts only to avoid the government shut down at the end of October, but is now hoping legislators will find alternative revenues to avoid these drastic cuts. The governor suggests forcing oil companies and tobacco companies to pay their fair share of taxes. She says if companies like these paid the tax like all other businesses, that money could be used to save education.
The state has until Thanksgiving to come up with alternatives to the education budget, or both the original $165 per student and the additional $127 per student cuts will take place. The governor stated that, “these kids only have one chance to be able to make sure that they are successful. We don’t want to lose this opportunity to make sure we do both the revenues and the reforms that are necessary.”
At Monday’s press conference, the governor stated she has three goals to accomplish:
- To solve the K – 12 cuts
- To save the Promise Scholarship
- To provide funding for local governments in order to avoid what she calls “extremely dangerous” police and fire layoffs,
- To avoid cuts to healthcare.
Governor Granholm is encouraging parents and concerned citizens to contact their local legislators and ask them to find alternatives to the education cuts.
