Gov. Snyder signs $16B education budget that includes private school money

Surrounded by Republican lawmakers and Walled Lake schools' officials, Gov. Rick Snyder signed a $16-billion budget that covers K-12 education, community colleges and the state’s 15 public universities.

It was a budget that got some bipartisan support in the Legislature but raised eyebrows with a $2.5-million stipend to private schools that supporters said will pay for state mandates. But detractors said was a first step on a slippery slope toward vouchers for private schools.

"Getting a budget signed is not the most exciting thing," Snyder told a group of educators and students at James R. Geisler Middle School in Commerce Township, which is part of the Walled Lake school district. "But this is an unprecedented investment in our kids."

The budget includes increases of between $60 and $120 for the per-pupil foundation allowance. At the low end of per-pupil funding, the increase went from $7,391 to $7,511, and at the high end, it went from $8,169 to $8,229.

But there were no vetoes in the bill signed by Snyder and it still includes the $2.5 million for private schools.

"With respect to the non-public piece of this bill, it's to address mandates put on by the state," he said. "There are some potential legal issues associated with that ... but I thought it was appropriate to move ahead and then address the legal question."

Michigan's voters have rejected the idea of vouchers for public schools, but state Rep. Tim Kelly, R-Saginaw Township, said Monday that he hopes even more than the $2.5 million allocated to private schools can be included in the future.

"It's something that I've been after for more than 25 years and something I'd like to see expanded," he said. "We need to let parents decide what is the best education for kids regardless of where that is and regardless of what setting that is."

While most lawmakers applauded the increases in funding, Democrats were hoping that higher education would get back to 2011 levels before major cuts were made. The state's 15 public universities will see a 2.9% increase and community colleges will get an additional 1.4%. Also included in the budget are penalties for universities that exceeded a 4.2% tuition increase last year, which is penalizing Eastern Michigan University  and Oakland University for a second year in a row.

"That is one area I'm still committed to working on. We did a significant increase at 2.9%," Snyder said. "That will be one of the priorities for the next budget."

Gov. Rick Snyder being pushed to veto $2.5m in private school funding

Other items in the budgets include:

• $40 million in funding for M-STEP achievement tests was included in the budget, even though the House had voted to eliminate the tests.
• $6.2 million for early intervention services, $1.5 million for universal access to preschool for 4-year-old Flint school students and $2.5 million for school nurses, social workers and intermediate school district staff in Flint.
• $5 million for CEOs through the state School Reform office, who would be appointed to the lowest-achieving 5% of public schools in the state.
• Increases of between $60 and $120 for the per pupil foundation allowance. 
• $58 million for career and technical education programs.

Snyder expects to sign the $38.8-billion budget that covers all non-education related items later this week.

Contact Kathleen Gray: 313-223-4430 or  kgray99@freepress.com