LANSING, Mich. — Senate Appropriations Minority Vice Chair Jon Bumstead, R-North Muskegon, on Friday released the following statement regarding conflicting spending plans for the state’s annual K-12 School Aid budget:
“We must face the hard truth that we have to do better for K-12 education in our state. Nearly 75% of our fourth and eighth graders are not proficient in reading or math, and Michigan ranks in the bottom 10 nationally in every important metric. I agree with our governor’s assessment during her annual State of the State address: ‘We spend more and get less. It’s not acceptable.’
“Unfortunately, the plan put forward by Senate Democrats is to simply spend more and double down on the status quo. It’s time to forge a new path forward. The House has stepped up to the plate with a realistic plan, acknowledging the state’s limited revenue and reprioritizing spending to give local districts record per-pupil funding and the authority to put those dollars to use where they are needed most.
“While we have different approaches, I am confident we have the same goal, and that is to see our children succeed. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to give the House plan fair consideration as a fresh approach to a serious problem. We know that just spending more isn’t working and we need a better solution.”
