We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Gov. Granholm, local education leaders and northern Michigan legislators to discuss the pressing funding crisis faced by our schools. We had an honest and at times, passionate exchange, but we left the meeting unconvinced that the political will exists in Lansing to effectively confront the short- and long-term reality faced by our children.
The harsh facts are these: Well after schools opened their doors to students, local districts were cut by $165 per student. Then, a week later, the governor announced an additional $127 cut per student that will go into effect soon unless the Legislature acts.
A total $292-per-student cut amounts to an almost $3 million loss of revenue for Traverse City Area Public Schools this school year alone. That would be a staggering hit for any organization.
It's too late in the school year to save money by increasing class size, reducing staff or eliminating programs. Though we will certainly find ways to further reduce our costs this year, most of the shortfall will necessarily come from our fund balance -- the savings account we maintain for true emergencies. A depleted fund balance puts a district on the edge of bankruptcy, a scenario already faced by numerous Michigan districts.
TCAPS and most area districts are already at the very bottom of the funding barrel, operating with $7,300 per student, the lowest amount any district in the state receives. In contrast, Birmingham and other Michigan districts receive more than $12,000 per student. Our low funding base, combined with the current cuts, hurts our kids. It hurts our economy and it hurts our future.
So is there an answer? In the short term, temporarily generating additional revenues through taxes on discretionary purchases such as bottled water, tobacco and professional sports events makes sense. Looking at reducing oil and gas and other industry tax loopholes is another possibility.
But it's about much more than revenue and short term fixes. In the long term, consistent, reliable and equitable funding, and deep structural changes at the state level are needed if we are to sustain a high-quality education system for our kids. And at the local level, driving ourselves to be bold and innovative as we reimagine schooling is absolutely critical. For both the local and state levels, the status quo is no longer good enough.
Our legislators are good people, but right now Lansing gets an "F" for failing our kids. To turn that around, they need to hear our voices.
They have been getting an earful from school board members and education leaders. Now they need to hear from you.
Let our leaders know that we expect them to lead. Let our leaders know that we expect them to make the hard decisions at the state level while we make them at the local level. And let them know that we cannot fail our kids any longer if we ever want to thrive as a state again.
About the authors: Gary Appel and Marjie Rich are members of the Traverse City Area Public Schools Board of Education. Both have children in the Traverse City district.
About the forum: The forum is a periodic column of opinion written by Record-Eagle readers in their areas of interest or expertise. Submissions of 500 words or less may be made by e-mailing letters@record-eagle.com. Please include biographical information and a photo.
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