Feb
4
Written by:
Peter Spadafore
Thursday, February 04, 2010 2:07 PM
Last night, Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm delivered her 8th and final State of the State address. Although the main focus of this speech was jobs and economic diversification, she did touch on the importance of education in the new Michigan economy.
Last night, Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm delivered her 8th and final State of the State address (she has been term limited and is ineligible to run for a third term). Although the main focus of this speech was jobs and economic diversification, she did touch on the importance of education in the new Michigan economy.
In addition to pledging to restore the Michigan Promise Scholarship, Gov. Granholm promised that her budget would “draw the line against additional education cuts.” What I think this means is that her budget proposal will not include the $268 per pupil cut expected this year, and will instead include some balance of loophole closures and revenue increases to pay for the over $400 million needed to fill the budget short fall in the school aid fund. Given that the governor’s recommendations are only one step in the process, it’s important to note that we’re nowhere near “out of the woods.”
Only time will tell how firm the governor will be against legislative pressure to balance the budget through cuts only. Stay tuned for more updates. We’re expecting the governor to release her budget proposal on February 11.
- Peter Spadafore, MASB