9/5/13 - Although the School Aid Fund will see a slight boost this academic year, the actual classroom benefit is debatable. State Representative Bill Rogers serves as Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on K-12 Funding and says students will benefit from a 3.4% increase to the School Aid Fund in the coming budget year, which starts October 1st. Proposal A determines what schools receive in terms of foundation allowance or per-pupil funding. He says Republican legislators have been very progressive with many reforms in education that have been a key part of turning things around. Rogers adds that since the GOP has taken over the majority in the state House they have put more money into school funding. But when it comes to education funding, there is often a dispute as to how the numbers are being interpreted. Livingston Educational Service Agency Superintendent Dan Danosky says the claim thereâs more money available to the classroom now is inaccurate. He says in the budget year before Governor Snyder took office, the lowest per-pupil funding in the state was $7,316. After three years, Danosky says that number is now $7,076 but it was lower than that in each of the previous two years. Danosky knows the Pinckney Community Schools district best, having left just recently to take over at LESA this year. In the three years since Governor Snyder has been in office and Republicans have held the majority, Danosky says Pinckney has $3.4 million less today than it would have had funding simply remained flat for three years. Thatâs assuming Pinckney had the same 4,000 students from one year to the next, meaning the district would not be in the deficit situation it is today and there would be $3.4 (m) million more to put in the classroom. The complete calculation from Danosky and link to the audio released by Rogers can be found below. (JM)
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