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In Solidarity,

Michigan AFL-CIO

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Don’t take my word for it – look at the thousands of students and parents who have protested the over $1 billion cuts to education for tax breaks to business and corporations. While businesses have their taxes reduced by 86%, our schools will face increased class sizes, cuts up to $1,000 per student, slashed athletic and art programs, and outdated books and technology. The bottom line is simple – our schools simply will not have the resources to address our children’s needs.

It’s appalling to hear that some of our elected representatives are trying to balance Michigan’s budget deficit on the backs of our children. If education is cut as deep as they propose, then our children’s ability to get into college or compete for good paying jobs will be significantly diminished. They say that this is for the jobs of the future, but without properly educated students where will our future generations lie?

With nearly $2 billion dollars in business tax cuts, our Republican lawmakers are now attempting to raid the school aid fund for $900 million. The K-12 aid fund already had enough money to hold its own with a surplus that would have restored last year’s cuts and increased revenue for this year. In 1994, voters approved Proposal A which allowed the state to take over state funding for the right to raise local funds to operate schools and they promised to fund it – now they’re taking back that promise. Apparently we cannot have too much of a good thing in Michigan without it being taken away. The state mismanaged its general fund, causing a multi-billion dollar short-fall and they now seek to raid the properly managed school aid fund to correct their error. These cuts will drastically increase the deficit in school districts, leaving schools vulnerable to layoffs, larger class sizes and fewer opportunities. This is not shared sacrifice – education is being slashed more than any other budget item.