LANSING — An early budget vote shows Michigan’s new State House majority is keen on cutting education funding that goes directly to classrooms. All-in-all, the Republican majority cut $5 billion from education in Michigan.
According to State Representative Matt Koleszar, “[The bill] basically upped the per-pupil funding by $25 per student and got rid of everything else – school meals, transportation, at-risk funding, etc. It also completely defunded higher education,” he explained to a constituent in a social media post.
The final vote on the bill was 59 Yes with one non-Republican voting for the bill. State Representative Karen Whitsett, best known for not showing up to work often, voted with the Republican majority. The entire Democratic caucus voted No.
State Representative Koleszar pointed out in the same post that this was a vote on a bill and not settled law, “I think it’s fair to mention that the Senate would have to approve this budget. I have no doubt that they’ll reject it. This is just a terrifying place to begin a negotiation,” he reminded voters while pointing out the terrifying place this would put parents and students.
Negotiations on the budget are ongoing with a statutory deadline of July 1, 2025 and the new fiscal year starting on October 1, 2025.
