Lansing - In a swift reaction to the budget deficit, Gov. Jennifer Granholm notified state public school districts Wednesday that funding will be cut as soon as March.
"This is painful to any parent, whether you're a Republican or a Democrat," Granholm said.
Despite the regret Granholm expressed, she said the budget had to be dealt with as soon as possible.
"We have to bring the budget into line," she said. "This forces us to deal with it immediately, we don't have time to wait. We must put districts on notice that there will be reductions one way or another."
In a letter to the Legislature, Granholm proposed cuts to balance the budget. The Legislature has 30 days to act on the proposal - or cuts will go into effect. The reductions include cuts in per-pupil spending and in categorical spending, which includes adult education and programs for at-risk students.
"The problem with this is that they are well into the school year," Granholm said. "The budget deficit will deeply impact the schools for the balance of this school year."
For Spartan Village Elementary, that impact could be $91 per pupil - nearly twice the state average for funding cuts.
Spartan Village Principal Bill Gale said he received an e-mail Wednesday morning informing him of the reduction. Across the state, school districts could lose an average of $56 from their per-pupil grant this school year, Granholm said.
"That's a really difficult scenario," Gale said.
He said the e-mail didn't explain why Spartan Village will suffer more cutbacks than other schools across the state. A spokesperson from Granholm's office could not be reached for comment.
While Gale said working with kids every day will keep him optimistic, he can't help but think of his students' future.
"In the back of your mind you're worried about what's going to happen to those kids," he said. "If you're not funding education, you're not funding kids. The concern isn't today, it's 10, 15 years down the road."
On Tuesday, Granholm learned tax revenues will not be able to support the $12.7 billion school aid fund. The cuts she outlined today are aimed at correcting the $127 million deficit.
In addition to the school aid fund, the general fund is also facing a deficit. Granholm has asked State Budget Director Mary Lannoye to draft an executive order to balance the general fund deficit for this fiscal year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
