Michigan schools will see fewer dollars in 2019 under legislation that passed out of the lame duck legislature early Friday morning.
Governor Snyder is expected to sign a bill that would shift up to $178 million away from the School Aid Fund by 2021. The revenue would instead go towards road and environmental projects.
Teachers say it’s a blow to an already badly underfunded school system.
American Federation of Teachers Michigan President David Hecker notes the bill was approved during the marathon final day of the session.
“It was done at like, two or three o’clock in the morning…the dark of night,” Hecker says. “I guess if I was taking money away from children, I’d want to do it in the dark of night also. (It’s) Horrible legislation, bad for our kids, bad for the state.”
Lawmakers also passed a controversial A through F school grading system. Michigan will increase spending on mental health counselors in schools, and the state will begin 2019 with a new school safety law.