By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-866298.mp3
LANSING, MI – Governor Granholm has signed the K-through-12 schools budget, but it does not guarantee that schools have the money to carry them through the rest of this fiscal year.
AUDIO:
The governor's action allows school aid payments to be electronically transferred on time - although schools are bracing for cuts adding up to 165 dollars for every student.
It also allows the state to start processing payments to school districts of federal funds to school districts that were delayed. But the budget is under-funded by as much as $264 million until the Legislature comes up with additional money to pay for K-12 education.
To help save some money, the governor vetoed additional payments to 39 of the highest-spending school districts.
The governor says the Legislature needs to act quickly to come up with revenue for schools. She says otherwise schools are weeks away from a cash-flow crisis that will force them to make even more drastic cuts because they'd come so late in the school year.