By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
EAST LANSING, MI –
Governor Granholm was fiercely critical of the state Legislature while addressing a group of teachers and school administrators at an education summit Monday. She says she is frustrated with a lack of action from lawmakers on her proposals to help fix the School Aid Fund.
Part of her plan is to make retirement more attractive to public employees and teachers, and hire back fewer people. The state Senate approved a similar plan last week, but Granholm says it did not go far enough.
"The whole purpose of this, of course, one of the main purposes, is to address the long-term structural issues, and the cost of a pension system, but also save in the budget this year," she says. "The version passed in the Senate does not save as much money as we need to save."
Granholm says she is working with House Speaker Andy Dillon and other House Democrats on a retirement proposal that lawmakers can agree on. She says the plan needs to be approved before the end of April to be effective.