By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-911840.mp3
LANSING, MI –
Governor Granholm has signed the School Aid Budget approved by the Legislature, but not without a couple changes.
AUDIO:
The Governor vetoed a handful of items within the K-12 schools budget approved by lawmakers last week. She got rid of earmarks for region-specific programs, including money allocated for projects proposed by both the House and Senate chairmen of the Appropriations Committees. The governor told lawmakers in a letter that she cannot approve the earmarks when schools are still living with last year's rollback in per-student payments.
The governor also did away with the proposed partial restoration of funds for what were once the state's highest-spending school districts, which have taken the deepest cuts in the past year. That proposal relied on revenue from a tax amnesty bill that has yet to be approved by the Legislature.
The Legislature could reverse Granholm's vetoes, but it would take a super majority.