Photo: State Representative Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn) speaking on the House floor at the Capitol in Lansing.
The Michigan House rushed through legislation that will divert more than $140 million dollars away from the school aid fund in the first year. The move comes in the wake of numerous non-partisan reports that found that Michigan schools are underfunded by nearly $2,000 per pupil. The bill, HB 4991, passed without any Democratic support. In response to its passage, state Rep. Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn) issued the following statement:
“Taking away from the future of Michigan’s children in the middle of the night to fill gaps in the budget left by Republican leadership is the definition of bad governance. Protecting our environment or fixing our roads does not have to come at the expense of school funding. Yet, two years of inaction by the legislative majority has put us in this position. As our state faces ongoing environmental and educational crises, we need to be putting more money towards both causes, not shifting existing funding from one to the other.”
