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K-12 Budget Packs Program Punch
MIRS, July 13, 2006
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Public schools will see $210 more per student in next year's
batch of state money, but that's not all the K-12 system will
see as a part of a budget agreement reached between lawmakers
and the administration.
A joint House-Senate conference committee today unanimously
approved a School Aid Fund (SAF) budget that gives $336 million
more to public schools in Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 than in FY 2006,
but only 40 percent of that money is attributed to the per-pupil
foundation allowance jump from $6,875 per student to $7,085.
Another $49 million is covering seven existing programs that
were being paid for out of other budgets. Because the SAF is
projected to be comparatively better off in FY 2007 than the
General Fund, school-related programs such as school bus
inspections and hearing/vision screenings were thrown into the
SAF.
But the remaining $152 million is being spread throughout public
education programs aimed at improving learning opportunities for
the poor and math and science classes.
Today's K-12 budget, embodied in SB 1095 was unanimously
approved by a joint House-Senate conference committee, meaning
it is ready for final legislative adoption when lawmakers return
to Lansing on July 26.
Topping the "new program" list was the $50 million Gov. Jennifer
Granholm wanted to give mostly urban school districts that are
losing state money because their student numbers are dropping.
These "declining enrollment" districts will receive $20 million.
The Republican-led Legislature wanted to get somewhere between
$35.2 million and $41.2 million to help out mostly rural
districts that are receiving comparatively less money from the
state because of the way the state's complex school funding
formula works out. The Legislature ended up receiving $20
million for these "equity payments."
The other main component in the House's K-12 spending was a $30
million plan to give middle schools enough money to improve math
and science classes. This plan ended up getting a $20 million
allocation, equaling $54 more per student.
Granholm sought $11.7 million in funding for seven urban
districts to deal with a quirk in the 1994 implementation of
Proposal A. In the end, only the Garden City School District
($800,000) and Huron Schools ($500,000) received the money the
Governor requested. Pontiac, Clintondale, Madison, Detroit and
Highland Park did not.
The Governor's proposed $10 million program to improve reading
in grades K-3 didn't make the cut, nor did her proposed $15
million in grants for after school math, science and computer
technology programs. Another $2 million will be spent to
encourage high schoolers to participate in the "FIRST Robotics"
competition.
The Governor had wanted to spend $125 million on some new "Great
Start" early childhood grants, but that program didn't make it
through the legislative meat grinder. The Governor's idea to set
aside $1 million for "Great Start" community grants did make the
cut. Also, the $250,000 being set aside this year for early
childhood grants is getting bumped to $1.75 million and another
$6 million is being given to school readiness programs.
A $3.3 million program run though intermediate school districts
to help children 0-5 learn how to read is getting $5 million in
'07, although the Governor had wanted $10 million. A Senate plan
that would give some children a book a month until they hit
5-years-old is getting half of the $1 million it sought.
Special education is getting $50 million more as part of the
Durant decision and the increase in the foundation allowance.
Granholm sought $5 million to a create "middle college," a
program that would allow students to receive a high school
diploma and community college degree in health science-related
fields through a consortium of Detroit Public Schools, a
hospital and a community college. She ended up getting $2
million for the idea as long as she allowed a university to get
into the act. Meanwhile, a medical-themed high school some
Detroit House members sought funding for, wasn't included in the
budget.
Other details of the K-12 budget agreement reached today were:
- The $25 per student extra Granholm and the Senate wanted to
give school districts for the current FY 2006 budget year isn't
going to happen. A suspected bump in the SAF for FY 2006 had
encouraged the administration to consider this increase.
- Intermediate School Districts (ISDs) received a 3.1 percent
increase, to match the increase given to public schools through
the foundation allowance increase
- The bump in "at-risk" funding the Governor, Senate and House
all called for ended up being $5.25 million for a total of
$319.45 million
- $100,000 is being set aside for a "Mercy Education Project,"
an after-school tutoring program for "at-risk" Detroit girls in
1st-8th grades
- The Senate scored $1.875 million for a pilot program aimed at
helping children who have at least one parent locked up in
prison
- $250,000 is being set aside for a House plan to give money to
a study run by Michigan State University and Aquinas College on
how "conductive learning" impacts the learning habits of
children with cerebral palsy
- $250,000 was allocated in five grants of $50,000 a piece for
international baccalaureate programs, a new program advanced by
the House
- Granholm sought $2.5 million more for the Center for
Educational Performance and Informational (CEPI) to put together
a system that would track students' grades throughout their K-12
careers. Instead, CEPI ended up with $350,000 more for a total
General Fund budget of $2.35 million.
- The once-heralded "Freedom to Learn" program, which gives
laptop computers to middle schoolers, saw its funding cut even
further to $1.5 million after the federal government pulled some
money away from it. When former House Speaker Rick Johnson first
touted the program, he called for $39 million.
- $350,000 is being given to map school buildings where security
has been a concern in the last five years
Co-Pays, Cuts
Mild In DCH Budget
MIRS, July 13, 2006
The poor will be asked to pay a $6 co-pay for emergency room
visits and doctors will be able to see a 2 percent increase in
their Medicaid reimbursement rates under a Department of
Community Health (DCH) budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 that was
approved by a joint House-Senate conference committee today.
The DCH budget will also penalize the Detroit/Wayne County
Mental Health (DWCMH) system $3.5 million a month starting Dec.
1 if it doesn't become an independent authority by then. If
DWCMH becomes an authority after Dec. 1, it can get reimbursed
any money it loses in penalties.
The mammoth $11.2 billion budget will not eliminate Medicaid
coverage for 19 and 20 year olds, but uses mostly administrative
changes to find the $30 million in General Fund cuts that
legislative and administration leaders agreed to June 30. The
spending plan reached between DCH and the Legislature didn't
include any new massive cuts in service to any population.
It steps up efforts to make sure Medicaid is not paying for
services that could be paid for through Medicare, an insurance
company or other means. That's a savings of $4.3 million from
the General Fund. It saves $5 million by asking DCH to address
some administrative changes suggested by the Auditor General.
The budget also scales back original estimates of the increase
in the state's Medicaid population, a savings of $7.7 million in
the General Fund. Assorted new federal money regarding family
planning that has come into play since the Governor first
introduced her budget should save the state $10 million in
General Fund money, as well.
The '07 spending agreement does not penalize Medicaid recipients
who decline to quit smoking, start exercising or take better
care of themselves, as had been suggested by Sen. Tom George
(R-Texas Twp.). However, the budget does call on DCH to ask the
federal government for $10 million for programs that encourage
the poor to live healthier lives.
Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith (D-Ypsilanti) grumbled about the budget
not having the money they would like to use for advancing more
state programs and Sen. Deb Cherry (D-Burton) didn't like the
fact the DWCMH penalty money wasn't going to otherwise care for
the mentally ill in Wayne County. But both ended up voting for
the budget.
House Republicans had originally called for $74 million in
savings from the Medicaid budget by calling for across-the-board
co-pay and monthly increases for Medicaid recipients, among
other changes. But Republicans ended up settling for only the
emergency room co-pay increase, which is estimated to save
$300,000.
The House also wanted to see doctor reimbursement rates
increased by 4 percent.
Today's unanimous support of the budget, embodied in SB 1094
sets the stage for the budget being adopted by the full
Legislature July 26, when both chambers are scheduled to return
to Lansing.
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