Senator explains opposition to school funding cuts

When Sen. Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing, addressed the Michigan Senate to oppose education funding cuts this week, she offered the following statement:

Thank you, Mr. President,

Ever since this hideous conference report came out yesterday I have been agonizing about the 1.6 million children and the families of this state that are going to be hurt by the cuts in this bill. At 2:43 in the morning, I finally turned on my light and started writing. You see, I come from a family of educators. I am a product of the public schools in East Lansing and in Grand Rapids. My kids are in the East Lansing Public Schools. I believe that education is the great equalizer in our society – the opportunity for kids to succeed.

This past Sunday, I was at my church – the People’s Church in East Lansing – and my pastor began the service talking about how when children are around, adults behave better. I kept the bulletin from which we jointly recited the following:

"Then he put a child among them.

“When we use long words and confusing sentences, put a child among us.

“When we let the cares of the world drag us down, when the demands of life seem overwhelming, put a child among us.

“When we are tempted to deceive or to selfishly sway an opinion, put a child among us.

“When we need love, recognition, or a great big hug, put a child among us. 

“When we need the values of church, family, or community in proportion, put a child among us...”

I was raised by two public servants who taught me many important lessons: one of which is, you’ve gotta get the facts; and, two, tell the truth, don’t sugarcoat it.

Well, here are the facts:

1)      The most critical time in a human being’s brain development are in the early years;

2)      Education is the most important factor in an individual’s ability to succeed in the new economy;

3)      Businesses of tomorrow need educated work forces.

Now, here’s the straight talk, where we don’t sugar coat the facts:

1)      This budget rips apart the fabric of our education system – a system I’m willing to bet that every one of you made campaign promises to uphold.

2)      Two hundred school districts will be forced into deficit spending – $218 per pupil.

3)      ISD funding equals another $22 per pupil for a grand total of $240 per pupil – might as well tell people, “Plan on keeping your kids home.” Your fiction of flexibility is clever but the reality is with less dollars, districts will have to spend money on “NEEDS” and not “WANTS,” meaning early childhood funding will be gone when we need it more than ever.

4)      Schools, parents and students will have to be prepared for a 13th year because there will no longer be Credit Recovery.

5)      Summer school will be gone.

6)      After school programs, gone.

7)      These cuts mean fewer bus routes themselves, meaning that that little 5-year-old girl will walk farther to catch the bus, and when she gets on it, it won’t have been inspected. School bus inspections, gone. Have you checked with your school district what that means to your little constituents?

8)      It eliminates early childhood education when we need it more than ever.

Since I know I can’t seem to appeal to the right side of your brain, or your hearts, when I talk about kids, let’s talk about the bottom line you’re so singularly focused on.

9)      Jobs: minimum 12,000 to 14,000 losses. REAL losses, felt in every community.

If a private sector employer told you they’d have to lay off 13,000 employees, you’d be falling over yourselves to introduce the bill to save those jobs and here we are slashing them. And these aren’t just any jobs. These people are educating our children, our littlest most vulnerable constituents. Can you imagine if it (was) Amway or Domino’s Pizza?

Well, job losses are job losses. And job losses of this magnitude will not only hurt our kids, they’ll have the same devastating impact on our communities as job losses in the private sector.

Five hundred less teachers in Kent County will mean $23 million less in the local economy when Grand Rapids Public Schools have right-sized, and done everything right. They don’t have $4.2 million more.

You like to rail against the MBT ad nauseum. But how the heck are we to compete with China, India, or even Indiana for that matter when you balance the budget on the backs of our kids?

I realize very few of you actually have kids in the schools anymore and you don’t have to look YOUR principal in the eye every day.

It almost brings me to tears what you are doing to the kids of our state… to think that I can’t (stop) you.

I know some of you will retort that the schools are “okay” (with) this. No, they are not. Do they prefer amputation to death, maybe. Who wouldn’t?

But this 25 percent of the school year is over. Their budget year began July 1. So this is a mid-year cut, a legislative pro-ration.

So let me be very clear: none of our schools, none of our 1.6 million kids, nor their families, are “okay” with this. And you shouldn’t be either.

I ask that my comments be printed as my NO vote explanation.

Updated: October 1, 2009