State Rep. Brian BeGole, of Antrim Township, today issued the following statement regarding ongoing state budget negotiations:

“The Michigan House remains ready to get a K-12 School Aid budget to the governor, give our school districts clarity on funding and fulfill our obligations as legislators.

“We have not seen that same level of commitment from Democrats in the Senate. We’re at the July 1 budget deadline and the Senate gave up and went home for the day. They are blowing through the deadline just as the Senate Appropriations Committee Chair said they would. That’s unacceptable. This budget is important for our schools and our kids, and the Senate failed today in its responsibility.

“Over the past several months, House Republicans have worked on innovative ideas to get record per-pupil funding to our schools and give school districts the flexibility they need to get more dollars to programs that will benefit students and parents in our communities. Simply tacking on funding and calling it a day won’t fix our state’s poor education rankings. It won’t make a dent in reports that disclosed seven out of 10 Michigan students can’t read or do math proficiently. It will just double down on the same failing structure. We need real reforms, and we will continue to push for that as we go forward in this process.”

BeGole recently voted to approve a House budget plan that raises the K-12 foundation allowance by 20%. The plan increases per-pupil funding to $12,000 by removing bureaucratic red tape, burdensome program requirements, and other restrictions to get the most money possible into the classroom to support students. On top of the funding, the plan also provides for greater flexibility by allowing local communities to have more authority on how dollars get spent and where to expand programs, instead of a one-size-fits-all approach that underutilizes dollars in some school districts.