State Rep. Jaime Greene today issued the following statement after House Democrats in majority voted to pass House Bill 5803, a proposal that allows for the continued raid of the teacher retirement fund to bankroll unrelated projects:

“We cannot ignore the reality that the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System is still $24 billion in debt. Rather than continuing to chip away at this shortfall, Senate Bill 911 allows for the continued raid of this vital fund to bankroll unrelated projects. It’s wrong.

“To make matters worse, Democrats are playing a shell game with the funds. They claim that putting less aside for our teachers’ retirements will free up more in per-pupil funding, but that’s just not true. None of this money is even guaranteed to go to our classrooms.

“This is a betrayal of trust to every teacher who selflessly pours their heart into our classrooms. The teacher retirement fund is there as a promise to our teachers for their years of service and dedication – not to serve as a piggy bank for politicians to dip into whenever they see fit. We must prioritize the needs of our educators, ensure the promises made to them are kept, and stop sacrificing their future for shortsighted projects. Our teachers and our students deserve better.”

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