School Funding Talking Points from Dearborn Superintendent

Key Discussion Points Regarding The
Proposed 2009-10 State of Michigan Budget
Prepared by Superintendent Brian Whiston

Please call Governor Granholm’s office at (517) 373-3400 and ask her to treat all districts the same. If cuts need to be made then all districts across the state should be cut the same per-pupil amount. Cutting more funds from some districts and less from others is not equitable and pits school district against school district.

(House and Senate Representatives from Dearborn understand the devastating impact these cuts will have on our schools. At this time, sharing your thoughts directly with the Governor will have the most impact on the proposed state budget.)

Contact Information
- Contact the Governor- on the WEB - http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-21995---,00.html
Click on “Share your Opinion”. Fill out the form and express your opinion.
- Governor’s office is 517-373-3400.
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• Based on the information from Lansing here is how the state budget will impact Dearborn Public Schools:
Per student funding cut $59/student impact on Dearborn $1,064,411
20j funding cut $34.20/studet impact on Dearborn 616,928
Bilingual (sec 41) totally eliminated impact on Dearborn 381,000
At Risk (sec 31a) impact on Dearborn 5,875,000
Total $7,937,339

• The district projected a $1.8 million reduction in per-student funding for 2009-10. The proposed state cuts will require the district to make an additional $6.1 million in reductions totaling more than $17 million in reductions for the 2009-10 school year.

• Dearborn Public Schools is one of a few districts in the state that is considered a “Donor District.” This means that more local tax dollars are sent to Lansing to fund public education across the state than the district receives from the state. Currently, taxpayers in Dearborn send $14 million more dollars to Lansing than the district gets back.

• 20j funding was created in 1999 to ensure equal funding increases to all school districts. There are 43 districts in the state (approximately 200,000 students) that benefit from 20j funds.

• 31a funding helps those students who are at risk of not being successful in school. 31a funds must be used for programs or staff that provides instruction beyond what is provided in the classroom. In Dearborn, thousands of students across the district receive instruction and benefit from staff or programs funded by 31a.

• Dearborn was able to convince legislators that the district had unique instructional needs and is the only district to receive both 31a and 20j funding. This status is appropriate to meet the education and instructional needs of our students.

• While the proposed state budget will affect many people and programs in the state, and Dearborn citizens are willing to bear a fair share of the burden, cutting 20j and 31a funds impacts the district disproportionately to any other school district.

• The loss of both 20j and 31a funding will cause an additional hardship for our district by reducing approximately $6.5 million in funding and would have a crushing effect on the operation of the district.

• The loss of 31a money singles out Dearborn and hurts some of those most in need.

• Dearborn is a leader in education initiatives and reform in servicing a diversified and needy student population. The district needs the Governor’s support in continuing to bring excellence to southeast Michigan.

• Many have speculated that there may be financial help in the Federal stimulus package. Currently, it appears that federal funding will be earmarked for exclusive use in specific federally funded programs such as Title I and IDEA. An infusion of money in those programs, while helpful, will probably not allow any significant release of district funds to other, general budget it