Michigan educators wearing red shirts rallied at the Capitol as lawmakers face an October 1 deadline to agree on a budget and prevent a state government shutdown. The competing budget proposals from Republican-controlled House and Democrat-controlled Senate differ significantly on education spending priorities.
- Michigan educators are urging lawmakers to preserve critical school funding as the October 1 budget deadline approaches.
- Republican and Democratic budget proposals differ on how education funds should be allocated to schools.
- Grand Ledge educators specifically advocate for continued dedicated funding for school meals, mental health, and special education.
WATCH: Michigan teachers rally for education funding as budget deadline nears
"State leaders must preserve critical funding to schools that help level the playing field for our kids," Michigan Education Association CEO Chandra Madafferi said.
State lawmakers have an October 1 deadline to agree on a budget to prevent a state government shutdown, but proposals from the Republican-controlled state House and the Democrat-controlled state Senate contain major differences in education spending plans.
"We know the cuts being proposed in some of these budgets will cripple districts that are underserved already," AFT Michigan President Terrence Martin said.
The Senate Democratic plan allocates money for specific programs like universal free breakfast and lunch, while the House Republican plan calls for extra spending for schools but gives districts the choice of how to spend it – whether on free meals or other priorities.
"Universal school meals, for example, have made a huge difference in Grand Ledge," Allyson McCann, a special education teacher at Grand Ledge Public Schools, said.
McCann wants continued funding dedicated to school meals, mental health and special education, which aligns with the Democrats' plan.
"We need those resources to help students thrive," McCann said.
When I asked GOP Speaker of the House Matt Hall about the budget process, he indicated urgency in the negotiations.
"We have session on Monday. We're doing this preemptively to try and get something done before, make sure everyone's down here, and we can get something done fast," GOP State Representative Parker Fairbairn.
When asked what message she hoped lawmakers would take from the rally, McCann expressed her desire for action.
"I really just hope they are just hearing us. We just need them to pass a bill so we have the money that we need to take care of these children, and some of these children are their children. They're my children. We just need to get it done," McCann said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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