Mich. House Taps 2010 Stimulus Funding For Schools

KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan House voted to tap federal stimulus money set aside for next year to soften a cut in school funding now, but it's unlikely the move is going to win the support of the state Senate.

By a mostly party-line vote of 74-29 on Thursday, a majority of House members said the $184 million should be used to help schools avoid all but $10 of a $127-per-student cut Granholm ordered last month.

Schools still would see their funding drop by the equivalent of $165 per student. That was the decrease lawmakers passed in the school aid budget for the fiscal year that started Oct. 1.

The bill also would give back half of the nearly $52 million Granholm vetoed from 39 of the state's wealthier districts and spend an equal amount on school districts at the lower end of the scale. House Democrats say they'd pay for this with a mix of tax and fee hikes that have yet to pass the House and are unlikely to pass the Senate.

School districts shouldn't count on getting any of the money back just yet, given the reaction of Republicans who control the Senate. Granholm said Thursday she would sign the bill if it got to her desk, but she'd prefer a longer-term option.