The Saginaw School District estimates that it has 222 fewer students compared to last year, yet the district has 13 more teachers than a year ago. This is in stark contrast to the picture the district painted during the heated debate over Gov. Rick Snyder’s proposed budget in May. Back then, a Saginaw teacher union official said Snyder’s budget would devastate K-12 education.
“Governor Snyder’s proposed budget includes deep cuts to public education which will severely impact our children’s education in Saginaw Public Schools and the community,” the school’s website claimed.
Snyder’s proposed cuts of $470 per pupil were eventually reduced by the Legislature to $300 per pupil, with another $100 per pupil available to districts that met certain “best practices.”
Saginaw will have 533 teachers this school year, up from 520 teachers in 2010-11, according to a Freedom of Information Act request. Also, the district brought back 57 of the 70 teachers it laid off after last year.
"It's not uncommon for school districts to exaggerate their fiscal condition in an attempt to put pressure on policymakers,” said Michael Van Beek, Mackinac Center for Public Policy education policy director, in an email. “This is just another example of a district doing the Chicken Little routine."
Saginaw Superintendent Carlton Jenkins did not respond to an email seeking comment.
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See also:
Coverage of School District Claiming Cuts
Government Union ‘Cadillac’ Health Plans Preserved Before Tighter Controls Take Effect
Which Republicans Can Snyder Count on for K-12 Reform?
Tight security locked out dozens of anti-right-to-work protesters from the State Capitol as Governor Snyder was delivering his "State of the State" address. Protesters tried to disrupt the speech by banging and chanting outside the building.
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FROM MICHIGAN HOME HELP PROGRAM PROVIDERS — OFTEN FAMILY MEMBERS
ATTORNEY GENERAL ORDERED THE STATE TO STOP TAKING MONEY ON MAY 25, 2012
opinion May 25, 2012
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) "organized” Michigan's self-employed Home Help Program providers for the purpose of skimming dues from their ailing and disabled clients' Medicaid subsidy checks. The majority of these providers are relatives or friends taking care of loved ones. It’s been estimated that less than 25 percent of the providers are hired in an employment setting.
The first counter tallies SEIU dues skimmed since the union and state officials first launched this scheme in late 2006. The second shows the amount skimmed since June 9, 2011, when the Michigan House passed and sent to the Senate a bill to ban this and all similar “stealth unionization” efforts. The third counter shows the dues skimmed since the Governor signed the bill into law on April 10, 2012. The fourth counter shows the amount skimmed since May 25, 2012, when the Attorney General opinion was announced.
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