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Upper Peninsula representatives oppose the state’s 2025 education budget. Yesterday Senator Ed McBroom and representatives Dave Prestin and Greg Markkanen shared why they chose to vote against the state’s school aid and higher education budget for 2025. Representative Prestin says that the budget does not protect teacher pension funds. The state budget will pay off certain liabilities of the Michigan Public School Retirement system to free up 672 million dollars that will go into classroom investments. Senator McBroom also opposed the school aid portion of the budget due to it not addressing a per-pupil funding increase. Representative Markkanen expressed frustration with the state’s decision to prioritize certain areas of the budget over education. Those interested in learning more about the Upper Peninsula representative’s opposition to the state education and school aid budget can find a full statement below.
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McBroom, Prestin and Markkanen oppose education budget
LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Ed McBroom and Reps. Dave Prestin and Greg Markkanen voted to oppose the fiscal year 2025 school aid and higher education budget jammed through the Legislature along party lines in the early hours of Thursday morning.
“By raiding the teacher pension fund, the Democrats are betraying retirees who have dedicated their lives to our kids. Putting former educators at risk in a time of heightened economic volatility is reckless and dangerous,” said Prestin, R-Cedar River. “Superintendents, teachers, and staff called all day to let me know that this budget is bad for their schools and colleagues. Someone needs to tell Democrats, especially ones who claim to represent the U.P., that economic responsibility doesn’t end at the kitchen table.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed a dramatic change of policy for school funding this year by removing $670 million from placement into the teacher retirement fund (MPSERS). The state has a history of failing to make payments that has rapidly increased the debt.
“Under this budget, 2025 will be the first year we have not had a per-pupil funding increase in over a decade,” said McBroom, R-Waucedah Township. “With a total state budget over $81 billion, it seems inconceivable that we would be failing to increase per-pupil funding or make a debt payment into a fund that’s $30 billion in debt.
“When I was first elected, local schools had to make huge payments into the fund, which ate away at their funding. We capped that cost, and the state has faithfully partnered with our schools — until today. This budget’s change of course is both shortsighted and a failure to learn from the past.”
Democrats also stripped $300 million in school safety funding from the school aid budget.
Markkanen expressed his frustration that the budget doesn’t even try to hide the fact that money was set aside for pet projects Democrats are still trying to negotiate.
“This budget also lets down U.P. schools in several other ways,” said Markkanen, R-Hancock. “More money has been spent by Democrats in Lansing in the past 12 months than ever before in Michigan’s history. This budget continues that trend, but it’s worse than just that. This time they decided to cut funding for student counseling and school building security improvement grants. Why? Apparently raiding the pension fund just wasn’t enough money, so the counselors and exterior door locks had to go too. Unbelievable.”
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