School Leaders Blast New Gas Tax Package

Michigan school leaders are blasting a State House Republican road funding package, charging that it could result in drastic cuts to the school aid fund. William Mayes, the Executive Director of the Michigan Association of School Administrators, says the House plan would shift sales taxes paid on gasoline to the roads, but away from schools over the next eight years, which he says would be devastating since it’s based on an uncertain future of funding. Meanwhile, former State House Fiscal Agency Director, Mitch Bean says while it’s hard to predict how much it would impact that far in the future, the bill would result in significant reductions to schools. Bean estimates if the House bill were to be approved it would result in the loss of $620 million to schools by the year 2020, or about $415 per pupil. That reduction would increase to $800 to $900 million by 2023. Governor Rick Snyder and legislative leaders are working for a compromise with a Senate-passed plan that would raise the gas tax to fund road and bridge repairs.