LANSING – State Representative Richard E. Hammel (D-Mt. Morris Twp.) announced today that education budgets passed by the state House for the 2007-08 school year include an increase of 2.8 percent – or $592, 400 – in state funding for the University of Michigan-Flint as well as more per-pupil funding for K-12 schools and early childhood education.
"U of M-Flint plays a key role in helping our residents become highly skilled workers who can compete for 21st century jobs, and investing in that goal must be a priority," Hammel said. "Maintaining the excellence of our universities is critical to producing a talented workforce that will attract high-tech companies to Michigan and get our economy moving in the right direction. We must give U of M the resources it needs to give our residents the high-quality education they need and deserve."
The budgets that passed the Michigan House of Representatives this week include the School Aid Fund for K-12 education, the Department of Education, and the two budgets that fund higher education and community colleges.
- The School Aid Fund budget increased by 2.3 percent, or $300.2 million, compared with the 2006-07 budget year. The budget increases the per-pupil funding by $100 and invests more money in early education programs to prepare students for academic success from an early age.
- The Department of Education budget increased by 7.95 percent, or $7.2 million, compared with the 2006-07 budget year.
- The higher education budget increases funding for state universities and colleges by
more than $3.5 million to all 15 universities to make up for unfunded shortfalls created by the federal Indian Tuition Waiver program and an addition of $3 million in federal grants to increase the number of low-income students prepared to enter post-secondary education. - The community colleges budget increases operating funding by 3.89 percent, or
$7.1 million, for the state's 28 community colleges. The budget also includes $3.2 million distributed across the board to address parity issues between colleges and universities, more than $3.3 million for the At-Risk Student Success Program and $7 million in nursing funding grants to be distributed to the colleges to expand their nursing programs.
"When we invest in education, we invest in Michigan's future," Hammel said. "To restore our state's economy, we must increase the quality and accessibility of education at all levels. These budgets provide our educational institutions with the resources necessary to do that."