Michigan Senate OKs bill giving charter schools more public money

Source: Detroit Free Press

LANSING — The Michigan Senate passed a controversial bill Wednesday that will allow charter schools in the state to collect revenues from enhancement millages levied by intermediate school districts.

Republicans said the bill would treat all students — whether they attend traditional public schools or charter schools — fairly, but Democrats said the legislation was stealing money that voters approved for traditional public schools and shifting those funds to charter schools.

“I introduced this bill because there are 14,000 ... students in Kent County that aren’t being treated fairly," said Sen. David Hildenbrand, R-Lowell. “And there are 56,000 students in Wayne County that aren’t being treated fairly either.”

But Sen. Curtis Hertel, D-East Lansing, said voters approved the millages with the knowledge that the money would go to traditional public schools in their county. “This bill takes school funding, which is already stretched to the max in the state, and tries to stretch it even further,” he said. “This is corporate welfare. It’s stealing.”

Read more: http://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2017/10/18/charter-schools-millage-money-michigan/776337001/

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Repubs rip public school money for corporate schools, which are typically underperforming.

Everyone loses, except DeVos and cronies.