Michigan lawmakers are working late into the night on an $83 billion budget plan

Lansing — Michigan lawmakers were working late Wednesday night to craft an $83 billion budget proposal for next year that would provide $409 million in funding for special projects, a 2.5% boost to university operations and a new approach to directing dollars to to get primary schools.

The House and Senate had not yet voted on the plan as of 11:45 p.m. Wednesday, nearly 14 hours into the day’s session, but they were expected to consider the bills, which include money for housing, government agencies and even baseball fields, sometime overnight.

One of the most controversial elements of the proposals is their treatment of Michigan’s schools. The School Aid Fund would receive $20.6 billion in funding in the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, according to an analysis of the bills reviewed by The Detroit News. That’s down from $21.5 billion this year.

Lawmakers are not providing increases to traditional public schools’ base funding levels, the base funding levels for schools, which is how they have previously funneled more dollars into classrooms. Instead, the state plans to allocate $598 million to reduce the amount of money school districts have to pay into their employees’ pension funds, freeing up money for other expenses schools face.

However, the Michigan Association of Superintendents & Administrators condemned this approach in a message to its members, arguing it is a one-time interruption to retirement benefits.

“The proposed budget for the coming fiscal year does not provide long-term financial relief and will lead to layoffs this fall and into the future as funding for our schools will not be sufficient to keep pace with inflation, rising costs for health care and Federal aid dollars are coming to an end,” the superintendents association statement said.

But Bobby Leddy, spokesman for Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, argued the budget plan would provide funding for districts that would exceed inflation and give schools the flexibility to use the funding to meet the needs of individual students.

“It is shocking that a group of lobbyists who falsely claim to be on the side of students and teachers are now calling for the elimination of K-12 schools in Michigan just days before the July 1 deadline,” Leddy said. “We won’t let that happen.”

More: Michigan school groups warn state budget plan ‘will lead to layoffs’

July 1, Monday, is the Legislature’s self-imposed deadline for crafting a state budget each year. It’s also when the fiscal year begins for most Michigan public schools, allowing districts to make staffing decisions before the next school year begins in late August or early September.

The state’s current budget is approximately $82 billion.

For universities and community colleges, the new budget proposal would provide a 2.5% increase in operations. And it would allocate $100 million for housing programs.

Parks, sports fields and Mackinac Island

The spending bill would also set aside $335 million for so-called “improvement grants,” which would fund a variety of more than 100 projects across the state.

The list of special projects debuted late Wednesday night, hours before a possible vote.

Lansing’s Potter Park Zoo would get $10 million, the downtown redevelopment in Mount Clemens would get $5 million, WDET, the Detroit public radio station, would get $1 million, and an indoor sports facility in Shelby Township would get $2.5 million, according to the analysis to get. reviewed by The News.

In addition, $1 million would go toward “infrastructure improvements” at the stadium where the Lansing Lugnuts minor league baseball team plays, and $1.5 million would go to Jimmy John’s Field in Utica, home of the United Shore Professional Baseball League.

Additionally, $3.2 million would go toward a land purchase on Mackinac Island, $10 million toward a youth sports complex in Frankenmuth and $1.9 million toward financing a fire truck in Troy.

Downtown Boxing Gym in Detroit would get $2 million, the Canton Township Municipal Building would get $1 million, parks and recreation improvements in Warren would get $1 million, and election centers in East Lansing, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Lansing would get $4 million.

Infrastructure projects

The budget proposal also provides funding for a variety of transportation projects in Metro Detroit, including $6.5 million for construction of noise walls along Interstate 75 in Southgate and $5 million for street maintenance and cleaning in Detroit.

There is also $3.2 million available for the Palmer Road bridge over Interstate 275 in Wayne County and $5 million for Wayne Road in Romulus.

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