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Schools

Birmingham PTSA Encourages Parents to Pressure Legislators on School Funding

'We have to tell our legislators that Proposal A doesn't work. We need sustained, fair funding,' superintendent tells meeting of schools legislative reps.

The leadership at  is reaching out to the district's parents and homeowners, asking for help to convince state lawmakers to reconsider Gov. Rick Snyder's proposed cuts to the state's education budget.

At Monday's meeting of the Birmingham Parent Teacher Student Association at , the organization laid out a framework through which parents could pressure their legislators to change the governor's planned cuts to public education funding.

Each of the meeting attendees – the individual schools' "legislative representatives" – were given sample letters and talking points to put together missives to send to Lansing that might help lawmakers make a decision about education funding cuts, said Marcia Wilkinson, Birmingham's director of community relations. 

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"We want residents to keep in touch with Lansing," Wilkinson said. "We want (Lansing) to come up with another way to fund education in Michigan."

Superintendent David Larson addressed the meeting, talking briefly about the district's sports, arts and educational programs before launching into a critique of the funding mechanism that has dominated Michigan education since Proposal A was approved by Michigan voters in 1994,  which disconnected school funding from local property taxes.

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"We have to tell our legislators that Proposal A doesn't work," Larson said. "We need sustained, fair funding. Schools aren't businesses, there is no profit/loss statement."

Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Debbie Piesz explained to the 50 PTSA members at the informational meeting that the district is facing serious cuts if Snyder's plan goes through as is. "We're going to lose $3.8 million in state revenue and we're going to spend $2.4 million in retirement payments," she said. "Combine that with a structural deficit of $1.5 million and we're looking at a $7.7 million shortfall in the 2011-12 budget."

While Birmingham's current per student foundation allowance is $12,074, the district has also been cutting its budget every year since 2002-03, Piesz said. During that time, the district has cut $28 million from its budget. Simply put, Piesz said the district has less money to work with.

"We used to be a Costco pie. Now we're a Kroger pie," she said referring to the size of the pie charts that map out how the district spends it money.

Monica Mercer, the legislative representative for , said her school has a lot of concerned, motivated shareholders. "We're fortunate, Beverly has an extremely active parent community," she said. "When they hear we're going to lose more funds, they'll push (their legislators). I think it will work. It can't hurt to try."

Birmingham Education Association President Scott Warrow said the district's teachers are ready to work with the administration but both groups will need parents to use their considerable influence as well.

"We need to convince parents to make a stand in a district where their legislators support the governor," Warrow said. "It's not good for the economy to make up half the state's shortfall on the backs of kids."

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