Waterford superintendent urges community advocacy as Michigan budget delay risks school aid; teachers describe burnout and staffing uncertainty

Superintendent Martin told the Waterford School District Board of Education that Michigan had not passed a state budget and that delay in the school-aid fund is creating uncertainty for district planning and staffing.

“Frankly, our legislation, all of them, have failed to do their job,” Martin said. He described the timing: the governor released a budget on Feb. 5, the senate released its version May 14 and the house released a different version Aug. 26. He said the three proposals differ in per-pupil increases and in treatment of categoricals: the governor’s plan proposed a $392 per-pupil increase, the senate $400 and the house $417 with a proposal to bundle categoricals into a single block grant.

Martin said the district must plan for the Oct. 22 school-aid disbursement and that a state shutdown or missed payment would harm districts. “If there…