Governor's Proposal Spurs Mixed Reaction Among Residents, Parents, Patrons

Gov. Rick Snyder's proposed budget plan, unveiled Thursday, includes a list of cuts that has brought mix reaction among area parents and residents.

Finance directors for the city and for Clawson Public Schools say Snyder's plan to cut funding for public schools and cities will likely result in employee layoffs and program or service cuts.

In the proposal, K-12 schools face a 4 percent cut, or a $470 per-pupil reduction, that would save the state $452.5 million. He also proposed reducing statutory state shared revenue by $92.1 million and tying the remaining $200 million to an incentive plan in which municipalities would need to adopt "best practices" and "meet specific standards."

Carrie Chambers, a Clawson mom with a 9-year-old at and a 5-year-old at Baker Preschool, said she is worried about the deep school funding cuts and how they will affect the programs.

"To be honest, these poor teachers don't get enough (money) as it is right now," Chambers said, adding that she knows some Clawson teachers who have used money out of their own pockets to buy classroom supplies. "The schools are already stretched thin."

Chambers said if the state deducts per-pupil funding, she is concerned that parents will have to kick in more money for academic and extracurricular activity needs.

Ma-an Polasky of Clawson said while proposed cuts will be necessary to reshape Michigan, the government needs to avoid taking money away from schools. 

"They can cut a lot of other things without touching schools," said Polasky, a former government employee. She said she hopes there will be some collaboration between the state and cities to find funding for programs and important services that are in jeopardy.

City Manager Mark Pollock said Thursday that the city will have an idea of how much money it can get back from the state when Snyder releases more details on the incentive plan.

Snyder's proposal also calls for taxing public and private pensions, except Social Security.

Jack and Roberta Ringwood of Troy said they believe Snyder has proposed a transparent plan that will only help rebuild the state of Michigan. While the couple — Jack, 87, and Roberta, 83 — both receive pensions, they are both willing to give something up to bring the state out of a deficit.

"I think our state is in such bad shape; it's going to cost us money," Roberta Ringwood said. "I think everybody has to make a sacrifice."

Carlene Geier said she disagrees with the idea of taxing pensions. 

"I don't like it," Geier said after lunch Thursday at the . "The low-income (people) will be hurt. They should not touch the pension."