Michigan school districts have more than a few tricks up their sleeves.

Or maybe how it might end?

What we see in proposed legislation by Michigan State Senator Darwin Booher is a natural extension of what happens to a legislator’s mind in Lansing.  Senate bill 481 attempts to modify the “Recreational authorities act;” 2000 PA 321, so that school districts can then create their own ‘authority,’ build facilities, and hit the taxpayers for up to a mil with yet another creative tool of extortion.

Why would school’s need such a thing you ask? Why would a school district want, or need to create a new agency that can generate new  revenue for pools, entertainment complexes, sports venues, etc?

Hilarious question, right? However, as has been pointed out before, the formula (post proposal A) has changed.  Very much.

“Underneath the perceived troubles in funding public education is an emerging reality. Because of the nature of taxpayer funding, and the struggle for local school districts to grab their ‘fair share’ of Michigan’s education budget pie, expenses that were once built into operating budgets are now separated from them, and allowed to be levied through millage requests. These building fund requests allow for purchase of new infrastructure, equipment, and maintenance.

Unfortunately, once the funding had begun in this direction, it quickly became a running operative mechanism that allowed all manner of abuse to begin. Routine maintenance became the recipient of improvement monies, and improvement requests increased to fund facilities that went beyond necessary functionality. The latest request including a component that would have built a $26.5 million performing arts facility. (including all aspects of construction) The proposal for a declining student population at a cost of was easily declined by voters.”

All of what used to be covered under simple operations cost, has been partitioned into new funding paradigms.

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