The day after Labor Day means the first day back to school for many districts in our community.
Teachers and administrators are returning to schools with some uncertainty because lawmakers have not passed a state budget .
Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist was expected to rally support for the proposed budget Tuesday morning but suddenly canceled due to a schedule change, according to his team.
He was scheduled to visit two metro Detroit schools – Frost Middle School in Livonia and Samuel Gompers Elementary-Middle School in Detroit – to help students kick-off their first day back in class.
Meantime, state lawmakers have returned from their summer break to negotiate a deal.
In Governor Whitmer’s proposed budget would be one of the largest increases in classroom spending in about 18 years. But, this is the first time in a decade that school leaders have not known their funding by July, which is the beginning of schools' fiscal year.
As for the state’s fiscal year, that starts in October and leaves many programs in limbo until a budget passes.
Both Democratic and Republican state lawmakers are pointing fingers at partisan politics.
