LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Lana Theis, R-Brighton, issued the following statement after voting against the state’s fiscal year 2025 budget:
“At a time when Michigan families are struggling under the crushing weight of inflation in this economy, and as students struggle to meet basic academic standards, the Democrat majority chose to balance the budget on the backs of the people we work for. This budget spends more, grows government, gives tax dollars to corporate interests, and abandons obligations to retired teachers. They did so by further inflicting financial hardship on people, literally going to court to ensure higher taxes, and by raiding the teacher pension system.
“Last year, the majority wasted a $9 billion surplus on things like swimming pools and electric school buses. Predictably, without sensible cuts to government spending, this year’s budget came with a $700 million income tax increase and an unbelievable raid of the already-underfunded teachers’ retirement fund.
“At the same time, the majority’s budget does nothing to improve K-12 students’ academic achievement. It’s not just that they didn’t give schools more money, which they did not; it’s that there is no strategy to make better use of the money our schools are already getting. Michigan’s public school system has among the worst outcomes in the country, and it is not simply a matter of funding. Schools are actually already receiving record amounts of money historically, and yet grades and test scores are plummeting. We don’t need to spend more; we need to spend more effectively and focus on our kids.
“Sadly, but not surprisingly, the new budget that was approved by the Senate fails to meet the threshold of responsible budgeting in every single way. I voted no because we cannot keep relying on shifting money around to fill gaps, raising taxes, and overspending on wants while failing to address needs, like the education of the next generation of Michiganders.”
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