By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A local lawmaker says the state budget agreement protects funding for schools and local governments.

Republican Representative Ann Bollin of Brighton Township said funding for Michigan schools and local governments will be protected under the bi-partisan budget deal reached this week between leaders in the Legislature and Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration. Bollin said while significant challenges remain, she’s pleased to say the agreement protects funding for students and for local governments that provide important public services. A press release states the agreement awaiting approval in the Legislature uses a mix of savings and already available federal COVID-19 relief funds to provide certainty to schools and local governments and ensure they can deal with additional costs in the current fiscal year.

The overall agreement commits $512 million in already available federal relief money to schools and $200 million to universities and community colleges. The plan commits $150 million to local governments – in addition to the relief funds already appropriated by the Legislature. A total of $350 million will be drawn from the state’s rainy day fund to help address budget shortfalls. The plan also includes savings and cuts – such as $490 million through state hiring and discretionary spending freezes, layoffs and other actions within state government.

Bollin is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the former Brighton Township clerk. She commented students and teachers must be allowed to continue their important work and local governments must be able to continue supporting their communities. Bollin added that although their work is far from over, this was a positive step for the current budget year.