Governor Rick Snyder unveiled his $50.9 billion budget plan Thursday. A big portion of the his plan is geared towards education.
He is proposing to spend $11.5 billion in K-12 funding to help close the gap between rich and poor districts.
"The good thing is we are going to know what we are going to get. So we can make budgetary plans accordingly, however it's not going to help us financially that much," Boyne City Schools Superintendent Peter Moss explained.
$11.5 billion sounds like a lot of money for schools. But some administrators says it is a small number compared to what many districts need.
The plan calls for a 2% increase, which equals out to around $34 per student at schools with minimum funding.
"My question will be what's the net impact on revenue and what will the net impact be on our budget," Petoskey Public Schools Superintendent John Scholten said. "There just isn't enough detail right now to know that."
Districts who aren't at the lowest level could still benefit from this increase. But to get money, they have to enroll in statewide benchmark programs and compete with other schools.
Another portion of the plan calls for an increase in funding for early childhood education programs.
Administrators tell 7&4 News that there is a need for this increase, but they aren't sure where the money is coming from.
"At the last Revenue Census Committee hearing in Lansing, it appeared to me that the funding was flat and there was no additional funding. So I'm curious to find out the details where that $130 million is going to come from," Scholten said.
At the higher education level, state colleges and universities will also get a 2% funding increase. For North Central Michigan College that means roughly $60,000.
"While 2% sounds awfully appealing and while we are very very grateful for increase, it still doesn't come close to helping our financial standing from even 10 years ago," NCMC President Cameron Brunet-Koch said.
The budget process is still in it's early stages. The Governor's proposal will now be debated by lawmakers before it heads to the State Legislature for approval.
