MOORE, SCRIPPS LAUNCH SCHOOL EQUITY CAUCUS

In response to decades of funding disparities that have left many Michigan students shortchanged, State Representatives Tim Moore (R-Farwell) and Dan Scripps (D-Leland) today co-chaired the first meeting of the House School Equity Caucus. The bipartisan group will work to find ways to provide schools with the resources they need to enable every Michigan student to succeed, regardless of where they live.

"This bipartisan panel's mission is to work across the aisle and find solutions to the funding disparities that cheat too many Michigan students out of the best possible education," Scripps said. "Providing our children the best education possible is the goal of every school district, teacher and parent, and as leaders it's our responsibility to provide every student with an equal opportunity to learn and succeed."\

As schools around Michigan prepare for another school year, funding levels for school districts continue to vary wildly. Too many schools across the state receive the minimum state allowance of $7,316 per pupil, while a select few district receive far more - up to $12,443 per pupil! This funding gap persists in lieu of 1994's Proposal A, which was intended to narrow the disparity in public school funding.

Scripps and Moore will co-chair the School Equity Caucus. Other Steering Committee members are: State Representatives Goeff Hansen (R-Hart), Jeff Mayes (D-Bay City), Gary McDowell (D-Rudyard), and Wayne Schmidt (R-Traverse City).

"We need to make sure all of our schools - rural and urban, big and small - are getting the resources they need to provide the quality education our children deserve," Moore said. "Our children are Michigan's future workers, educators and leaders - and the foundation of our future economic success. Providing them with the best possible education will enable them to compete for 21st century jobs and attract the emerging industries that our state needs. "

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