Workers Can Fix the Damn Schools!
AND the Damn Roads!

Sep 29, 2025

As of the middle of September, due to a delayed state budget in Michigan, Michigan school districts had no idea how they were to pay for anything, since schools started on August 25.

One concern was how districts were to cover the cost of their school meals program that has provided breakfast and lunch for all of the state’s 1.4 million public school children. So districts had to decide whether or not to cancel their meals program, or make other cuts in order to cover these costs.

And if school officials and teachers’ unions thought that a Michigan budget resolution would provide solutions, they were sorely mistaken. On September 25, the governor and the Republican Michigan House speaker and the Senate Majority leader, a Democrat, announced they had reached a deal to avoid a government shutdown and pass a budget before the new fiscal year begins October 1. But little information was provided about the compromise budget agreement, including any details about the K-12 school aid budget.

EXCEPT—what does seem to be in the compromise agreement is to move about 750 million dollars in gas sales taxes from the School Aid Fund to fund road projects. And at the same time, various school and teacher union officials have received zero details about how blowing a hole in the School Aid fund will be filled!

Yes, the “Damn Roads,” as the Governor of Michigan has talked about for years, have to be fixed. But taking it from the schools is just plain crazy! It’s a classic Robbing Peter to Pay Paul measure.

The school budget doesn’t have to be robbed from, to pay the roads budget. Budgets don’t have to be “fixed,” as if there isn’t enough money. With all the money ordinary people pay in taxes, the money is there.

And if the politicians stop subsidizing corporations and real estate developers, there would be plenty of money to pay for the schools, and the roads and everything else ordinary people need.

No more “free lunches” for the billionaires!