LANSING (WKZO AM/FM) — A state Judge has now ruled twice this month that the state of Michigan should not distribute $2.5-million in state funding approved in their budget to fund state mandated costs at private schools.
The judge says it appears to violate a provision of the State Constitutional that bans on taxpayer dollars going to private schools, “directly or indirectly”.
The ACLU and school organizations, including Kalamazoo Schools, sued claiming it was an attempt by the legislature to get around the Constitutional ban. Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens issued an injunction early this month blocking the reimbursements, but asked for briefs arguing whether a recent Supreme Court ruling was relevant.
The Justices ruled that a Missouri Church School should be eligible to compete for a state grant to resurface their playground. She ruled this week that that case is not relevant to the Michigan suit and upheld her injunction.
Kalamazoo Trustees joined the lawsuit in March, Superintendent Michael Rice saying that if they allow $2.5-million this year, it will be twice that next year and more after that. He says it’s the principle, and at a time when public schools are already underfunded, school organizations have to stand together.
Backers of the bill say if the state requires certain things be done by schools for the children, then the state should pay for it. Dr. Rice says the state does not set aside a pool of money to reimburse public schools for the costs of those mandated services and programs, why should it do so for the private schools.
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