This could help her preserve her political capital for guerrilla warfare later.
On the subject:
Republicans are likely to push hard against some of Whitmer’s non-budget priorities, including increased gun safetydemanding more financial transparency of charter schools, codifying protections for LGBTQ peopleand repeal of the state right-to-work law.
With those battles on the horizon, Whitmer is being more cautious about the school budget, said Sarah Rackhau, an assistant professor of political science at Michigan State University.
“The proposals that are coming in are unlikely to cause much pushback,” Rekhaw said. “They would fall into the bread and butter category. These are pretty popular programs, things for kids, that are usually supported by Democrats and probably supported by Republicans as well.”
Still, Whitmer may face opposition, particularly over her tutoring program. Republicans and conservative education advocates are still mad at her 2021 veto of the bill of the Republic of Belarus on providing state scholarships for private tutoring.
State Board of Education Chairwoman Pamela Pugh, a Democrat, said she has not yet seen the governor’s budget but supports proposals to provide universal preschool, provide individualized tutoring and train parents to help children learn to read.
“We need to make sure that the necessary budget is there for the school to have a healthy learning environment,” she said.
Pugh said she would also like to see teacher retention bonuses like those Whitmer proposed last year, but Whitmer’s office said they will not be included in this year’s budget.
Pugh said she hopes Whitmer’s budget will at least give districts enough money to pay teachers bonuses if they choose to. as some already do.
“They should be strongly encouraged” to add educators, she said.
The State Council has no budgetary authority, but can make recommendations on spending.