Bolger spokesperson slams MEA over budget ‘best practices’ provisions

Ari Adler, spokesperson for House Speaker Jase Bolger (R-Marshall), sent out a scathing statement Tuesday slamming the Michigan Education Association and teachers for allegedly being unwilling to negotiate over best practices.

Adler said in the statement that the top lobbyist for the Michigan Association of School Boards, Don Wotruba, told the subscription only capitol news outlet MIRS that “one third of the schools may not be able to attain the best financial practices laid out in the Fiscal Year 2012 education budget because the chances are “slim and none” that teachers will want to reopen existing agreements.”

Adler continued:

I find that very interesting. Basically, Mr. Wotruba is suggesting that teachers, or more likely their unions, will stand in the way of additional funding for students. That might be an interesting question to pose to your union contacts to determine its validity.

If it’s true, we have compelling evidence that teachers’ unions like the Michigan Education Association are quite willing to put children at risk in an attempt to maintain their stranglehold on taxpayers.

MEA spokesperson Doug Pratt responded to Adler’s statement in an e-mail to Michigan Messenger:

“The House Republicans voted to cut more than $1 billion dollars from public education, despite the fact that there was a SURPLUS in the School Aid Fund that would have required no cuts whatsoever. But they wanted to provide a no-strings-attached $1.8 billion tax break for corporate CEOs, so they decided to balance the budget on the backs of students and school employees.

“Now, the House Republicans want to ride in to the rescue by dangling $100 per student in front of school districts that adopt so-called “best practices” that take away local control over decision making?

Makes perfect sense that they want to scapegoat unions, since every recent poll shows HUGE opposition to school budget cuts. Voters aren’t going to buy it. They’re going to remember Republicans’ hypocritical assaults on local control and public school funding, right up to November 2012.”

Pratt is referring to a budget deal, announced by GOP leadership and Gov. Rick Snyder last week, that directs funds to schools that implement a progress report-style dashboard program, consolidate school services, bid out contracts on non-instructional positions and duties and increase school employee health premiums.

The House has scheduled a tentative special session on Friday to allow the GOP dominated legislature to pass the budgets before the May 31 deadline. That deadline was pushed by Snyder and is artificial to a point. The budget must be approved no later than Sept. 30, as the fiscal year begins Oct. 1 each year.