Sturgis-Coldwater News

State Representative Jennifer Wortz, a Republican from Quincy, has supported a new K-12 education budget plan introduced by House Republicans. The plan aims to reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies and proposes a record high per-pupil funding of $12,000. This figure surpasses the governor's budget recommendations and the proposal from House Democrats.

"This budget plan ends the wasteful spending on dysfunctional systems that has defined our school aid budgets for years," said Wortz. She emphasized the shift away from expensive grant programs towards direct funding for schools based on student numbers. "By eliminating categorical grant funding and putting those resources directly into per pupil allowance, we are putting taxpayer dollars back in the hands of the schools that know the varying needs of their students the most."

Wortz, who has experience serving on the Quincy Community Schools Board of Education, highlighted her previous role as influential in understanding government spending challenges related to school aid. "The standard in Lansing for decades has been to pass budgets with huge portions coming with strings attached and wrapped in red tape," she stated.

The new budget plan allows public schools more flexibility in utilizing funds according to their specific needs. "Public schools now have the opportunity to do what they have been asking to do for years; they can now use funding to meet the needs of their community, whether that be providing meals, transportation, or mental health services," Wortz explained.

She criticized past approaches as ineffective and expressed satisfaction with moving towards a model that prioritizes students over existing systems. "I have been a longtime advocate for funding students over broken systems, and I’m pleased to see us moving in that direction with this new budget plan," she concluded.