Sen. Lana Theis on Tuesday condemned Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s veto of hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for schools and businesses that was included in a bipartisan COVID-19 relief supplemental budget plan the governor partially signed.
Among the funding Whitmer line-item vetoed was a $10 million appropriation dedicated to reimbursing parents for expenses associated with summer school — funding Theis said is critical for addressing learning loss caused by the state’s response to the coronavirus.
“We know that many students — too many — are struggling academically, falling behind or, in some cases, have stopped participating in school altogether because of the Whitmer administration’s drastic response to the coronavirus that forced students out of traditional learning environments for nearly a year,” said Theis, R-Brighton, who chairs the Senate Education and Career Readiness Committee. “For Gov. Whitmer to now veto $10 million that was approved to help support families who sacrificed their hard-earned money to make sure their children aren’t falling more behind academically is worse than political gamesmanship — it’s kicking families while they’re down. Michigan families deserve better, but sadly it is what they have come to expect from this governor.”
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