Today, I proposed a more efficient way of dealing with the very depleted funds for our schools. The future of our children and our state depends on a quality educational system but shrinking budgets continue to hamper teachers and administrators. As state revenues decline, it is essential now more than ever that we find ways to operate with greater efficiency. We can reduce costs without sacrificing excellence. The most important part of education is what happens in the classroom between the teacher and student and that is where we must direct our attention and support.
Consolidation and competitively bidding support services are ideas that need to be pursued. I propose we competitively bid our transportation, food and janitorial services on an Intermediate School District (ISD) basis. This is a practice I use in Oakland County with food services for inmates which saves taxpayers $1.6 million every year. It’s time that more schools partner with the private sector as well as other districts to deliver support services. It’s good for students and taxpayers and it eliminates the false choice of either slashing funding for schools or raising taxes.
We need to find ways to squeeze money out of our current budget and better deliver the necessary services. Let’s fix Lansing so we can get Michigan back to work and provide our children with the first-class education they deserve.
Mike
Mike,
Cutting those services won’t put a dent in these types of problems. These are the lowest payed and most dependable people in our school systems. The cuts need to come from the top where there are tons of Administrators and overpayed Superintendents.