From: Whipple, Deb (GOV)
Sent: Monday, November 30, 2009 4:24 PM
Subject: What the Governor is talking about today
What the Governor’s Talking about Today
Monday, November 30, 2009
 
    Revenue Sharing Cuts Impact Police, Fire Protection
    Through Race to the Top, the Obama administration is asking states to advance reforms around four specific areas
 
Revenue Sharing Cuts Impact Police, Fire Protection
 
The general government appropriations bill included an average reduction of 10 percent for revenue sharing payments to local governments.  The cuts totaled $111 million: $100.8 million to cities, villages and townships, and $10.2 million to eligible counties.  The Michigan House passed HB 5403 that would restore statutory revenue sharing for cities, villages and townships to the amount actually received in the 2009 fiscal year, and that bill is now pending before the Michigan Senate.
 
Revenue sharing funds are discretionary dollars to local governments that are generally deposited into their general funds.  Local governments typically spend a large portion of their general funds for police and fire services.
 
Key messages:
 
•  Revenue sharing accounts for about 19 percent of city budgets, 21 percent of village budgets and 35 percent of county budgets.

•  According to the Michigan Municipal League, revenue sharing to local governments has been cut by more than $3 billion in the last eight years, not including the most recent $111.5 million in cuts.  As a result, more than 2,400 police officers and 1,800 fire fighters have been laid off in Michigan.

•  The governor wants to restore funding for revenue sharing so we can keep police officers and fire fighters on the job.
 
Governor Says Michigan Must Be a Winner in Race to the Top
In the U.S. Department of Education’s Race to the Top competition, all 50 states are racing to reform their education systems so American children can compete in a global economy.  Only a small number of states will be winners.  Each will receive as much as $500 million in federal Recovery Act funds to improve their schools.
 
Through Race to the Top, the Obama administration is asking states to advance reforms around four specific areas
 
•  Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace, and to compete in the global economy

•  Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction

•  Recruiting, developing, rewarding and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most

•  Turning around our lowest-achieving schools
 
Race to the Top funds will go to the states that are leading the way with ambitious yet achievable plans for implementing coherent, compelling and comprehensive education reform.  The governor has said Michigan must be one of the winning states. 
 
Key messages:
 
•  For Michigan to be one of the winning states, we need to put forth our best and boldest ideas for helping all Michigan students succeed in our K-12 schools, in our colleges and universities, and ultimately in our workplaces.  And we’ll need to turn around our lowest performing schools, boost the number of high-quality charter schools and increase the ranks of effective teachers and principals.

•  Michigan got a head start on the Race to the Top five years ago.  That’s when we committed ourselves to doubling the number of college graduates in the state.  The Granholm administration made important changes that are now helping more students of all ages to earn college degrees, such as high school graduation requirements that are among the toughest in the nation.

•  We can win this race, but we don’t have a lot of time.  Critical education reforms must be in place before Christmas.  The state legislature already is working on education reform bills that will require quick action.

•  To create good-paying jobs in Michigan, we need the best-educated workforce on the planet.  That requires having schools second to none.  Race to the Top is the best way to get there, and we are determined to win the race.
 
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