FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 8, 2005
Contact: Dan Farough
(517) 373-2093
LANSING - State Representatives Steve Tobocman (D-Detroit), LaMar Lemmons Jr. (D-Detroit) and LaMar Lemmons III (D-Detroit) today announced increased aid to Detroit City School District middle schools by $49 per pupil for math and science instruction and to many Detroit-based schools by an additional $18 per pupil. The bills also will add $20 million to the state's school aid rainy day fund.
"We have to prepare our children for the competitive and high-tech jobs of the future," Tobocman said. "We have to give our children the proper tools, which means math and science skills have to be a major emphasis."
"This funding will make our schools stronger," Lemmons Jr. said. "We want our children to succeed at high-level math and science because those are the skills that will be required for jobs in the future."
The $35 million aid package includes a $49-per-pupil raise for all middle schools, and gives an additional $18 per student to districts that receive less than $7,200 per pupil.
"Our children in Detroit and throughout Michigan deserve a quality education," Lemmons III said. "Our underfunded schools will get the money they need to help create opportunities for our children."