snapshot

Thu, Jan 5, 2012 : 8:39 p.m.

how about paying for those extended unemployment benefits and the 18 Billion dollar gap in public employee pension shortfalls? Irwin needs to understand that it is not a surplus until all the debt is gone. this is the same logic the UAW used when negotiating 5,000 dollar bonuses from GM while GM still owes the taxpayers 26 Billion dollars. I was raised to pay my debts but I guess that's "old school" and maybe we should go back to those "old school" days when kids got a pretty good basic education and most folks did their jobs without complaining or crying about every little thing.

motorcycleminer

Thu, Jan 5, 2012 : 5:26 p.m.

Gee lets see how that extra TAX dollar would be spent...Administration 60 cents ... golden parachutes 30 cents ..facilities 8 cents ( maybe ) kids 1 cent....yup great use of our money...once the velcro hand of any one who lives off your $$$ gets in your pocket it's almost impossible to get out, it goes all the way down your pantleg to the floor then back up again to see what it missed....

JSA

Thu, Jan 5, 2012 : 5:08 p.m.

Here you define both parties. Democrat wants to spend projected income now and Republican says lets make a decision when the money is actually there. There are fundamental problems that need to be addressed. MESSA as the insurance company of choice is a conflict of interest. The practice of 30 and out for a full pension. Allowing teachers unions to buy "time" to raise their pensions value among them. Not all school districts are as wasteful and Ann Arbor though so one size may not fit all.

Carole

Thu, Jan 5, 2012 : 2:03 p.m.

Before these funds are dished out to any particular group, I would like a complete and thorough audit of each. In my opinion, there seems to be a great deal of waste in all city, state, federal, schools, etc. As for AAPS , if they can afford to hire another administrator at a high salary, and then increase two more administrators to be equal the new, they don't need any further funding. If going to teachers to teach, would agree. Most importantly of all, I would suggest that any surplus be put away for a rainy day, and even possibly lowering the taxes for the citizens of Michigan. In my opinion, I believe that all governments feel "entitled" to spend on whatever, then just raise the taxes of the citizens. It just needs to stop.

jjc155

Thu, Jan 5, 2012 : 5:30 a.m.

I know many more cops and firefighters who have lost their jobs over the last 3 years or have taken pay,benefit etc cuts than teachers have lost their jobs/taken cuts. Infact in the last three years I have known many teachers (including my wife, several friends and a couple of cousins) who work for various districts state wide, still get their step raises, educational incentive raises, cost of living raises and no increases in benefit contributions. My last five years (out of 16 and counting) as a cop I have netted a total of a 0%, 0%, 0% 0% and you guessed it 0% raise PLUS ever increasing contribution to my medical insurance, so technically I have had negative "raises" lol. On top of that there have been lay offs and position freezes that have dropped my dept's staff from mid 50's in the early 1990's to mid 30's today. IF the money has to be spent (and I say IF becuase this is all our Tax money that we had already paid and it should be refunded) the state needs to sock most of it away for a rainier day (they will come), I dont mind returning some to education if it goes for technology/equipement, but NOT for staff/pay or benefits. Then return some to the communities that have had to cut public saftey drastically over the last 5 years.

Sallyxyz

Thu, Jan 5, 2012 : 3:27 a.m.

If there is a big surplus, how about eliminating some of those tax increases to retirees that start Jan 1, 2012? Obviously, those tax increases to retirees weren't needed. Plenty of money in the budget including a big surplus.

Huron74

Thu, Jan 5, 2012 : 3:13 a.m.

What Irwin says: More money for education! What Irwin really means: We will tax and tax, spend and spend, elect and re-elect. Surprisingly this practice actually works for Ann Arbor politicians. Bottom Line: We have nobody to blame but ourselves if we end up with the likes of Irwin.

tim

Thu, Jan 5, 2012 : 3:02 a.m.

He'll probably use the money for golf outings for his business partners.

Stephen Landes

Thu, Jan 5, 2012 : 2:59 a.m.

Typical Democrat knee-jerk reaction -- see money, spend money; no thought given to whether or not the money should be saved (e.g.: rebuilding the rainy day fund) or returned to its source: all of us taxpayers! The State is in the process of getting all local units of government including schools to look long and hard at the way they do business to see what efficiencies they can find by changing structures, reducing overhead, working together, and assessing whether or not what they do is really necessary. To turn around and just give them more money before this process has even gone through one iteration is foolish and wasteful.

DonBee

Thu, Jan 5, 2012 : 2:35 a.m.

I for one would be very happy to see some of the money go for education. To do 1 thing and only 1 thing. Hire more teachers in K-6. No other use should be allowed for the money. No new "tashma-sports", no more administrator raises, no more consultants, no more travel funds for junkets, etc. Spend it only in opening classrooms to reduce class size and improve results for the children.

Trepang674

Thu, Jan 5, 2012 : 2:03 a.m.

The dollars should go back into education, and most importantly pre-school and K-8...here is where you catch the troubled and the opportunity to light the fire for success...high schooler and even middle schoolers are set for their course...waste of money to bail them...lets get them in the formative years...more teachers and more creative programs to trap thier young brains.

Lifelong A2

Thu, Jan 5, 2012 : 1:28 a.m.

Rep. Ouimet -- who gives credit to Gov. Snyder for this surplus -- doesn't know what he's talking about. This surplus exists because the auto industry is booming: it's paying bonuses to workers, hiring suppliers, hiring new blue-collar and white-collar workers , and putting existing workers on overtime. All of that generates income tax revenue. That boom began before Snyder even took office. That's why we're also seeing a surplus from LAST fiscal year, which covers the period before Snyder even took office. The SOLE credit for this surplus goes to the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress who passed the auto industry rescue package and cash-for-clunkers program. The Tea Party Republicans who populate AnnArbor.com's comment pages may not like those programs for ideological reasons, but the fact is: those programs worked.

Scott

Thu, Jan 5, 2012 : 12:55 a.m.

I'm a teacher. Worked in Michigan now I live and teach in Boise. The old teachers and the retired teachers pay was obscene. They take on a bunch of OT and retire based on a $100k salary a year. If you have two teachers together they end up living in a McMansion and raking in a $80k a year in pensions. plus they have $500k plus in annuities. I went to school in a Michigan public high. The cronyism and union racket was disgusting. maybe 1/4 of the teachers did very little teaching. They are like the UAW workers who screwed future generations of people who would need work by sleeping on the job, drinking on breaks, punching in- going home- then coming back in to punch out. New Michigan teachers make much less (as they should), the few new plant workers make a tiny fraction. Things have changed but all the old teachers and UAW goons who - along with the greedy jerks on Wall street, in the medical racket, and on the take politicians have cashed out leaving a little meat on the bone for the rest of us. When i taught in Michigan I couldn't believe all the gripping from old teachers because they were only getting a 2% raise and had to give up concessions to their health care. That when masses of people in Michigan are out of work or struggling on part time jobs. I make half of what a teacher in Michigan would make but I get buy and I do a good job. I'm happy to have a job and all the teachers i work with are happy to have a job, work really hard and get by. That's the way people in the rest of the country live. Politicians are all the same. The democrats want to gauge the people for their constituents (union members), the republicans want to gauge the people for their backers (wall street, big pharma, the super rich, et.)

Doctor Fang

Thu, Jan 5, 2012 : 12:43 a.m.

Go, Jeff, go! Thanks for supporting our schools & kids. As a parent of an elementary-age child, I've seen our schools gutted in the past few years, with class sizes skyrocketing -- my son has 50% more kids in his classroom this year than he did three years ago. Most of the available "fat" was trimmed a few years ago, and the latest round of cuts started to eviscerate the essentials to successful education. I applaud your efforts.

Marshall Applewhite

Wed, Jan 4, 2012 : 11:59 p.m.

Oh man! A pile of money! Let's make sure to spend it immediately!

Bill

Wed, Jan 4, 2012 : 11 p.m.

Let's eliminate all waste, fraud, and abuse from the Pentagon before we cut any more funding to schools. And stop going to war for the profit of Haliburton and Cheney.

4Bells

Wed, Jan 4, 2012 : 11 p.m.

Just the beginning. The money is going to business owners - those already in operation, and to attract others into the state, to make their fortunes at the expense of us, the average Joe. We have a governor and legislature that has structured everything to the benefit of business owners & business people at the expense of the middle class, education, retirees, state government services, public safety, infrastructure and the poor. The new MBT will continue the windfall to Crabby Rick Snyderton and his ilk, at the expense of us, the everyday Michigan citizen. Here's your first sign of what is coming and, when put to the ethical smell test, it is really starting to stink.

bruno_uno

Wed, Jan 4, 2012 : 10:58 p.m.

sounds like irwin is drinking the kool aid...this money was taken away from the wasteful spending of our k12 system. why would we give it all back to them? we need new jobs, not hiring the same ol teacher union job pool.

cinnabar7071

Wed, Jan 4, 2012 : 10:21 p.m.

I think if it goes to education, it needs to be in the form of shop classes. Not everyone is meant for college and I feel if we lifted those off the botton with some sort of tech education that money would be well spent.

st.julian

Wed, Jan 4, 2012 : 10:06 p.m.

Noot all schools are perfect, not all schools are wasteful. Many of the schools in oour state function very well and have reduced cost significantly. It's time to put our money where our governor's mout is. If education is the key to our future,building our future knowedge indsutry then we must invest in it. If not the best and the briggest will not stay and help build Michigan's future

Mike K

Wed, Jan 4, 2012 : 9:55 p.m.

I am not going to argue against education spending as long as it is indeed well spent, but this is nothing more than catering to one's constituency. Obama was raving on about police, firefighters and teachers today in Ohio as if society is only composed of such occupations. Trust me, I am all for these necessities, but it has simply become political and that's the part I find appauling. As I have said in the past, investing in education has issues. Some, well actually many, simply do not value it, and it is portable. I relocated here in 1991 with my education from another state. Those tax payers received little value in education me.

xmo

Wed, Jan 4, 2012 : 9:37 p.m.

The Ann Arbor schools have more than enough money. Remember the story before the Holidays about two AAPS administrators getting 12%plus raises? Yet the schools are short of money? How about the story on how 17.7% of the school budget goes to pension funds for employees? A little much don't you think when most "For Profit Businesses" only allowed 15% of the budget for employee pay. Lower our taxes so if we want to contribute more to schools we can!

Ignatz

Wed, Jan 4, 2012 : 9:17 p.m.

I'd like to see most of it go to education. How about putting a bunch into our decaying infrastructure? Can't get to school when the bridge is out.

average joe

Wed, Jan 4, 2012 : 9:13 p.m.

One would think 'they' won the lottery the way they are planning on spending it already......no, wait- people who win the big lottery generally save some of it....

A2anon

Wed, Jan 4, 2012 : 9:04 p.m.

YV, you have no idea what you are talking about. Our schools' funding has been cut and cut and cut over the last decade, has not come close to keeping up with inflation and increasing costs.

Ron Granger

Wed, Jan 4, 2012 : 9:03 p.m.

The state doesn't have a surplus - they have *our* money. The concept of returning that excess taxation to us is completely alien to them. They feel entitled to our money. The concept of not immediately spending the money is also alien to them. Save it for a rainy day? Also alien. What planet are they on?

YpsiVeteran

Wed, Jan 4, 2012 : 9:01 p.m.

Not one additional penny should go to any public schools in this state until all the waste, fraud and mismanagement have been eliminated. Many districts are ridiculously top-heavy with administrators and other functionaries who spend, spend and spend some more in an effort to justify their existences. We have too many separate school boards and way too many school "administrators." The failed efforts to mainstream children with severe emotional, behavioral and/or cognitive function problems into the same classrooms as kids without those problems, combined with a misguided and destructive emphasis on test scores, has rendered our public schools almost irrelevant. These problems need to be worked out or we will continue to pour money down a dark hole of futility. Our schools have more money than at any time in history, yet parents struggle to obtain basic services, ISDs fail to provide the intervention necessary to help kids with special problems, and teachers resort to spending their own money for supplies. All the while these schools are turning out kids who can't think their way out of a paper bag.