K-12 Schools Funding Forum

Democrats from the state House of Representatives meet with U.P. residents in Marquette to talk about budget cuts to K–through–12 schools.

Marquette State Rep Steve Lindberg held a question-and-answer session this afternoon at Graveraet School.

And he brought several state House Democrats from the Lower Peninsula with him.

Lindberg and downstate State Rep Mark Meadows say they’re hearing the same things in the U.P. that they are in the Lower Peninsula — that many people are upset about the cuts.

The Michigan school aid fund was set to have a nearly $900 million surplus for fiscal 2011 and 2012.

But that money, and more, has been taken out of the school aid fund and transferred to the general fund instead.

Lindberg and some other Democrats have claimed it was done to offset the revenue the state lost from its $1.8 billion tax cut to major corporations.