To provide a “template” or “place holder” for a Fiscal Year 2011-2012 “Omnibus” school aid, higher education and community colleges budget. This bill contains no appropriations, but may be amended at a later date to include them.   Official Text and Analysis.

With the recommendation that the substitute (H-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.

To adopt a version of this budget that expresses the fiscal and policy preferences of the Republican-majority in the House on various spending items and programs.

To increase spending on a so-called "youth challenge program".

To revise details of a particular school aid formula related to Proposal A.

To revise details of how money set aside for certain performance-related "incentive grants" will be distributed if the full amount is not used to provide these grants.

To revise details of how money set aside for certain performance-related "incentive grants" will be distributed if the full amount is not used to provide these grants.

To allow certain funds allocated to reduce class sizes in K through 6th grade, to be used in all grades.

To establish that charter schools are considered to have met an extra "incentive grant" requirment to allow students who live in any other school district to attend school in a different disrict if it has space.

To prohibit universities from providing health insurance benefits to the domestic partners of unmarried employees.

To increase by $725 million the level of public school spending proposed by this budget.

To increase spending on "pre-college" math, science and engineering programs.

To increase spending on English language instruction progams for student with limited English-speaking ability.

To not use tax revenues earmarked to the state School Aid Fund in next year's community colleges budget, but instead use non-earmarked revenue. Although the state constitution explicitly authorizes using SAF money for higher education, the public school establishment contends that the 1994 Proposal A initiative earmarking a sales tax increase to the SAF means it can only be used for K-12 schools.

To only require school districts to meet five rather than six of the conditions needed to obtain additional "incentive grant" revenue. These include things like more student tracking, more transparency measures, letting students take some community college courses for credit, etc.

To increase by $20 million funding to school districts that have more students from poor households (indicated by eligibility for the federal free lunch program), and which offer full-day kindergarten.

To consider the records of all school contracts with outside vendors, including the financial records of any subcontractors, as "public records" no different than government documents, and subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

To add around $12 million in spending for community colleges, and use less School Aid Fund money and more General Fund money in the community colleges budget.

To increased higher education spending, and not make part of the money contingent on universities meeting certain "incentive grant" requirements.

To add $1.5 million in spending for the MSU cooperative extension service and agricultural research operation.

To increase spending on state competitive scholarships.

To assert as the “intent of the legislature” that state universities “not collaborate in any manner with a nonprofit worker center whose documented activities include coercion through protest, demonstration, or organization against a Michigan business.” This refers to an organization called the “Restaurant Opportunities Center of Michigan,” which recently organized a protest by U of M students against a restaurant they claim violated laws prohibiting employment for a wage less than the minimum mandated by the government.

To increase by $617 million the level of public school spending proposed by this budget.

To increase funding for a particular school district.

To revise how funding is allocated for full-day kindergarten programs.

The House version of the school aid, community college and university budgets for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, 2012. A separate House budget authorizes the rest of state government spending (House Bill 5365). This bill would appropriate $12.816 billion for K-12 public schools, compared to $12.659 billion originally authorized for this year.

The bill also appropriates $1.399 billion for state universities, compared to $1.364 billion enacted for this year. Community colleges would get $294 million, vs. $283 million this year.

To give immediate effect.

To send the bill back to the House "stripped" of all actual appropriations. This vote is basically a procedural method of launching negotiations to work out the differences between the House and Senate budgets.

To concur with a Senate-passed version of the bill. The vote sends the bill to a House-Senate conference committee to work out the differences.

The final version of the K-12 school aid, community college and university budgets for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, 2012. House Bill 5365 authorizes the rest of state government spending. This bill would appropriate $12.944 billion for K-12 public schools, compared to $12.359 billion the previous year.

The bill also appropriates $1.399 billion for state universities, compared to $1.364 billion the previous year, and $294 million for community colleges vs. $283 million. Of these amounts, $1.798 billion is federal money, vs. $1.829 billion the previous year.