Governor Gretchen Whitmer toured an elementary school in Flint today (Mon.). She says it’s not fair that schools started their academic year with no sense of how much financial support to expect from the state. Potter Elementary School has no air conditioning. Signs taped to water fountains warn students not to use them because the water has not been tested for lead. The governor has asked the Legislature to shift more money to low-income schools -- and to increase the gas tax to fix roads.
Whitmer says she’s troubled by the level of need amid signals that economic growth is slowing.
“That’s why I introduced the budget that I did," Whitmer said. "It is pay as you go.”
The Michigan Constitution requires the Legislature to adopt a balanced budget every year. But that has not stopped lawmakers in the past from changing revenue assumptions or using some other financial sleight of hand to meet that legal requirement.