DETROIT: This week, Michigan House Republicans passed their education related budget bills which will determine funding for K-12 schools, community colleges, and higher education institutions as well as the Michigan Departments of Education (MDE) and Lifelong Learning (MiLEAP). These budget bills are not just fiscal documents, they are reprehensible political declarations that threaten the rights and well-being of students, educators, and minority communities – especially students of color and LGBTQ+ students – across our state.
Their proposed budgets send a chilling message: some Michigan lawmakers are willing to sacrifice civil rights, inclusion, and access to education for discrimination, censorship, and political gamesmanship. These misguided, partisan proposals are so harmful to students that they put the prospect of compromise all but out of reach, and lead our state down a potentially disastrous path of government shutdown.
The budget bills are not just about dollars, they’re an attack on the civil rights of Michigan’s most vulnerable communities. If passed into law, they would:
- Eliminate dozens of full time positions at MDE and MiLEAP, disrupting critical services like child care licensing, early education, and Great Start programs – all of which are relied on by Michigan families.
- Punish universities and community colleges by threatening their funding if they allow transgender women to participate in women’s sports – a blatant attempt to force these institutions to adopt discriminatory, anti-trans policies.
- Slash 20% of K-12 school funding for schools that:
- Teach honestly about race, gender, or diversity,
- Allows transgender girls to play on sports teams that align with their gender identity, or
- Provide unisex bathrooms.
All young people, especially students of color and LGBTQ+ students, deserve an equitable education and the right to learn about issues such as race and gender, as well as talk and learn about the history, experiences, and viewpoints of all marginalized communities in this country. Denying students this critical learning, as these proposed budgets do, will create a chilling effect in classrooms that will silence these important conversations and undercut the fundamental right to free speech.
Budget proposals outline the goals and values of those involved in the state allocation process. These bills are a cruel misuse of budgetary power to silence educators, target LGBTQ+ youth, and abandon students of color.
If lawmakers don’t pass a budget, the government could shut down; schools and infrastructure could be disrupted, state services could stop, and state employees could go unpaid. And who would hurt the most? The most vulnerable communities in Michigan, especially LGBTQ+ youth, Black and Brown students, disabled students, low-income families and rural folks.
We will not back down while some lawmakers use their power to threaten the rights of the most vulnerable among us. We will not tolerate yet another legislative attack targeting trans youth in the midst of Pride Month.
Budgets are moral documents and should reflect our shared values, not partisan agendas that punish. The ACLU of Michigan urges lawmakers to reject these harmful proposals and work toward a budget that ensures equity, promotes civil rights, and keeps Michigan running.
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