Observer: Pappageorge has another good idea

Today, the Observer & Eccentric reported:

State Sen. John Pappageorge, R-Troy, is to be commended for pursuing the effort to restore the so-called 20j funding that was stripped from many local school districts.

Without getting too technical, 20j funding was allotted to the “hold harmless” school districts — those that were allowed to levy a local millage above the state funding level — to make up for a glitch in the funding formula that denied the districts the money they were entitled to under Proposal A. Each year the state appropriated the money to the schools in the state budget under section 20j. But with the state's economy falling apart, Gov. Granholm, for the first time, vetoed the 20j funding.

That left the school districts, including Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills and Royal Oak, with an even bigger loss on top of state per pupil cutbacks already implemented.

The local schools were furious over still another promise broken by the state that left them scrambling over how to cover the loss.

Pappageorge has introduced an amendment to the School Aid budget that would restore the $52 million that was stripped from the budget. According to Pappageorge, that would mean at least a $10 per pupil increase to every school district.

But there is a catch. The funding is contingent on the passage of Senate Bill 884, which would create a tax amnesty to help collect delinquent taxes. While that admittedly won't raise much, it could cover the $52 million needed.

Pappageorge has shown an adeptness for proposing reasonable answers to tough financial questions, such as drafting budgets that actually have slightly less expenditures than projected income.

This is another good idea. Restoring 20j funds is an even better one. It deserves to be enacted, and Pappageorge deserves the credit.