LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Rosemary Bayer (D-Beverly Hills)issued the following statement today after Attorney General Dana Nessel announced a multi-state legal challenge to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’s recent rule changethat reroutes federal aid from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to favor private schools – which is inconsistent with the way the Act was written:
“It’s no secret that Michigan’s public schools are drastically underfunded, which will only be exacerbated due to the decline in state revenue because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Now, Betsy DeVos has chosen to issue a rule change that will undoubtedly further harm our students and our public schools by siphoning money away from them. While this action comes as no surprise that she would continue her onslaught on public education, it is disconcerting, to say the least. At a time when our nation should be coming together to save our public education system, we have a secretary of education willfully chipping away the protections for economically disadvantaged students across this country.
“I commend Attorney General Nessel – with support from Gov. Whitmer – for acting to protect Michigan’s students. Education is the bedrock of any successful community, and we must hold and protect it for the future benefit of all Michigan’s children.”
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