Local Parents Rally Against K-12 Cuts in Lansing

A number of parents from the traveled this week to Lansing to participate in a rally at the state Capitol.

PTA president Lauren Hirsch, along with Liz Rowin, Kim Bormann, Cathy Topf and Val Valentine – all moms of students at the Huntington Woods school – packed lunches and loaded into a Chrysler Town & Country minivan Thursday to make their voices heard.

The moms wore matching royal blue "Kids First, Cuts Last" T-shirts and made posters en route to the event, which had two purposes:

• To raise support for the anti-bullying measure nicknamed Matt's Safe School Law (for 14-year-old bullying victim Matt Epling of East Lansing, who killed himself after a 2002 assault) that would require schools to establish clear policies against bullying.
• To show legislators how much parents and educators care about K-12 education funding.

Gov. Rick Snyder's 2012 fiscal year projections include a $1.4 billion general fund shortfall for the state of Michigan, which he is working to close through a series of proposed cuts and changes that include altering the way Michigan's 1994 Proposal A school funding law is implemented. The plan would shift hundreds of millions of dollars from dedicated K-12 funding to community colleges and higher education.

In response, the recently approved the layoffs of 45 teachers and is considering elimination of the block schedule at , split classes, reduction of some special classes at the elementary level, larger class sizes and a separation incentive plan, among other options.

"The bottom line is our representatives (in Lansing) aren't listening to us," Hirsch said. "Their job is not to make decisions for us because they know better. It's not a Big Brother government. Their job is to be our voice."

Many of those present Thursday in Lansing said they were disappointed in the turnout at the rally but thought it was difficult for families to travel on a weekday when most are working or in school. Crowd estimates by those who attended ranged from 120 to 200.

Nonetheless, Hirsch and fellow Burton mom Cathy Topf said they felt like they did all they could Thursday. They spoke with state Reps. Ellen Cogen Lipton (D-Huntington Woods) and Jim Townsend (D-Royal Oak), who mingled with demonstrators on the Capitol lawn, and state Sen. John Pappageorge (R-Troy).

"I was pleased that Senator Pappageorge took a moment to come out of session and talk with us," said Topf, who added: "We are so fortunate to have Ellen Cogen Lipton as our representative."

Topf said she'll keep writing postcards, sending emails and calling lawmakers to express her opposition to the cuts, and she urged other parents to do the same.

"We need people to show up," Topf said. "We need voices. Our children can't speak for themselves, so we need to speak for them."

The next in a series of town hall meetings on education funding is set for 7-9 p.m. Monday at Walled Lake Consolidated Schools' Walnut Creek Middle School, 7601 Walnut Lake, West Bloomfield.