Education advocates worry about school aid fund use for higher ed - Erin Dietzer, Holland Sentinel

To help cover state payments to community colleges, Granholm and the legislature approved taking a loan of about $200 million from the School Aid Fund, which had only funded K-12 education since it was established in 1955. The general fund traditionally funded community colleges and universities. The loan was never repaid. The one-time loan has become a regular part of budget proceedings under Governor Rick Snyder’s administration, and education advocates are speaking up against the practice. A new report from the Michigan League For Public Policy released on Thursday, Aug. 23, showed that, counting the upcoming 2019 fiscal year, nearly $2 billion from the school aid fund has been diverted to universities since 2009, and approximately $2.5 billion has been diverted to community colleges. Three of the past five state budgets have funded community college operations entirely from the School Aid Fund, and the most recent budget more than doubles the SAF dollars going to universities, accounting for a third of their funding. http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/20180826/education-advocates-worry-about-school-aid-fund-use-for-higher-ed