Budget lacks local road funding, cuts student mental health services

State Rep. Donni Steele on Thursday voted against the fiscal year 2025 budget, which was ridden with unnecessary new spending and redundant programming. The budget was forced through the House during the late hours of the night. Democrats gutted $300 million in school safety funding and stole $670 million away from teacher retirement accounts.

“Our kids are growing up in a world filled with danger. Students face physical dangers in schools and then go home to face virtual attacks on social media,” said Steele, R-Orion Township. “Yet, Democrats disregarded the historic struggles our kids are dealing with and decided to strip mental health services and school resource officers anyway.”

The $300 million cut in school safety resources reflects a reduction in school safety funding or more than 90%. The budget also takes more than $670 million away from the Michigan public schools teachers’ retirement fund (MPSERS), which remains underfunded by more than $34 billion.

Also in the budget is a 33% reduction in road funding from fiscal year 2024. However, Democrats found nearly $25 million to fund drones, charging stations, and E-bike incentive programs. The budget also includes hundreds of millions in funding for special projects. These projects include $17 million for zoos in Lansing and metro Detroit, $2 million for a boxing gym, $5 million for a movie theater, and more than $18 million for sports complexes and fieldhouses.

“I haven’t had anyone call my office and ask me to make an E-Bike more affordable, but I’ve definitely spoken to people who want the local potholes repaired,” Steele said. “Roads, infrastructure, engineering, accountability, and fiscal responsibility are all boring. But we are here to serve the regular people who foot the bill for all the work we do. They want us to do what’s right, not chase electric scooters.”

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