Education

Who won in Gov. Rick Snyder’s budget proposal?

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By COLLIN KRIZMANICH
Capital News Service
LANSING — Gov. Rick Snyder’s fiscal year 2016 budget proposal came on the heels of an executive order that cut $106 million from the current budget, and legislators are now considering slashing $100 million more to address an unexpected deficit. Next year could be even worse, as the state could take in more than a half a billion dollars less than originally expected in 2016. As a result, nearly all programs and departments are facing cuts. But Snyder has favored several programs with a proposed budget increase. Here is a look at some of the winners in Snyder’s budget.

Education

Experts offer praise, advice for governor’s focus on reading

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By COLLIN KRIZMANICH
Capital News Service
LANSING — Education professors in Michigan praise Gov. Rick Snyder’s push to improve third graders’ reading skills, but they caution against adding new tests or retaining struggling students. Snyder’s 2016 budget calls for $48 million to get students reading at grade level by third grade, which means focusing on reading proficiency when they’re younger. “I’m certainly very pleased that the governor has proposed additional funding for early reading instruction,” said Gary Troia, an associate professor at Michigan State University who studies teacher professional development in literacy. The transition from third to fourth grade is particularly crucial in a student’s development of learning abilities, Troia said. “After third grade there’s a fundamental shift in instruction,” he said.

Business & Economy

Snyder’s higher-ed budget bump a departure from GOP peers

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By COLLIN KRIZMANICH
Capital News Service
LANSING — Gov. Rick Snyder’s move to increase higher education funding separates him from a number of gubernatorial peers in Republican-run states who are proposing dramatic cuts to public universities. “We have a governor who is keeping higher education as a priority as he starts his second term,” said Mike Boulus, executive director of the Presidents Council, which represents Michigan’s 15 public universities. Under Snyder’s budget proposal, Michigan’s universities would receive an additional $28 million, or 2 percent, to go toward university operations. Community colleges would receive an additional $4.3 million, or 1.4 percent, in state funding. In order to receive the additional funding, universities must limit tuition increases to 2.8 percent or less.

Health

New rule, broad outreach could increase vaccinations

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BY COLLIN KRIZMANICH
Capital News Service
LANSING — The percentage of parents who opt their children out of vaccinations in Michigan is more than three times the national average, but the numbers vary greatly depending on where you’re looking. Waiver rates range from less than 1 percent in Branch County to nearly 20 percent in Cheboygan County. Michigan parents have a lot of leeway: The state is one of 20 that allows waivers not only for religious beliefs, but also on philosophical grounds. Officials are hoping fewer parents will follow through on waiver requests under a rule that took effect this year requiring parents requesting a vaccination waiver to meet with a local health official before the waiver is granted. At this meeting, parents are presented with information to learn about the risks of not vaccinating, and the benefits of vaccination.

Environment

Activists, localities work to keep fracking rare in Michigan

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By COLLIN KRIZMANICH
Capital News Service
LANSING — Across Michigan, citizen activists and environmental groups are working together to prevent the expansion of the fracking industry, which they view as a threat to Michigan’s environment. Hydraulic fracturing, most commonly referred to as “fracking,” is a method used by energy producers to extract natural gas and oil from wells drilled thousands of feet beneath the earth’s surface. Environmental groups believe that the extraction of natural gas via fracking poses a significant threat to the environment. In the past year local governments have worked with environmental groups to pass ordinances that restrict the fracking industry’s ability to mine. Cannon Township in Kent County, for example, approved an ordinance that included restrictions on dusk-to-dawn lighting, prohibiting unshielded lighting in all zoning districts.