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A December 2009 Michigan League for Human Services report titled, "Michigan by the Numbers: Hard Times Continue" says the state continues to suffer.
"Families....are still losing ground as personal incomes continue to fall or stagnate, unemployment remains the highest in the nation (as high as one in four or greater), and the poverty rate continues to climb."
In addition, fewer households have employer-covered heath insurance, and they're spending a higher percentage of their income on housing. As always, the poor and disadvantaged are hardest hit with key indicators pointing lower.
Instead of more aid for the needy, Governor Jennifer Granholm approved a 2009-10 budget that drastically cuts education and social spending, making a bad situation worse. Included are more public education cuts averaging $292 per student for most parts of the state.
According to the Michigan Parent Teacher Student Association's (MPTSA) Kevin McLogan, the cuts are "devastating. A lot of terrible things are going to happen. There are a lot of districts that are already in tough shape. They will be pushed to the edge of receivership. For other schools, there will be a lot of cutting around the edges. They will curtail busing, after-school programs, community education and alternative education. Some districts will increase the amount of kids in the classroom, institute shorter school years, and force teachers to buy more of their own supplies."
Healthcare will also be impacted by new 8% cuts in Medicaid allocations to hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and doctors treating 1.7 million poor and disabled residents. The Detroit News reports that "Some nursing homes with a heavy Medicaid caseload may close," further hit by the loss of hundreds of millions in federal matching funds. Other budget cuts include the following:
-- 11% less to cities and towns, a loss of $100 million impacting services across the board;
-- the Michigan Promise college scholarship program, providing $1,000 - $4,000 grants for 100,000 students; in addition, tuitions are being increased and financial aid reduced; also lost are nursing scholarships, the Michigan Work-Study Program, and the Part-Time Independent Student Program;
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