Times have definitely changed. It used to be that some things in life were absolutely certain. Death and taxes have always been the two most prominent, but there were some other things that you could count on as true as the north star.
I've mentioned before that I grew up in the town where Dow Chemical and Dow Corning are headquartered back before they merged. It used to be that if you were able to get a job at Dow or Corning, you were set for life. Yes, you might get moved out of the state or out of the country, but you could count on retiring from there with a nice pension and probably some stocks as well.
While others might argue against this, the government used to be something you could always count on as well. It wasn't necessarily that they looked out for your best interests, I think we all know that isn't the case, but they were at least there. At the very least they gave the impression they were working together towards the best interests of the public.
That's certainly not the case anymore. Now it is almost a contest to see how annoyed they can make the other side of the aisle. There is no compromise, there is no professional courtesy, there is just enmity and conflict.
The state of Michigan has had two shutdowns since it was established in 1837.
The first took place in 2007 on October 1st and lasted for a very brief four hours. Though relatively short, the impact of this shutdown shook several areas of Michigan infrastructure. State campgrounds were closed as I alluded to in my post on Monday, road construction crews were halted, lottery sales were stopped, and state police patrols were cut back.
As I said, it only lasted four hours, so by the end of the day things were back to normal. The second shutdown happened in 2009 and lasted only two hours also on October 1st. Many state employees were preemptively issues lay off notices, but they ended up being irrelevant given the quick resolution of the shutdown.
As we approach October 1st, we are once again faced with the possibility of a government shutdown. You might wonder why this date is so significant.... October 1st is the date that the senate and house need to agree on a budget so it can go to the Governor to sign.
Given the extreme divisiveness in politics these days, it's safe to assume that this shutdown isn't going to get resolved nearly as quickly as in past years. Working in the public school system, this is a pretty big deal for @mrsbozz and I. While businesses who sell liquor are concerned given they wouldn't be able to order liquor from the state control commission, schools are more concerned about how they are going to be able to feed and transport their students.
A while ago the state implemented a free lunch and breakfast program for all students. In the past it used to be that only families who qualified got free or reduced meals. If the politicians can't agree on a budget, that program will likely be shuttered. Families who qualify for free and reduced status will still get those benefits, but other families who haven't filled out the paperwork or didn't qualify will have to start paying.
As a school district we aren't going to not feed a kid, but this brings up some issues since the money has to come from somewhere.
What a lot of people don't realize is that schools get a state aid payment once or twice a year based on their student count. It used to be once upon a time each student in our district was worth about $7700. That money would come from the state and pretty much be our budget for the whole year. If they don't come to an agreement on a budget, that money will not come.
The republican led house has offered a proposed budget, but it basically guts much of the funds allocated to public schools. For example, their proposed budget takes 1 billion dollars out of the school aid fund and moves it to higher education. They do this frequently which honestly makes no sense. Colleges and Universities can charge and raise their tuition rates, so why do they need money that should be going to public schools (who can't/don't charge).
Unfortunately, this seems to be the modus operandi of a party that feels public schools should be defunded and private or charter schools should be the norm. Their proposal also eliminates a transportation categorical allocation that is very important for districts like mine where the geographic area is much too large for students to walk to school or parents to drop them off.
While I doubt the end result will be quite that extreme, finding a compromise is likely going to take a lot of back and forth and since politicians aren't down in the trenches, there is likely still going to be a lot of collateral damage to programs and services at the local public school level. Things that seem irrelevant from the state house actually have a huge impact on the students at a local level.
Technology is pretty important, so while I am not too worried about my job, I fully expect my budget will be frozen if this carries on too long. I also expect any kind of raise will be off the table next contract review.
The district I work for is lucky enough that they have a fund balance that can cover the salaries and bills if the shut down last for more than a couple hours, but some districts aren't in the same position. They face having to shut their doors or not paying their employees if the budget can't be resolved and the state funding gets cut off.
My Sports Account - @bozz.sports
All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or @mrsbozz unless otherwise sourced