Mr. Dem House Leader, You're Still Not Entitled to Your Own Facts

House Minority Leader Tim Greimel, D-Auburn Hills, has a history of promoting false or inaccurate claims in the ongoing debates on public education. He recently made an appearance in a story from MIRS News about Gov. Rick Snyder’s plans to appeal a court order related to the school retirement system.

The decision would force the state to return to school employees a 3 percent contribution they paid toward post-retirement health insurance benefits, which was required under a law signed by Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm in 2010.

That’s what the news outlet asked Greimel about, but the representative did not limit his critique of the current Republican governor's education policies to that issue.

MIRS News reported: "House Minority Leader Tim Greimel (D-Auburn Hills) said Snyder is 'wasting taxpayer dollars' on legal costs by appealing the ruling. Instead of honoring school employees, Greimel said, Snyder has 'disrespected them at every turn, from slashing school funding, to allowing the unfettered expansion of failing charter schools, and now by refusing to return the contributions they were unconstitutionally forced to make for three years.'"

ForTheRecord says: The notion that charter schools are popping up "unfettered" all over the state is inaccurate.

When Snyder took office, there were 247 charter schools in Michigan. In 2012, the state lifted an artificial cap on charters and by 2015-16, there were 302 charter schools. But in the last three years, the state has added a total of just four charters.

As for Snyder "slashing school funding," a claim made by many union activists and Democratic partisans, he has agreed to more money for K-12 schools in each of his six budgets. In 2016-17, state and federal funding for schools will reach a record $14.2 billion.