Not in a Box, Not With a Fox; GOP Didn't Cut School Funding

During her appearance before the Democratic National Convention, former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm tried to channel Dr. Seuss as a way to take political shots at Republicans. One line concerned school funding.

Granholm recited, “They made massive cuts to the business tax, while funding for schools goes under the ax.”

ForTheRecord says: Granholm opened her poetry reading by saying, “Apologies to Dr. Seuss.” The well-known author was a master of absurd fiction, which also characterizes Granholm’s claims about school funding in Michigan.

The “GOP cut schools” narrative was a mainstay of Democrats' 2014 campaign for governor and was widely acknowledged as untrue by journalists across the state.

According to the Senate Fiscal Agency, there were cuts to school funding in the late 2000s — while Granholm was still governor. State funding for K-12 public schools was reduced in the 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 state budgets — all of which she signed into law.

Meanwhile, the GOP-controlled Legislature has increased state funding for K-12 schools in every one of its budgets from 2011-12 to 2016-17.