Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the House on October 25, 2007, to authorize the creation of “promise zone” tax increment financing authorities (TIFA) in a low income city, township, county, local school district, or intermediate school district, that would be authorized to “capture" one-half of any increases in the six-mill state education property tax revenue in the area and use the money to subsidize college tuition for students from the area, or allow it to be used by the public schools in the zone for certain "educational improvement activities"

The vote was 71 in favor, 34 opposed and 5 not voting

(House Roll Call 655 at House Journal 133)

Click here to view bill details.

College money is already available through grants, work study and loans. Poor kids can get through college the same way I did, work their way through.

Why the bias against alternative schooling? Shouldn't all kids, regardless of their school of choice, get the same consideration?

the college funding. Let them compete with one another and you will see them learn to make education affordable for all. Then we can get rid of all the government indoctrination camps.

Why are we giving preference to students from low income families only? This legislation is based on the Kalamazoo Promise where the students receive free college from private funds because they attend Kalamazoo Public Schools and maintain a "C" average. The promise is based on achievement, not class status. My family will not fall into the "low income" category and our children will have to pay for their own college. Why should they be excluded? Isn't their hard work to get good grades worth something? Students should control funding of public universities as they do K-12 funding. Let the money follow the students.

This takes money out of K-12 funding, which supports all students, and gives it to selected students for college education. Since the state ed fund is perpetually short of funds, this is a problem. What are the requirements to receive the funds? Since the district is not only low income but also educationally deficient, what are the standards?