Fighting to save school funding

PENNFIELD, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – Schools in Michigan have seen their budget slashed because of the state's money troubles.

Late in 2009, lawmakers cut school funding by $165 per student, with some districts seeing even deeper cuts.

Now, local districts are bracing for even bigger cuts, perhaps as deep as $268 per student or more, as federal stimulus funding dries up.

Now, some West Michigan students are standing up for their schools and working to make sure they have the money they need.

Almost every school district in the state is facing budget cuts, but we don't often hear from those who are really affected, the students.

Now, two sisters from Pennfield, Mikayla and Shannon Diech, are taking on state government.

“They should know that we care more than they thought we did about it,” said Mikayla.

Over Christmas break the sisters created a website, www.savemischool.com, but it's more than a website, it's an online petition drive to get state lawmakers to keep funding public education.

The Diech sisters say that if districts have to take away sports, staff, and classes to stay afloat, it's the students who suffer.

“I'm in a program that takes me to California,” said Mikayla, “and because of budget cuts they can't pay for it.”

“They cut all the lunch supervisors at the middle school,” said Shannon, “so we can't go outside anymore on break.”

So far, the website has many in Pennfield talking, and they hope that by getting the word out, their fight to save public education will spread.

So far, the petition has gathered about two dozen signatures, but the Diech sisters say they are hoping for a lot more.