The Attorney General of Michigan ruled that it was appropriate to use school funding to build a new hockey arena for the Red Wings.
“Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette quietly issued an opinion that said state taxes for schools can legally be used to fund the arena’s construction. The opinion came in response to a request in October from state Rep. Rose Mary Robinson (D-Detroit), who asked if it was a constitutional use of the funds.
“In her request, Robinson pointed to a section of the Michigan Constitution, which says that money from the state School Aid Fund is to be used “exclusively” for public schools and colleges in Michigan.
“Some quick background: Robinson’s request stems from the structure of how the Red Wings arena will be financed. An estimated 58 percent of the cost to construct the arena will funded by public tax dollars, about $261 million….”
“Whether you agree that public tax dollars should be used for the project, or decry the idea of subsidizing a billionaire’s arena, the fact is that schools in Michigan could use all the help they can get. Even if it is only $15 million.
“For example, this past May, Michigan officials lowered revenue projections for state school taxes over the next year by nearly $80 million. This was seen as a big deal when the revised projections were released. And if facets of a recent state House plan to support road funding — by phasing out the sales tax on gasoline and replace it with an increase to fuel taxes — gains traction when lawmakers hash out a compromise this week, that could cost deplete school taxes of “hundreds of millions of dollars,” according to one study.
“And while Robinson hasn’t said this outright, her point speaks to a larger concern about the current revitalization in downtown Detroit: No one questions the fact that it’s a positive sign to see young millennials moving into the city. But what will those transplants do when they have children later in life and want to send them to school — in Detroit?
“I represent Detroit, and I represent the center of Detroit, the core,” Robinson told MLive. “And our priorities are our children, schools, police protection, basic essential city services. Give us that. Take your arena … it’s just not fair.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Yes, Detroit needs every dollar to recover. Outrageous public subsidy to a private sports corporation. NYC and NYS do the same thing. While pleading lack of funds and refusing court order to finance NYC publi schls, NYState and NYCity publicly subsidized the new Yankee Stadium, the new Shea Stadium, and the new Nets’ Barclay’s arena, for around $1.5Billion altogether in public giveaways, while classes remain too large and public schools are evicted to make room for the lavishly-funded private charters. The private looting of the public sector and the national wealth has been out of control for a while now.
SNAPU …
Situation Normal, All Pucked Up …
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Texas Education.
Well you know what they say…
You may not always have kids in school, but you will always have NHL hockey.
The puck stops here.
Po sports should not get tax money. They generate enough revenue without making taxpayers pay for their arenas, etc. Talk about screwed up priorities. Where is the outrage about having to pay for a sport that not everyone enjoys? But if teachers were asking for a reasonable raise or to maintain pensions, everyone would be yelling about the greedy teachers. What about the greedy NHL owners?
nittany89: don’t forget the “education reform” version of the Golden Rule.
¿?
“He who has the gold, makes the rules.”
For example, as in who is defined as greedy or not, worthy or not, responsible or not responsible for their words and actions.
According to the self-styled “new civil rights movement of our time” teachers [as proxy for all public school staff] are overpaid, underworked, lazy LIFOs. Or as one commenter on this blog pithily put it: “I’ll tell you why the rush to eliminate public schools, even if they are community hubs. It’s the ONLY way to get rid of the 1/3 to 1/2 dead wood teachers who are in them.” [1-4-2013]
Owners of sports teams and stadiums and the like? Look, while there’s good and bad in all groups, on the whole they’re saintly individuals that make Mother Teresa look like a selfish jerk. Just consider such a paragon of the human race as Donald Sterling, ex-owner of a professional basketball team.
Now just look at this “objectively” with “hard data points” instead of resorting to “subjective judgment” that fails to take into account $tudent $ucce$$.
To whom should millions and billions of public monies go: to non-striving uneducable kids and their uninvolved shiftless parents and no-account communities or to support and encourage deserving individuals like Donald Sterling?
The answer seems pretty obvious, dontchathink?
😎
“. . . teachers [as proxy for all public school staff] are overpaid, underworked, lazy LIFOs.”
And this teacher is proud of that fact.
Until “those in charge” has a vested interest, their decisions will never be for the people. I would be willing to bet most of these politicians went to private schools and send their children to private schools. Diverting funds from public schools don’t mean a thing to them. The more popular thing to do is to fund a beloved hockey team.
I have taught in a public school district for the last 18yrs. There have been two visits by a State Rep. One walked through the school around 15yrs ago, the other spoke at an assembly at the end of the day to the student body….election week.
More “corporate welfare”. Meanwhile, “welfare” for actual, living humans? Tough luck. (Or should I say, tough puck….like a slap shot right square in the teeth) Humans who need help these days get more “grit”.
Wait! Is that the “free market” I hear or jingle bells for the Red Wings courtesy of Michigan school children? Sports teams are private enterprises. Let them deal with market forces. The Blue Jackets also got a taxpayer bailout to subsidize a losing team that most central Ohioans could care less about. So much for “accountability”.
Lately, AEP asked Ohioans to guarantee profits due to aging, coal fired plants. Not break even – PROFITS. Isn’t the reason we deregulated the utilities was to allow “free markets” make electricity cheaper and the industry stronger? Why didn’t market forces properly plan for the long term? Could it be we found another industry where free markets do not work?
I teach in a very mixed socio-economic suburb of Detroit. The Red Wing arena situation is something that frustrated conservative friends of mine as well. Not because of the school funding but because of the state money allotted to the project.
Historically, these “manufactured” have rarely worked out as planned. The young people who have moved to the city (and there aren’t many) are hipsters who want to create a neighborhood. Not have one created for them. And the truth is that there is very little in the city outside of the downtown and entertainment districts.
It is all “public money.” Innovative law and bookkeeping. Painful to watch but not that uncommon.
The same way all over the country. Cities & counties provide fabulous stadiums for millionaire team owners with the promise of minimum wage, no benefit jobs for the people living in those cities.
More examples of what the corporate reformers bring to the table of teaching children.
1. In Los Angeles, money that was designated by the voters to repair and improve schools, was spend on iPads boosting profits for Apple and software developers.
2. In Michigan, the reformers take money meant to support public schools and built an arena to host ice hockey for a private-sector owned team.
This is an example of what will happen as the fake Pub-Ed reformers get the upper hand in cities and states across the country.
Who do we thank for this mess?
A. Bill Gates
B. the Walton family
C. The Koch brothers.
D. All of the above and a few more
Mike Ilitch, The owner of the Red Wings, has an estimated net worth of $1.7 billion. Who else does he own? Does he own the governor of Michigan? Does he own the majority of the state legislature?
The team value of the Detroit Red Wings is $570 million with annual revenue of $134 million.
http://www.forbes.com/teams/detroit-red-wings/
Well all I have to say about it is: EF the Red Wings, Let’s go Blues!!!
Perhaps they will name it Red Wings Charter School –
Alternative Headline: Attorney General of Michigan approved funding for Detroit Dead Wings Charter School
Sounds like Michigan and Rick Snyder. Priorities???
Has Mitch Albom written about this?
Mitch Albom has been silent on all issues related to education in Michigan unless it serves him. Michigan is the cesspool to corporate greed. Outsourced jobs began here and the corporations blamed the unions. Face it, if a kids is poor and undereducated in Michigan it’s the kid’s fault for being born in such a sh**hole of a state. Our AG is proof of that.
Crony capitalism in action.
“For my friends everything. For the rest, the law.” ~ (attributed to various)
Did someone fail basic governmental fund accounting? If he thinks this is acceptable, the Dept. of Treasury needs to audit his department’s books.
Diverting public funds to finance a for profit business???
Shameful behavior!