The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 14,1993- 7
RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU'RE SURE
State legislators start education plan debate
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Gov.
John Engler's education plan made
its debut in the Senate yesterday as
two new committees began debating
the most crucial issue to face the Leg-
islature in decades.
"This is an historic opportunity. It
is our opportunity," state Treasurer
Douglas Roberts told a joint meeting
of the Select Committees on Educa-
tion Reform and on School Finance
Reform.
The two panels, controlled by
Republicans, set afast-track schedule
that calls for all the bills to be sent to
the full Senate in 13 days. The evenly
divided House also is working on the
education plan in committee.
Senate leaders of both parties
urged their colleagues to cooperate
andsetasidepartisan differences. But
that might be impossible for lawmak-
ers used to party demands and faced
with such a critical issue.
"The work you all are doing today
may be the most important work by a
committee in the last half-century,"
said Majority Leader Dick Posthumus
(R-Alto). "We cannot make every-
body happy, but we should keep the
kids in mind."
Roberts outlined the ambitious
proposalunveiledlast weekbyEngler.
Officials are about to rebuild an edu-
cation system torn apart by the July
vote to end property taxes for school
operations.
The administration now puts the
cost of lost revenues at $6.977 billion
in the next fiscal year. Its details show
thatEngleris proposing to raise $6.674
billion in new taxes to replacemost of
the lost money, leaving anet tax cut of
$303 million.
But that could be reduced by the
fact that property taxes can be de-
ducted on federal income tax forms
while sales tax -which Engler wants
to raise -cannot. Critics argue the
plan means an overall tax increase of
$300 million to $500 million, taking
into account the higher federal taxes.
And one Democrat told Roberts
that helping families was more im-
portant to children's success in school
than devising a new funding scheme
and implementing charter schools and
'This is an historic
opportunity,'
- Douglas Roberts
state treasurer
schools of choice.
"You flat out missed the mark,"
said Sen. Joseph Conroy, of Flint.
"Mobility is not the issue."
But Roberts portrayed the plan as
a way to inject flexibility into the
school system. Under the plan, Rob-
erts said, the proposed 50 percent
increase in the sales tax would go
back to the ballot in the year 2000 for
voter review. Engler is proposing that
the increase go before voters Feb. 8.
Lawyers tile appeals in
UMon
Detroit police
DETROIT (AP) - A lawyer for
one of the former police officers sen-
tenced to prison for beating a motorist
to death filed an appeal with a higher
court yesterday seeking to free his
client while he appeals the convic-
tion.
Attorney John Goldpaugh said he
asked the state Court of Appeals to
free Larry Nevers. He said there are
several grounds on which the convic-
tion should be reversed.
"I believe that the change of venue
is an issue. I believe the failure to
declare a mistrial over the showing of
'Malcolm X' is an issue," Goldpaugh
told Detroit radio station WWJ.
Fired officers Nevers and Walter
Budzyn were sentenced by Recorders
CourtJudge George Crockett on Tues-
day to l2to25yearsand8 to l8 years,
beating case
respectively. Crockett denied their
request to remain free on bond.
Goldpaugh said he requested a
review of Crockett's denial of bond.
He said he expected a reply within a
week.
Budzyn's attorney, Michael
Batchelor said he intended to file an
appeal on his client's behalf this morn-
ing.
Meanwhile, Nevers and Budzyn
were to undergo physical andpsycho-
logical examinations yesterday at the
Oaks Correctional Facility in
Manistee County, said Warren Will-
iams, a Department of Corrections
spokesperson.
Nevers and Budzyn are expected
to stay at Oaks for up to five weeks
before being moved to afederal prison
to serve the rest of their sentences.
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A worker on a ladder checks out the Elias Brothers' Big Boy sign on
Washtenaw Avenue yesterday.
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