State funding of schools hasn't kept up with inflation for many years, and schools have been cutting their budgets each year. Now the poor economy threatens to devastate our schools.

With the state's funding problems, Ann Arbor faces a $7 million shortfall for this school year and a $15 million shortfall for 2010-11. Our neighboring districts face similar severe shortfalls.

Schools aren't in trouble because they are overspending. Ann Arbor Schools has cut $16 million from its budget over the past 4 years. The per-pupil funding from the state has decreased 9 percent since 1994, after inflation. We’ve lost many of the things that made our schools special.