Gov. Whitmer signed school aid budget for next year into law Tuesday

State Rep. Dave Prestin on Thursday was proud to announce funding for Rudyard Area Schools was included in the school aid budget for next year. The district will receive $6 million to make necessary repairs and updates to its school.

“Many of the problems Rudyard faces are just simply unimaginable to folks outside the community,” said Prestin, R-Cedar River. “Students shouldn’t need to bring an umbrella out of their locker to stay dry in math. Infrastructure problems like this stand in the way of kids receiving the education they deserve. This money means the school can finally make the fixes they’ve been working toward for decades. The kids at Rudyard will finally be able to leave their umbrellas in their lockers where they belong.”

The building, built in 1954, operates with a 40-year-old boiler. Many windows and doors don’t properly seal, allowing snow drifts to form inside the building during the winter. The leaking roof has become such a widespread and known issue that parents have begun sending their students to school with umbrellas to keep them dry indoors on rainy days.

“This is how government should work,” said Tom McKee, Rudyard Area Schools Superintendent. “Through the diligent work of Representative Prestin and others, the needs of our district and our students will be greatly improved. The students in my district in the Eastern Upper Peninsula are just as important as those in other part of our state.”

###