By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-907888.mp3
Lansing, MI – There are only two weeks left before lawmakers run headlong into a self-imposed deadline to balance the state budget. Now some key negotiators say it appears unlikely the work could be done in that time.
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The July 1 deadline was self-imposed to align the state budget with the fiscal years of schools, colleges and local governments, which need to know how much money to expect in state payments in the coming year.
Republican state Senator Ron Jelinek says an even more pressing issue is to find a solution for the deficit in the current year.
"I think it should happen today," Jelinek says. "I don't think it's that hard to figure out what your alternatives are, and go for it."
Complicating the discussions is whether a surplus in the school aid fund should be raided to plug holes in other parts of the budget, or to reserve that money for schools which had their funding cut last year.