An outdated education system is the biggest problem facing Michigan because it impacts not only the present, but also the future of the state. You cannot solve important problems, or create policies to remedy them, if the people trying to solve them do not have the skills and knowledge to make informed decisions. The state cannot govern itself, let alone the nation as a whole, if its citizens are not educated. The Constitution, the very basis of our government, relies heavily on the assumption that citizens of the United States are capable of making informed, well-reasoned decisions—decisions that cannot be made when a person does not receive an adequate education. This adequate education is unattainable when funding for education is scarce. Reduced education funding leads to lower standardized test scores, lack of resources, and an overall poorer education (Roy 2003). Even with these achievements, education funding has consistently come under strain at all levels of government. Governor Rick Snyder's budget cuts $470 per pupil for fiscal year 2012, promising only small incentives to be added when he balances the budget in 2013 (Resmovits 2012). Snyder's cuts to education stand in stark contrast to the budget and policy approved in 1994 by then-Governor John Engler. Engler, along with the House and Senate, created Proposal A. This policy increased funding at all levels of education, narrowed the large funding gap between poorer and wealthier school districts, and opened schools of choice. Proposal A was largely effective in achieving its goals, but was unable to maintain the projected budget needed to maintain efficiency due to the recession and Michigan laws requiring education cuts when school... . middle of paper... : The OECD Program for International Student Assessment, 2003.Hoffman, Kathy Barks. "Rick Snyder presents $45 billion budget; education cuts, personal tax holidays." Oakland Press, February 17, 2011: 1-3.—. “Education Cuts Hurt Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s Education Legacy.” The Associated Press, December 8, 2010. Lockwood, Andrew. School finance reform in Michigan Proposal A: Retrospective. Lansing: Michigan Department of the Treasury, 2002. Mackenzie, John. “Public School Funding and Performance.” University of Delaware Academic Results, 2003: 1-11.Resmovits, Joy. “As Michigan primary approaches, Mitt Romney and Gov. Rick Snyder praise budget, despite education cuts.” Huffington Post, February 23, 2012.Roy, Joydeep. “Impact of School Financial Reform on Resource Equalization and Academic Performance: Evidence from Michigan.” Mitpress Journals, 2003: 1-31.