LANSING, Mich. -- School advocates and Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm are keeping the pressure on Michigan lawmakers to raise more money for education.

Hundreds of students, parents and school officials are rallying Tuesday at the state Capitol. Granholm was heading to Mason later Tuesday for another of her round-table discussions with educators about school funding cuts.

School funding will be cut by $127 per student in December unless state lawmakers agree this month to raise taxes or set aside more revenue for education.

The cut would come on top of a budget bill signed into law last month that slashes school funding by the equivalent of $165 per student.

Thirty-nine of the state's better-funded districts lost an additional $52 million.

A busload of parents with the Dearborn School District was among the protesters.

"The kids are our future and they keep wanting to cut and cut and cut. Dearborn is supposed to be known for having one of the best school districts out there and here we are taking the biggest cuts," said concerned Dearborn parent Scott Starks.

"Everybody there I am not happy with. They are playing Russian roulette with our children's education and I am not happy," said Dearborn PTA President Colette Dunsmore.

Parent Carol Stetson said a $10 million cut will hurt the Dearborn schools.

"The rest of the fourth graders will go into another class. That teacher will go away. She will take over a third grade class. the third grade teacher who doesn't have seniority will get cut," Stetson said.

Bob Emerson is Governor Granholm's budget director and he said the situation boils down to a choice.

"You can't have it both ways. You either need to raise taxes or make the cuts," Emerson said.

Republican senate majority leader Senator Mike Bishop said while the governor is laying the problem at the doorstep of the legislature, the parents who went to Lansing are really protesting her budget cuts.

"It's shameless to try to get a tax increase, no question about it. But let's call it like it is. The state has no money. We have dramatic reductions in state revenue," Bishop said.

The protesting parents got back on their busses to head home Tuesday afternoon with no firm assurances that Lansing will respond the way they want.