Failing schools won’t be in DPS
New authority to take control under changes Snyder will detail today
Gov. Rick Snyder will create an authority to run several failing Detroit public schools as part of sweeping changes to be announced today for the city’s struggling school system, sources said Sunday.
The plan would restructure the failing Detroit Public Schools, which has a $327-million deficit on an operating budget of about $1.5 billion, by moving its underperforming schools under an authority to be run by the district’s emergency manager, Roy Roberts, according to sources. Schools would qualify for the new system if they are deemed below certain academic standards by the Michigan Department of Education
A law passed this year gives emergency managers new powers to control academics and finances, and to cancel or modify union contracts. The process of instituting new work rules at the schools could take a year, sources familiar with the discussions said.
A southeast Michigan university, widely believed in higher education circles to be Eastern Michigan University, also would be involved, to do teacher training in the schools. There were no details Sunday about exactly how the new authority would work. Details were not being released by anyone in advance of a news conference scheduled for 11 a.m. today at Renaissance High School in Detroit. However, sources did say that the Broad Foundation and other philanthropic organizations will pump significant amounts of money into the new authority. According to sources, Snyder has had several meetings with Eli Broad, the founder of the foundation, which is dedicated to education reform and has assets of more than $2 billion. Broad grew up in Detroit and graduated from Michigan State University. He made a fortune in construction and insurance and has been a major MSU benefactor. It’s unclear exactly how many DPS schools would be transferred to a new authority. DPS already has a program under way that would close or convert to charter about half its schools. Under the plan to be announced Monday, DPS schools not labeled as underperforming would remain under the authority of Roberts, a former top executive at General Motors, in the same manner as they are today. There are no plans to dissolve the school board, sources said. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is expected to take part via a live feed from Washington, D.C., in today’s announcement. State schools Superintendent Mike Flanagan will attend. DPS officials issued a three-line advisory Sunday afternoon, noting only that a news conference would be held to discuss “education reform.” The governor’s office said Snyder would participate in a news conference at Renaissance, joined by Roberts. Members of the DPS board of education, which has no authority because of the governor’s appointment of Roberts, said they were in the dark about the plan. School board members reached by phone Sunday said that the board secretary contacted them about 7 p.m. Friday to say that Roberts wanted to meet with them Monday. However, they were not told the subject of the meeting and were not told that there would be a news conference. Board member LaMar Lemmons III said, “Wow,” when told that Snyder and Duncan would participate in a news conference about DPS restructuring. He said he plans to attend the meeting this morning with Roberts and four other board members. “I hope we’re going to meet for them to say they’re going to eradicate the deficit created by the reform effort and the emergency financial manager, and that the district will be fully empowered so that we can refresh,” he said. “I don’t know. But I wouldn’t hold my breath.” Member Carla Scott said some board members were concerned that a meeting with the full board needed to be announced publicly or it would violate the state’s Open Meetings Act. As of Sunday afternoon, she said she did not plan to attend. “I’m not going to break the law,” Scott said. But Scott added: “I just hope they’re going to do something that’s going to make schools better for children.” Anthony Adams, the board president, could not be reached. • CONTACT DAVID JESSE: 313-222-8851 OR DJESSE@FREEPRESS.COM
Gov. Rick Snyder is to hold a news conference on Detroit Public Schools at 11 a.m. today at Renaissance High School.
DPS emergency manager Roy Roberts is to be given the authority to make new work rules at failing schools.
(Aligns to Our Purpose / Digital Learning)
Jeb Bush shares ideas on education reform
Describing the 2012 presidential election as ugly, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was happy to quiet the drumbeat of some who hoped he might still run on the GOP side.“I intend to support whoever the party decides should be the nominee,” Bush, 58-yearold younger brother of former President George W. Bush and son of President George H.W. Bush, said during a stop in Lansing.
Bush , who started his Foundation for Educational Excellence in Florida, ( www .excelined.org ), was invited by Lansing legislators to talk about reforms in his state and lessons that might translate for Michigan. Bush told me between meetings he was flattered by the attention and others drawing comparisons to Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was recruited by the GOP to run decades earlier. “But I’m not Dwight Eisenhower who was a war hero who saved our country. It was logical for him to be called into duty,” he said. He also talked about his brother, who left the White House amid anemic popularity ratings. “He has handled the post-presidency well as a former president should do but don’t always,” he said. “History will treat him favorably,” he said. “When you hear how they took out Osama (Bin Laden) it was through techniques criticized when he was president that were used and helped identify leads that led to his killing.” Crossing the nation For now, Bush, who served as Florida governor from 1999 to 2007, seems content in his role as educational reform pied piper as he crisscrosses the nation. He has been a champion for reform long before he ran for public office, saying “it also translates into economic opportunities that help communities.” Bush had a private meeting with Gov. Rick Snyder, who said in April he would announce more education reforms on issues like early education. “A quality, cutting-edge education system that gives teachers and students the tools to succeed is critical as we enter the new Michigan,” Snyder said during a joint appearance with Bush. “Michigan’s future depends on our success.” Bush plans to issue a national report card this fall with a breakdown of states on digital learning. “Those states that open up access to digital learning will be the ones with the biggest gains,” he said. Bush also talked of unions and his view of them as impediments to reforms. “They are there to protect their members and the status quo,” he said. Keith Johnson, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, took issue and said much of the reforms are about “breaking the union” and have nothing to do with improving the classroom. Betsy DeVos, longtime supporter of vouchers and giving more choice on schools, said Michigan made inroads on charters in the 1990s but is lagging behind other states. • CONTACT CAROL CAIN: 313-222-6732 OR CLCAIN@CBS.COM . CAIN HOSTS “MICHIGAN MATTERS” AT 11 A.M. SUNDAYS ON WWJ-TV (CBS DETROIT).
Gov. Rick Snyder appears with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush during a stop in Lansing to discuss education reforms.
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