The Michigan Senate will begin a series of hearings regarding the means to fix the Detroit Public Schools’ problems. Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof is now leading an effort to find a solution and get it through the Senate. The Legislature that already voted to allocate hundreds of millions of dollars to backfill Detroit pensioners and save the Detroit Institutes of Arts collection. Meekhof favors something similar to Governor Snyder’s plan, which is to see DPS split into two entities: One would be old DPS, which would simply be the $700 million debt and the other would be the school district run by the elected school board and an education achievement officer, but overseen by a financial review commission. Local control would be restored, with no Emergency Manager of Education Achievement Authority District for low performing schools. Mayor Mike Duggan and others are set to testify in front of a Senate committee to address the problems.
