A new Detroit Public School district will be taking off soon, with the help of hundreds of millions of newly approved state dollars. We talk with Michigan School Superintendent Brian Whiston about a meeting with other DPS and state officials to begin planning the new district.
Two days ago, Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law a highly debated measure to rescue the Detroit Public Schools from insolvency and plot a new course for the district. The $617-million package will help launch a new, debt-free school district to educate its 46,000 students. The old district will continue to exist but only to pay down debt.
The governor said the legislation marked a “new day” for Detroit, but it sharply divided the state legislature. It became law without the support of any Democrat in the legislature.
Critics fear it won’t solve the district’s funding challenges and will create others.
Current State talks about what's ahead for schools in Detroit with State School Superintendent Brian Whiston.