Lawmakers at the state Capitol have approved a proposal to make sure students from Highland Park schools are able to attend classes next week. The district’s state-appointed emergency manager was removed after a circuit court judge ruled the district’s financial review team violated the state’s open meetings law.
Democratic House Minority Leader Rick Hammel says the Republican plan that would provide money for kids to attend other public or charter schools in the area will hurt the students of Highland Park. Hammel thinks a local intermediate school district should be allowed to take over Highland Park schools until a more permanent solution is found.
“The number one thing is those kids stay in that school – that’s the number one thing for us," he says. "Now, the devil’s in the details. And we have taken an opportunity to just fund Highland Park schools through a responsible source, and created law with lots of stuff that goes in there that doesn’t have anything to do with taking care of Highland Park.”
Republicans say the Highland Park School district will not receive any more state funds and teachers will either have to teach without pay or students will have to go to other schools until an emergency manager is back in place in Highland Park.