Insider Intelligence

On Friday, January 6, the Detroit Caucus announced their officers for the upcoming 2017-2018 legislative term.  Caucus Chairman, Representative Brian Banks (D-Detroit), announced the following officers: Representative Sherry Gay-Dagnogo (D-Detroit), Vice Chair Representative Fred Durhal III (D-Detroit), Secretary Senator David Knezek (D-Dearborn Heights), Treasurer

On Wednesday, Attorney General Bill Schuette issued an official legal opinion clarifying state law regarding the potential closure of underachieving schools in Detroit.  The opinion states that under current law, schools operated by the Detroit Public School Community District are subject to closure before the end of the current school year if they are amongst […]

On Tuesday, Governor Rick Snyder signed into law a recently passed package of legislation making reforms to the Detroit Public Schools.  Additionally, the newly signed law includes $467 million to help pay off long-standing debt and $150 million to improve facilities and invest in student achievement.  The reforms will end the emergency management of the […]

This week, the House and Senate granted approval to a package of legislation making reforms to Detroit Public Schools (DPS).  The package previously passed by the House was vastly different from the Senate-passed proposal.  For several days there was uncertainty as to if the Senate would have enough votes to pass the House’s new proposal.  […]

Following several hours of session, negotiations, and caucusing, the House was able to muster enough votes to pass a package of legislation making numerous reforms to Detroit Public Schools. The package, which contains three House and three Senate bills, was initially passed by the House last month.  However, yesterday the House requested the return of […]

Following a nearly fourteen hour session, the House passed a package of bills reforming Detroit Public Schools (DPS) and appropriating funds to keep the schools afloat.  The bill package was passed without the support of any of the members of the Democratic caucus.  The bills would appropriate $33 million in emergency funding and $500 million […]

On Tuesday, Governor Rick Snyder signed a supplemental funding bill appropriating $48.7 million to Detroit Public Schools (DPS).  The additional funds will ensure DPS has enough money to remain open through the end of the current school year.  Without the additional appropriation, DPS only had enough funds to remain open for a couple of weeks.  […]

On Thursday the Senate passed and the House concurred in a bill appropriating $47.8 million of the state’s tobacco settlement funds to the Detroit Public Schools (DPS).  Without the appropriation, DPS would only have few weeks of funding available, after that time teachers and staff would not have been paid.  While the House passed version […]