A recommendation this week by education reformers for a centralized system where Detroit parents would enroll their children in school is seen as the first step toward a broader debate about how to reshape public school management within the city, Chad Livengood reports in The Detroit News.
The district has a decentralized system of 97 schools operated by Detroit Public Schools, along with 64 charter schools run by a dozen authorizers throughout the state and 15 former DPS schools controlled by the Education Achievement Authority.
Gov. Rick Snyder's administration has been exploring options for the 47,238-student district, which remains buried under a $127 million operating deficit. The task has taken on urgency since an 18-month term for DPS Emergency Manager Jack Martin is nearing its completion in January.
Snyder has said he intends to get Mayor Mike Duggan, City Council members and other community leaders involved in talks about how to "improve all schools in Detroit" as the city's municipal bankruptcy nears its end.
