Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder proposed the state pay at least $483 million to retire debt racked up by Detroit public schools, as part of a broader plan to overhaul the struggling school district, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. The Republican governor introduced the financing plan to transform one of the nation’s largest public-school districts — to eliminate chronic red ink, improve poor academic performance and return management to local control after almost a decade under state oversight. But the plan could face an uphill political fight. A rally by Detroit’s unionized teachers in the state capital on Thursday led the district to close 17 schools. Many educators say they oppose any plan that moves the city toward more charter schools and doesn’t include money to reduce class size and restore needed support services in public schools.
