Long-awaited legislation to overhaul Detroit's troubled school district by splitting it in two was introduced yesterday and could commit state lawmakers to spending up to $770 million over 11 years on the restructuring proposal that faces uncertainty in a bailout-averse legislature, the Associated Press reported yesterday. The Michigan Senate bills, which were finally proposed more than eight months after Gov. Rick Snyder (R) first unveiled the concept, do not yet identify the funding source needed to retire Detroit Public Schools' operating debt and launch a new district in July. The legislation also does not include the Republican's proposal — backed by a coalition in Detroit — to create a commission that would hire an officer to potentially close poor-performing public schools, regardless of whether they are traditional ones or independent charters. The district is burdened by debt, falling enrollment, inadequate buildings and low morale among employees whose recent absences have closed schools. It has been under state financial management for almost seven years.
