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Mich. Schools Chief Says Laws Needed to Get Grants

Lansing, Mich.

Michigan will have to change state law to have any shot at a slice of more than $4 billion set aside by the Obama administration for states that shake up their public school systems, the state's schools chief said Thursday.

Michigan schools superintendent Mike Flanagan said the state should adopt many of the reform measures aimed at improving schools regardless of the Obama administration's economic incentive. But doing so within the next two months would give Michigan a crack at an estimated $200 million to $400 million to boost its financially sagging schools.

Fewer than half the states are likely to win the money in what is expected to be...