Michigan lawmakers voted last week to extend $48.7 million in emergency aid to keep Detroit’s ailing district open for the rest of the academic year and avoid the prospect of payless paydays for staff members.
Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, planned to sign the legislation.
The $48.7 million is a stopgap measure while the governor presses legislators to enact a $720 million restructuring plan to split the district and pay off $515 million in operating debt over a decade.
The 46,000-student district has been under state financial management for seven years. It is burdened with declining enrollment and with low morale that has led to teacher “sickouts” in recent months.
