LANSING – State Representative Coleman A. Young II (D-Detroit) today introduced a plan that will require the superintendent of a first-class designated school district to conduct or arrange for a forensic audit of financial operations and records in order to address corruption or wrong doing within the district.
"This plan shows our Detroit students that we are working hard to secure their educational future by weeding out any malfeasance and corruption within the Detroit Public School System," Young said. "Our hard-working Detroit families have a right to know of any misconduct and expect that those individuals involved will be brought to justice. If you steal from our kids, you go to jail – it's that simple."
Detroit Public Schools is the largest school district in Michigan and currently the only one in the state that is designated as a first-class district. Earlier this month, the Michigan House of Representatives passed a plan aimed at extending Detroit Public Schools' first-class school designation until July 1, 2010. When initially designated a first-class school district, the Detroit Public Schools enrollment was in excess of 100,000 students. Detroit Public Schools recently saw a decline in enrollment, dropping below the 100,000-student threshold. The House plan, which now awaits a vote in the Senate, would create a moratorium that extends first-class designation for any district that was rated "first class" as of September 1, 2008, giving schools time to prepare for changes resulting from the population loss that is occurring in Detroit and across the state.
"Every child deserves the opportunity to earn a high-quality education," Young said. "By requiring first class school districts to conduct these financial investigations, we ensure that our schools are focused on what matters most – our students."