House Republicans Pitch Their Own DPS Plan

Unhappy with a lack of academic reforms in the governor’s plan to get Detroit Public Schools out of debt, a group of lawmakers in the Michigan House are floating a plan of their own.

State Representative Daniela Garcia, R-Holland, says it puts an emphasis on academics and filling the some 200 teacher vacancies in the district by allowing for alternative teacher certifications.

That would allow people who have advanced knowledge in an area but no teaching experience to enter the classroom.

New hires into the district would also be placed into a 401k plan and wouldn’t be eligible for a pension when they retired.

The plan, much like the governor’s, also calls on the district to be split into two with one district handling the educating while the other district pays down the debt.

The price tag is the same too, about $72 million a year for 10 years.

The six bill package will be introduced by the end of the week. However the measures lack any backing from Detroit-area lawmakers.