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Governor willing to talk about taking on Detroit Public School debt

Governor Rick Snyder
Governor Rick Snyder

Gov. Rick Snyder says he’s open to the idea of the state taking over debt from Detroit Public Schools (DPS).

A long-awaited report released this week by the Coalition for the Future of Detroit Schoolchildren recommended the move. It urges the state to assume hundreds of millions of dollars in DPS debt.

The governor has stopped short of endorsing the plan – but says he’ll consider it.

“They’ve been financially challenged for a long time, as have other school districts in the state of Michigan. And that’s always something we should be open minded to looking at. But we need to be thoughtful about how we would do anything to be helpful,” Snyder told reporters while briefly answering press questions after an unrelated event in Detroit on Tuesday.

“That’s something where we’d have to carefully consider, and really not look at bailouts, per se, but to say if it’s helpful for long term sustainability we need to be open minded.”

Snyder says he’s also open to similar deals with districts across the state that are in financial trouble.

Some state lawmakers who serve on education committees say they’re also open to the idea. But others have indicated skepticism about the report’s recommendations – including the idea of state taxpayers taking over DPS debt.