Plan aims to improve Detroit’s schools, boost access to college scholarships

6/20/2011

DETROIT — Gov. Rick Snyder says a new public-private authority is being formed to oversee the Detroit Public Schools’ lowest-performing schools as part of a broader effort to improve education.

The Republican governor announced Monday in Detroit that the partnership involves the struggling district as well as Eastern Michigan University. He says the schools would have a year to prepare and the authority would oversee them starting in the 2012-2013 school year.

Snyder says the program could be expanded later.

The governor also says a program modeled after the anonymously funded Kalamazoo Promise program would be set up to help Detroit students attend college. The Kalamazoo program guarantees college scholarships to state universities and community colleges.

Snyder says the Detroit scholarship program initially would help fund two years of college.