A new law in Michigan will give the head of the Detroit Public Schools more power to try and close a large budget gap. The new law will give Robert Bobb, the head of schools, more power to intervene in the finances and management of school districts with financial problems. Bobb sent layoff notices to the district's salaried employees last week, as part of the effort to save money. He has also talked about making changes to the collective bargaining agreements that were signed with teachers less than two years ago. Detroit's mayor says that changes like these are needed to keep Detroit afloat. The Detroit Federation of Teachers called earlier plans to close or privatize a third of the city's schools a bad idea.
See "Detroit Moves Against Unions", Matthew Dolan, The Wall Street Journal, April 17, 2011