Department of Education Receives Detroit Schools’ Revised Budget Strategy

LANSING – The Michigan Department of Education received Wednesday afternoon, and has begun reviewing, budget documents approved by the Detroit Public Schools Board of Education, meeting the deadline required by a Consent Agreement between the school district and the state’s Financial Review Team.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan determined on Monday that the Consent Agreement was in effect and formalized the requirements outlined in the agreement.

“I wanted to make sure that the Detroit school board knew it must abide by every condition and detail laid out in the Consent Agreement it signed,” Flanagan said. “If it doesn’t, I will not hesitate to declare that a Financial Emergency exists and install an Emergency Financial Manager to bring the district back to firm financial standing.”

One of the conditions in the Consent Agreement was to submit a detailed Deficit Elimination Plan that contains to the satisfaction of the Department of Education specific and realistic expenditure reductions in an amount sufficient to address any current operating deficit and any accumulated deficit.

The Department is reviewing the documents approved by the Detroit school board to determine whether they comply with all of the conditions required in the Consent Agreement.