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SEASHELLS ON A BEACH

2

Thursday, June 2, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
NEWS

Second day of annual 

Mackinac Policy 

Conference focuses 

on DPS

By CALEB CHADWELL and 

KEVIN BIGLIN

Daily Staff Reporters

Focus turned to Detroit and 

its public schools at the Detroit 
Regional Chamber’s Mackinac 
Policy Conference on Wednesday, 
with a panel on DPS and a keynote 
address from Detroit Mayor Mike 
Duggan, in which DPS was a 
subject of his discussion. 

Panelists 
Dan 
Quisenberry, 

president 
of 
the 
Michigan 

Association 
of 
Public 
School 

Academies, and John Rakolta Jr., 
chairman and CEO of Walbridge 
and co-chairman for the Coalition 
for the Future of Detroit School 
Children, debated DPS reform in 
general and the place of Michigan 
Senate Bill 710-711 within it.

The bill was introduced by 

state Sen. Geoff Hansen (R–Hart) 
in January with the purpose of 
establishing a temporary five-year 
Detroit Education Commission 

to oversee reforms and provide 
money to repay the district’s 
$515 million debt. The legislation 
passed the state senate in March 
with a bipartisan vote and the 
support of Gov. Rick Snyder (R), 
but it did not pass through the 
state House of Representatives.

Both parties agree that major 

reform in Detroit Public Schools is 
needed. About 19,000 elementary 
students in Detroit currently 
attend schools with less than five 
percent reading at a fourth grade 
proficiency level, according to MI 
School Data. Additionally, the 
district has run a deficit for 16 of 
the last 17 years. 

“We all have the goal of 

increasing academic outcomes for 
kids,” Quisenberry said. “We also 
have the goal of improving access 
to quality schools across the city 
of Detroit.”

Rakolta favored the legislation 

because 
he 
believes 
the 

commission created under the 
bill would ultimately improve 
classroom conditions and help 
control finances.

“If we don’t fix this in Detroit, 

we’re going nowhere,” Rakolta 
said. “There is no discipline in our 
system.”

Quisenberry, 
on 
the 
other 

hand, opposed the bill because 
he believes it calls for too much 
governance. 
He 
prefers 
that 

the performance be improved 
by existing leaders within the 
district, rather than politically 
appointed individuals, and called 
for people on his side to not be 
afraid to make new and different 
proposals.

“What 
we 
want 
is 

performance,” Quisenberry said. 
“Why do we assume that this 
(Bill 710-711) will have a positive 
impact on students’ outcomes? 
Will a D.E.C. (Detroit Education 
Commission) manage attendance 
issues across the city? Can a 
D.E.C. respect and handle the 
diversity of the Detroit issues? 
I don’t see how a D.E.C. can do 
that.”

Rakolta responded by stressing 

that the current leadership within 
the district is failing. He touted 
proposed bills as the best option, 
especially given the bipartisan 
support it has received within the 
state senate and from community 
leaders.

“Whatever we have today isn’t 

working, and we can’t wait any 
longer,” Rakolta said. “The D.E.C. 
is the best hope and it is supported 

HALEY MCLAUGHLIN/Daily

Mayor of Detroit Mike Duggan discusses safety initiatives currently under consideration in Detroit in Robertson Auditorium 
in December.

See MACKINAC, Page 8

State policy conference talks 
Detroit public school reform

