Southeast Michigan is poised to get a share of $1.3 billion in U.S. economic development grants. Lisa Baragar Katz, executive director of the Workforce Intelligence Network for Southeastern Michigan tells Bridge how the money should be spent.
Chastity Pratt
Chastity Pratt is a former reporter for Bridge.
Posted inMichigan Government
Emergency manager or emperor? Why Michigan’s law stirs contempt
Michigan has one of the most aggressive receivership laws in the nation, giving emergency managers extraordinary power in distressed communities, but leaving hard feelings in their wake. Other states have had a smoother ride by involving elected leaders in turnaround plans, rather than shuttling them to the sideline.
Posted inMichigan Government
Politicos were out to get me, says emergency manager
Benton Harbor’s first emergency manager sidelined elected officials and a public war soon followed. EMs have authority to make the hard cuts that elected leaders won’t, but entrenched politics are harder to ax.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Is Detroit’s financial oversight board too big to succeed?
The state-created board may be larger than necessary, but it has the funding to run its own numbers, rather than relying on the city to turn over information.
Posted inTalent & Education
F is for frustrated – disorganization at Detroit EAA schools leaves students scrambling to graduate
Seniors graduating this month from high schools in the state reform school district complain of missing or inaccurate transcripts. Some are being told days before commencement they don’t have the required classes to graduate.
Posted inTalent & Education
Officials’ mistake cancels Head Start in Detroit schools; ‘sin and a shame’ for district
Detroit Public Schools missed a deadline, and now must bow out of the preschool program for low-income children, imperiling nearly 1,000 seats for 4-year-olds.
Posted inThe Center for Michigan
Michigan residents consumed with improving education, college affordability
Michigan residents demand the state do something to improve schools, align training to the jobs available, and make college more affordable for students and their families.
Posted inTalent & Education
Long-term fixes to Michigan school funding unlikely this year
As election season heats up, lawmakers recognize that the state school funding formula needs an overhaul. But long-term changes to the Proposal A funding system will likely not be addressed. This leaves plenty of middle-class districts to struggle.
Posted inTalent & Education
Study to measure cost of education unlikely in election year
State-funded adequacy studies are hailed by education groups and Democrats as a way to measure the true cost of educating Michigan students. But Republicans deride these studies as an effort to wring more money from taxpayers.
Posted inTalent & Education
School funding fight turns on two visions of Michigan
Charter and school-choice proponents want all districts to get an equal share of state funding. The state board and leading education groups say that rural, urban and low-income districts often need more resources to provide a quality education.